Lock Definition Content Before Modification

This access rule determines if users must lock definition content before they can modify that content. By default, this access rule is deactivated and users do not have to lock content to modify it.

Recommendation: Do not activate this rule. If you do, it complicates the use of Definition content for the end-user.

If you activate this access rule, you must choose a value for the Automatically Lock Definition Content at Creation access rule. In addition, the apps must perform additional checks when users modify content, and these checks might affect performance. Users can use the Lock and Unlock commands in the user interface.

See Also
Allow Write Access Only to the Author Who Owns the Content

This access rule applies to Author and Leader for definition content and is not supported for restricted roles. For other roles, these rules apply regardless of the setting for this access rule:

  • Users with the Reader or Contributor roles cannot modify definition content
  • Users with the Owner role can modify definition content in any state except Obsolete

If you activate this access rule, these rules apply:

  • Any collaborative space member can lock content owned by another user unless the Allow Write Access Only to the Author Who Is Owner of the Content access rule is activated.
  • Locked content can be unlocked by any of these users:
    • The user who locked the content
    • A person with the Leader, Owner, or Administrator role
  • Only the user who locks the content can modify, delete, or revise it. Modifying content means modifying an attribute or adding/removing a relation pointing to other content such as instances, publications, engineering constraints, and so on. This is also true for the Leader when content is in FROZEN state.
  • A user who imports content using FBDI or Briefcase ("As New") automatically locks that content as part of the import process. When importing a Briefcase "As Ref", the imported content is not locked but it cannot be modified since it is owned by another site.
  • Locked content can be cloned by another user. As part of the clone process, the app automatically locks the content for the user who executed the clone operation. That user might need to manually unlock the content to allow access to other users.
  • Locked content cannot be revised by any user other than the one who locked it. As part of the revise process, the app automatically locks the content for the user who executed the revise operation.
  • Only the user who locks the content can add or remove aggregated content or relations (Instances, Publications, Engineering Constraints, and so on).
  • Users do not need to lock content to modify relations (adding or removing a reference, port, or connection) between structured entities. If product references or product representations are locked, only the person who locked can perform structural modifications.
  • Users do not need to lock content to delete, change maturity, or revise the content.

You do not need to lock instances, but you can lock them to prevent other users from modifying them.

This table defines when users with the Author and Leader roles can modify definition content and under what condition (that is, if they need to be the owner or the person who locked the content) when the Allow Leader to Modify Frozen Content rule is activated:

States Lock Content: Not Active Lock Content: Active
Author Leader Author Leader
Private Must own the content Must own the content Must own the content Must own the content
In Work Modifications allowed Modifications allowed Must lock the content Must lock the content
Frozen No modifications allowed Modifications allowed No modifications allowed Must lock the content
Released No modifications allowed No modifications allowed No modifications allowed No modifications allowed
Obsolete No modifications allowed No modifications allowed No modifications allowed No modifications allowed