Word Pro's version-control features rival the tools found in software development and document management programs. For example, the first time you save a document, Word Pro stores everything in a single read-only file. As you make and save changes, Word Pro saves only the changed portions of the original. A searchable history of the document is always available, and disk space is conserved.
To manage such changes, Word Pro turns major document elements into objects, which are then tracked in a coded list embedded in the file. Users can't view the list, although they can see an editable directory of versions. Versions share objects, including document properties, embedded or linked
objects, OLE objects, equations, and charting objects.
A shared object is, in effect, externally linked to all file versions. For example, if you create a chart in a Word Pro document and then update it in a second version of the file, the second version does not contain a full copy of the chart. Instead, the copy is maintained in the original version and linked to the new portions in subsequent versions. When you change data, the original chart is modified, and all links are updated.
Reused objects must be maintained in a read-only state to avoid ripple effects in later versions. For getting around this limitation, Word Pro lets you cut and paste previous versions of a document into a new one. You can also save versions in separate disk files.
High-Tech Piece Work
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Versions of a document are pieced together from linked objects containing the most recently modified elements.
Object-Based Version Control: The Big Difference
