Work with DocIQ File Locking in Sync

You can use file locking to:

Locking is critical for shared files, since another user can also open the file and make changes.

When one user opens a file, DocIQ automatically locks the file for editing.
The lock is shown right in the Office application you are using to edit the file.

FAQ's

How do I know the status of a lock?

To see the lock status:

In a Microsoft Office application, open a file saved to your Sync folder.
In the DocIQ panel, under the file name, location, and date information, you can see the lock status.

File is not locked when:

File is locked (read allowed) when:

File is locked (read blocked) when:

The following table describes what each lock status means and how it impacts what you can do with the file and others you have shared it with.

Lock Status	Access by lock owner	Access by others
File is locked (read allowed)	Read and Modification allowed	Only read is allowed, no modification is allowed
File is locked (read blocked)	Read and Modification allowed	No Read and Modification is allowed
File is not locked	Read and Modification allowed	Read and Modification allowed

When does the lock status change?

In the following scenario:

DocIQ will automatically attempt to lock the file, with read allowed status.

For a file with a Read Blocked status:

If USER1 has locked (read blocked) the file:

However, if USER2 has already downloaded the file, then:

FileCloud Sync will allow DocIQ to open the file
FileCloud Drive will not allow the file to be opened by USER2, unless Drive has already cached the file

You can use the following table to understand the status of lock:

Action	Lock Status Before Open	Lock Status After Open	Lock Status After close
An unlocked file is opened by USER1	File is not locked	File is locked (read allowed) by USER1	File is not locked
An unlocked file is opened by USER1	File is not locked	File is not locked	File is not locked

A file locked by USER1 is opened by USER1	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by User 1	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by USER1	File is not locked
A file locked by USER1 is opened by USER1	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by User 1	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by USER1	File is not locked
A file locked by USER1 is opened by USER1	File is Locked (Read Blocked) by USER1	File is Locked (Read Blocked) by USER1	File is not locked

A file locked by USER1 is opened by USER2	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by USER1	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by USER1	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by USER1
A file locked by USER1 is opened by USER2	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by USER1	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by USER1	File is Locked (Read Allowed) by USER1
A file locked by USER1 is opened by USER2	File is Locked (Read Blocked) by USER1	File is Locked (Read Blocked) by USER1	File is Locked (Read Blocked) by USER1

Note that you cannot enable Prevent Download unless DocIQ Lock is also enabled.

How can I prevent another using from downloading a file I am working on?

When you lock a file, you can block other users from reading the file by enabling Prevent download.

Note that you can not enable Prevent Download unless DocIQ Lock is also enabled.

If another user, USER2, attempts to download the file, USER2 will see the following conditions:

The file cannot be downloaded from the FileCloud User Portal
FileCloud Sync will not download the file that is locked and read-blocked.
FileCloud Drive will not open the file that is locked and read-blocked.
DocIQ will open the file from a Sync path when file is already available in the Sync client (previously downloaded).
DocIQ will open the file from a Drive path when the Drive client allows a file to be opened.