Entries and revisions
An entry's page, how revisions go from draft to review to published, why published revisions never change, and upgrading projects.
An entry's page
Every catalog entry has a page at /catalog/e/<namespace>/<slug>, for example /catalog/e/cbnsndwch/shelf-10in. Open it from a card in the catalog.
The page shows:
- The entry's name, with its id and category beside it (and hidden if a moderator has hidden it; see Reports).
- Its description and, for a device made in the device modeler, a link to the maker's datasheet.
- A 3D preview of the part with its default values.
- Its revisions, newest first. Select a revision to preview it instead.
- Model file: the licence and credits of the 3D file it is drawn from, if any.
- Where to get it: shops and stores that sell it, with their latest price and stock report.
- Definition: the full entry as JSON, with its revision number and licence.
When you are signed in, the page also offers:
| Button | Who sees it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Edit measurements | anyone signed in, on a device made in the device modeler | opens the entry in the device modeler |
| New revision | whoever may draft in the entry's namespace, when no draft or review is open | starts a new draft from the published revision |
| Fork to @you | everyone else | copies the entry into your namespace as a new draft; see Namespaces |
| Report | anyone signed in | tells the moderators something is wrong; see Reports |
Revisions
An entry is a series of numbered revisions: rev 1, rev 2, and so on. Each revision goes through the same steps:
- Draft: private to its author. You can edit it, delete it, and use it in your own projects right away.
- Review: submitted, waiting for someone who may publish it. It can't be edited any more.
- Published: in the catalog for everyone. It never changes again.
A reviewer can also reject a revision. A rejected revision is kept, read-only. To try again, start a new revision.
Drafts
On an entry's page, each draft of yours has Edit, Submit and Delete. Edit opens it in the catalog editor (or use Edit measurements for a device from the modeler). Nobody else sees your drafts, except the site's admins.
A new draft always takes the next number after every revision of that entry, whatever its status. So if rev 3 was rejected, the next draft is rev 4.
Submitting
Submit (or Submit for review in the catalog editor) sends the draft for review. The first time you submit anything, you are asked to agree that your catalog contributions are published under CC BY-SA 4.0. See Licences and credits.
An assembly can only be submitted when every entry it uses exists in the catalog.
Review
Who may approve a revision:
- the owner of the namespace, if they have contributor access (owners may approve their own revisions);
- the namespace's maintainers, if they have contributor access;
- the site's admins, for any namespace.
So a contributor publishes in their own namespace by submitting and then approving. Without contributor access, what you submit waits for an admin.
Reviewers find waiting revisions in the Review queue on the catalog page, in the Pending work panel. Each row links to the entry and has Approve and Reject. The same buttons appear on the revision's row on the entry's page.
- Approve publishes the revision. It becomes the revision the catalog offers, and projects that use an older one are offered the upgrade.
- Reject sends it back to its author as rejected.
A device submitted from the device modeler without contributor access carries only its measurements. When it is approved, the approver's browser builds its model file and attaches it.
Published revisions never change
Once published, a revision is fixed for good. Changing an entry always means a new revision. This is what lets projects rely on the catalog: every part in a project points at an exact revision (alice/mini-pc-tray rev 2, say), so a project looks and checks the same tomorrow as it does today, whatever the entry's author does next.
Upgrades in your projects
When a newer revision of a part your project uses is published, the project offers the upgrade. An Updates available card lists each such part with the revisions (for example rev 1 → 2) and how many are in use.
- Preview shows what the upgrade would change in this project: parameter defaults that move, checks that change between pass and fail, and problems that would appear or go away.
- Upgrade moves every use of that part to the new revision.
- Upgrade all appears when there is more than one update.
Nothing upgrades on its own, and an upgrade can be undone like any other edit. For more on checks and problems, see Checks.