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Versions and history

Every controlled document keeps a full version history. You can upload a new revision of a file document, read any past version, compare two versions, and download the file behind a specific version. Each version carries its own change reason and timestamps.

Who this is for

Administrators upload revisions and review history. Reading historical versions is available to anyone who can see the document.

The Versions tab​

Open a document and select the Versions tab. Each version is listed with:

  • Its version number (for example v1.0, v1.1), with the current version pinned.
  • Its lifecycle badge (Draft, In review, Approved, Effective, Superseded, Obsolete).
  • The change reason entered when the version was created.
  • Who edited it and when, plus the effective date and the submitted-for-review date when those apply.

Per-row actions let you view the version, compare it with the current one, and download it when it has its own file.

Screenshot pendingVersions tab listing v1.0 and v1.1 with lifecycle badges and per-row actions

Upload a new revision (file documents)​

For file documents (uploaded Word or PDF), you add a new version by uploading a revision rather than replacing the file:

  1. On the document's detail page, select Upload new revision.
  2. Choose the new file.
  3. Enter a change reason of at least 10 characters.
  4. Upload.

The new file becomes the current version, and the previous file is preserved as a downloadable historical version. The revision is recorded as an upload_document_revision audit event.

Revisions are server-side and audited; the change reason is mandatory

The revision is committed by the backend, which records a fail-loud audit event and reverts the upload if that record cannot be written. A controlled-document version always carries a documented change reason of at least 10 characters - ISO 9001 expects a justification for every change. See the Compliance area.

For content documents, you create a new version by editing the body instead. See Creating documents.

Read a historical version​

To read a specific past version, select View on that row. The viewer opens that version's content inline and shows a banner telling you that you are reading a historical version, with a link back to the current effective version. This lets an auditor deep-link straight to, say, v1.0 of a now-obsolete SOP without leaving the app.

Each content version keeps its own stored body, so older versions stay readable even after the document has moved on. The viewer also has a print option for a clean printed copy.

Screenshot pendingViewer showing a historical version with the "you are reading a historical version" banner

Read a translated version​

For content documents that have translated variants, the viewer includes a language selector. Choose the document language you want to read. If an effective or approved translated variant exists for the selected source version, Better Comply opens it. If it does not exist, the viewer keeps the available version and shows a fallback banner.

Translated variants are linked to their source version. They do not replace the document's current effective version, so the original governing copy remains stable while multilingual readers can access reviewed translations.

Compare two versions​

To see what changed between a past version and the current one, select Compare with current on a historical row. A side panel opens with a paragraph-level diff: added, removed, and changed text are marked, with counts so you can see the size of the change at a glance.

This answers the common audit question "show me what changed from v1.0 to v1.1" without downloading both files and comparing by hand.

Screenshot pendingCompare-with-current panel showing the version diff

Download a specific version​

When a version has its own stored file, a Download action appears on its row.

When you download a Superseded or Obsolete version, Better Comply shows a warning first, so it is clear the copy you are about to open is historical and not the current effective document.

Download the original of a converted version​

When a version was created by converting an uploaded file to Markdown, a Download original action appears on its row. This downloads the original uploaded file the Markdown body was derived from, which is kept as provenance on the version. Use it when an auditor needs to see the exact source document the editable content came from. See Import a Word or PDF.