Why Document Revisions Matter
Every document has a history. A contract that's been through four rounds of negotiation. A report that's been reviewed by three departments. A proposal that's evolved through multiple drafts.
Without version control, that history is fragile. It lives in email attachments named Contract_v3_FINAL_v2_REVISED.docx. It depends on someone remembering to save copies before making changes. One overwrite, one forgotten attachment, and critical context is lost.
DocMods solves this with automatic, reliable version history for every document.
How Versioning Works
Automatic Version Creation
Every edit creates a new version. When DocMods modifies your document—whether adding a comment, inserting text, or applying a redline—the previous version is preserved and a new version is saved.
You don't need to remember to save copies. You don't need to manage file names. Every state of your document is preserved automatically.
Version Numbering
Versions are numbered sequentially: v1, v2, v3, and so on. Each version records:
- When the version was created
- What operation produced it (edit, comment, redline)
- The complete document at that point in time
Immutable History
Versions are immutable. Editing version 3 creates version 4—it doesn't modify version 3. Going back to version 2 creates a new version 5 that matches version 2's content. The full timeline is always preserved.
Comparing Versions
Blackline Comparisons
Compare any two versions to see exactly what changed. DocMods generates professional blackline comparisons that show:
- Insertions — New text added between the two versions
- Deletions — Text removed between the two versions
- Moved text — Content that was relocated within the document
This is the same format legal professionals use for document comparison. It tells you at a glance what's different.
Selective Comparison
Compare any two versions, not just consecutive ones. Want to see the cumulative effect of three rounds of edits? Compare v1 to v4 directly. Want to understand what one specific round changed? Compare v3 to v4.
Net Change View
When a document has been through multiple rounds of tracked changes—some accepted, some rejected—it can be hard to see the net result. Version comparison cuts through the noise and shows the actual differences between two states of the document.
Common Workflows
Contract Negotiation Tracking
In a contract negotiation, each round produces a new document version:
- v1 — Your initial draft
- v2 — Counterparty's redline
- v3 — Your response to their redline
- v4 — Their second turn
Compare any two versions to see what changed in each round. Compare v1 to v4 to see the full negotiation evolution.
Internal Review Cycles
A report goes through multiple internal reviewers:
- v1 — First draft
- v2 — After legal review
- v3 — After compliance review
- v4 — After executive review
Each reviewer's changes are preserved in separate versions. Compare versions to see what each reviewer contributed.
Audit Trail
For regulated industries, version history provides a complete audit trail. Every change to a document is recorded with timestamps. Demonstrate compliance by showing the full editing history.
Rollback and Recovery
Made a mistake? Downloaded the wrong version? Someone accepted changes they shouldn't have? Previous versions are always available. Download any prior version and continue from there.
Version History vs. Track Changes
These are complementary features, not alternatives:
Track Changes records individual edits within a document. It shows who changed what text and preserves both the old and new versions inline.
Version History records the state of the entire document over time. It lets you compare any two snapshots of the document.
Use track changes to review specific edits. Use version history to understand how the document evolved across editing sessions.
Start Tracking Revisions
Upload a document and start editing. Every change creates a new version automatically. Compare, review, and restore—your document's full history is always one click away.
