File versioning: what it is and how it works
Tarkle keeps the earlier copy when you replace a file on Pro, and shows it in Version history.
When you replace a file in Tarkle with a newer copy, Tarkle can keep the earlier copy as an earlier version. Any transfer that includes the file starts delivering the new version. To replace a file step by step, see How to upload a new version of a file and restore an earlier one.
What a version is
When you save a new version, the copy you replaced becomes an earlier version of the same file, and the new copy becomes the current version. For example, if you upload a new Report.pdf over an existing Report.pdf, the old copy is kept as an earlier version and the new copy is what the file shows.
Earlier versions are private to your workspace. They appear in Version history, count toward your storage, and are never shared through transfers.
Which plans have file versioning
File versioning is available on Pro, see Tarkle plans and pricing. Agency includes everything in Pro, so it has file versioning too.
On Free, the New version and Version history items in a file's menu show an Upgrade badge and open the upgrade dialog. Tarkle also refuses version uploads, Version history and restores on Free with the message "File versioning is a Pro feature." To move your organization to Pro, see How to upgrade your organization from Free to Pro.
When Tarkle creates a new version
On Pro, a new version is created in one of three ways: you upload a file with the same name as a file in your Library, you choose New version in a file's menu, or you add a file to a new transfer.
Upload a file with the same name
When you upload files to a folder, Tarkle compares each file with the files already in that folder. Names are compared without capital letters and without extra spaces, and the extension is part of the name. So Report.pdf and report.PDF are the same name, but Report.pdf and Report.docx are not. Accents are not ignored, so Résumé.pdf and Resume.pdf are different names.
On Pro, Tarkle then does the following:
If the content is different and the file is not in a transfer, the upload is saved as a new version by itself.
If the file is in a transfer, Tarkle asks first, unless Update transfers automatically is on (see Transfers and versions below).
If the content is identical, Tarkle asks. It detects identical content for files up to 100 MB. A larger file with the same size as the current one also asks.
If the name is similar, Tarkle asks. A name is similar when no file has the same name, but exactly one file in the folder has the same extension and the same name once common copy markers are removed. Markers include (1), copy, v2, final, latest, updated, revised and edited. So Report final.docx is similar to Report.docx. The default is a separate file, and it becomes a version only if you choose Replace.
If more than one file in the folder has that name, or the same name appears twice in one upload, the file is saved as a separate file and renamed with (2).
On Free, uploads are not compared with existing files.
Choose New version in a file's menu
Open the file's menu, choose New version, and pick the file. The new file must have the same extension as the file it replaces. Otherwise Tarkle shows "A new version must be a .pdf file. To change the file type, upload it separately, or replace the file in the transfer."
The file is replaced without the review screen. If the file is in a transfer, Tarkle asks first, as described in Transfers and versions below.
Add a file to a transfer
When you add files to a new transfer on Pro, Tarkle compares them with the top level of your Library and opens the review screen only when a decision is needed. A folder you upload that has the same name as a folder already in your library is handled the same way: Tarkle asks whether to Replace it with the new version or upload as new folder.
The review screen
When Tarkle needs a decision, it shows a review screen. Its headline reads "This file is already in your library." when one file matches, and "files are already in your library." when several do. When the match is a similar name, it reads "This file looks like an update to a file already in your library."
For each file, the review shows the size of the new file and of the existing one, and when the existing one was added. If the existing file is in a transfer, it shows how many transfers use it and that replacing updates them for recipients. If the content is identical, it says "This version looks identical to the existing one."
Choose Replace or Upload as new for each file. The confirm button stays off until every file has a choice. It reads Continue, or Done when nothing is left to upload. Back returns to the previous screen.
Version history
Choose Version history in a file's menu. The dialog lists the current version, marked Current, and each earlier version with its size, the date it was replaced and how long it is kept.
For an earlier version, the dialog offers these buttons:
Preview, when the file can be opened in the preview.
Download, to download that version.
Restore, to make that version the current version.
Delete, to move that version to the bin.
Restoring makes the chosen version the current version. The version you replace is kept as an earlier version, and the restored copy counts toward your storage. From the bin you can choose Restore from bin, or Delete for good, which removes the version and its stored file now. Delete for good cannot be undone.
Transfers and versions
A transfer serves the current version of each file in it, so a new version changes what recipients get. When a new version would change a file that a transfer uses, Tarkle asks first. From a file's menu, the question is Update the transfer too? It says how many transfers use the file, that the new version will be what recipients get from now on, and that anyone who already downloaded the file keeps their copy. Choose Upload and update transfer to continue, or Cancel to close the dialog without uploading.
Restoring a version works the same way. When the file is in a transfer, the restore confirmation says that recipients get the restored version from now on.
To skip the question, turn on Update transfers automatically on the workspace's Settings page, in the General part. It is available on Pro only and is off by default. When it is on, a transfer that uses a file is updated without asking.
Storage and how long versions are kept
On Pro, an earlier version is kept for 90 days from the moment it is replaced. The expiry date does not change if the plan changes later. When the date passes, Tarkle deletes the stored copy.
Earlier versions count toward your storage until they expire. If a new version would go over your storage limit, the upload stops with the message listed below.
Messages you might see
Message | What it means |
|---|---|
File versioning is a Pro feature. | Your organization is on Free. |
This file is used by a transfer. Confirm the transfer update, or turn on automatic transfer updates in Settings > General > File settings. | The new version would change a file in a transfer, and the update was not confirmed. |
Not enough storage for this version. Older versions count toward your storage until they expire. | The new version would go over your storage limit. |
This file is identical to the current version, so no new version was created. | The uploaded file has the same content as the current version. |