Track changes in React Document editor component

24 Apr 20249 minutes to read

Track Changes allows you to keep a record of changes or edits made to a document. You can then choose to accept or reject the modifications. It is a useful tool for managing changes made by several reviewers to the same document. If track changes option is enabled, all editing operations are preserved as revisions in Document Editor.

To know more about the track changes in DocumentEditor component, you can check the video below.

Enable track changes in Document Editor

The following example demonstrates how to enable track changes.

import * as ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import * as React from 'react';
import {
  DocumentEditorComponent, DocumentEditor
} from '@syncfusion/ej2-react-documenteditor';

function App() {
  let documentEditor: DocumentEditorComponent = new DocumentEditorComponent(undefined);
  React.useEffect(() => {
    ComponentDidMount()
  }, []);
  function ComponentDidMount() {
    documentEditor.spellChecker.languageID = 1033;
    //LCID of "en-us";
    documentEditor.spellChecker.removeUnderline = false;
    documentEditor.spellChecker.allowSpellCheckAndSuggestion = true;
  }

  return (
    <DocumentEditorComponent id="container" ref={(scope) => { documentEditor = scope; }} enableTrackChanges={true} enableSpellCheck={true} />
  );

}
export default App;
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('sample'));

Show/Hide Revisions Pane

The Show/Hide Revisions Pane feature in the Document Editor allows users to toggle the visibility of the revisions pane, providing flexibility in managing tracked changes within the document.

The following example code illustrates how to show/hide the revisions pane.

import * as ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import * as React from 'react';
import {
  DocumentEditorContainerComponent,
  Toolbar,
} from '@syncfusion/ej2-react-documenteditor';

DocumentEditorContainerComponent.Inject(Toolbar);
function App() {
  let containerRef: React.RefObject<DocumentEditorContainerComponent> = React.createRef();
  containerRef.current.documentEditor.showRevisions = true; // To show revisions pane
  containerRef.current.documentEditor.showRevisions = false; // To hide revisions pane
  return (
    <div>
      <DocumentEditorContainerComponent
        id="container"
        ref={containerRef}
        height={'590px'}
        serviceUrl="https://ej2services.syncfusion.com/production/web-services/api/documenteditor/"
        enableToolbar={true}
        enableTrackChanges={true}
      />
    </div>

  );
}
export default App;
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('sample'));

Get all tracked revisions

The following example demonstrate how to get all tracked revision from current document.

<DocumentEditorComponent id="container" ref={(scope) => { this.documenteditor = scope; }} enableTrackChanges={true}/>
/**
 * Get revisions from the current document
 */
let revisions : RevisionCollection = this.container.documentEditor.revisions;

Accept or Reject all changes programmatically

The following example demonstrates how to accept/reject all changes.

<DocumentEditorComponent id="container" ref={(scope) => { this.documenteditor = scope; }} enableTrackChanges={true}/>
/**
 * Get revisions from the current document
 */
let revisions : RevisionCollection = this.container.documentEditor.revisions;
/**
 * Accept all tracked changes
 */
revisions.acceptAll();
/**
 * Reject all tracked changes
 */
revisions.rejectAll();

Accept or reject a specific revision

The following example demonstrates how to accept/reject specific revision in the document editor.

/**
 * Get revisions from the current document
 */
let revisions : RevisionCollection = this.container.documentEditor.revisions;
/**
 * Accept specific changes
 */
revisions.get(0).accept();
/**
 * Reject specific changes
 */
revisions.get(1).reject();

Navigate between the tracked changes

The following example demonstrates how to navigate tracked revision programmatically.

/**
 * Navigate to next tracked change from the current selection.
 */
this.container.documentEditor.selection.navigateNextRevision();
/**
 * Navigate to previous tracked change from the current selection.
 */
this.container.documentEditor.selection.navigatePreviousRevision();

Filtering changes based on user

In DocumentEditor, we have built-in review panel in which we have provided support for filtering changes based on the user.

Protect the document in track changes only mode

Document Editor provides support for protecting the document with RevisionsOnly protection. In this protection, all the users are allowed to view the document and do their corrections, but they cannot accept or reject any tracked changes in the document. Later, the author can view their corrections and accept or reject the changes.

Document editor provides an option to protect and unprotect document using enforceProtection and stopProtection API.

The following example code illustrates how to enforce and stop protection in Document editor container.

import * as ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import * as React from 'react';
import {
  DocumentEditorContainerComponent,
  Toolbar,
} from '@syncfusion/ej2-react-documenteditor';

DocumentEditorContainerComponent.Inject(Toolbar);
function App() {
  let container: DocumentEditorContainerComponent;
  React.useEffect(() => {
    EnforceProtection();
    StopProtection();
  }, []);
  function EnforceProtection() {
    //enforce protection
    container.documentEditor.editor.enforceProtection('123', 'CommentsOnly');
  }
  function StopProtection() {
    //stop the document protection
    container.documentEditor.editor.stopProtection('123');
  }
  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={EnforceProtection}>enforceProtection</button>
      <button onClick={StopProtection}>stopProtection</button>
      <DocumentEditorContainerComponent
        id="container"
        ref={(scope) => {
          container = scope;
        }}
        height={'590px'}
        serviceUrl="https://ej2services.syncfusion.com/production/web-services/api/documenteditor/"
        enableToolbar={true}
      />
    </div>

  );
}
export default App;
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('sample'));

Tracked changes only protection can be enabled in UI by using Restrict Editing pane

Note: In enforce Protection method, first parameter denotes password and second parameter denotes protection type. Possible values of protection type are NoProtection |ReadOnly |FormFieldsOnly |CommentsOnly |RevisionsOnly. In stop protection method, parameter denotes the password.

Event

You can restrict the accept and reject changes based on the author name. The following example demonstrates how to restrict an author from accept/reject changes.

import * as ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import * as React from 'react';
import {
  DocumentEditorContainerComponent,
  Toolbar,
} from '@syncfusion/ej2-react-documenteditor';
const App = () => {
  // Event gets triggered before accepting/rejecting changes
  const beforeAcceptRejectChanges = (args) => {
    // Check the author of the revision
    if (args.author !== 'Hary') {
      // Cancel the accept/reject action
      args.cancel = true;
    }
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <div>
        <div>
          <DocumentEditorContainerComponent
            ref={(scope) => { container = scope; }}
            style=
            height={'590px'}
            beforeAcceptRejectChanges={beforeAcceptRejectChanges}
            enableToolbar={true}
          />
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default App;