Distributing and updating a shared configuration

Exporting the file

1. Click Shared Configurations in the sidebar.
2. On the configuration's card, click Export.
3. Choose where to save the file.

The file is named after the configuration and its latest version, for example Bridge Project.2.tracer-shared-configuration.json. Having the version in the file name makes it easy for everyone to see which version a file contains.

The export contains all published versions. It never contains a draft you are working on, so you can safely export while a new version is in progress. The Export button is disabled until at least one version has been published.

Sending it to your team

Send the file any way you like, for example by email, in a chat, or by placing it on a shared drive. A shared drive folder with the latest file works well for larger teams, because new team members can pick it up themselves.

Your colleagues then load it with Import Configuration on their own Shared Configurations page. You can point them to Loading a shared configuration for the steps.

Publishing an update

When something changes, for example a new task is added or a project is renamed:

1. Create a new version, make your changes and lock it.
2. Export the configuration again.
3. Send the new file to your team and ask them to import it.

When a colleague imports the new file, their card shows the new version number and their entries are updated to match. Their existing logs stay linked to the same entries.

note

Tracer does not notify anyone about new versions. Let your team know when you publish one, and mention the version name so they can compare it with the version shown on their card.

What recipients see

For people who imported your configuration:

• The card shows the configuration name, the version they have, and "Owned by" followed by the creator's name. If Tracer does not know your profile yet on their side, it shows "Owned by another user".
• All entries in the latest version are locked. They cannot edit or delete them, and there is no New version button for them.
• They can delete the configuration from their own browser. This only affects them.

Removing entries from a configuration

If you remove an entry in a new version, it is not deleted for people who update. It stays in their lists, and their logs on it are kept, but it is no longer locked. This means old logs are never lost because a task was removed from the configuration.

Good practice

tip

• Use simple, increasing version names, such as 1, 2, 3. They are easy to compare.
• Share whole branches. When you share a task, also share its project and that project's client.
• Agree on who maintains each configuration. Only the owner can publish new versions, so other people should send change requests to the owner rather than creating their own copies of the same entries.
• Keep the exported file. It is your record of what was published, and you can import it again if your browser data is lost.