Tip of the Month: Viewing the History of an Item
March 02, 2018
Did you know?
BarnOwl objects all have a History log, which keeps track of changes made to any item by operation type:
- Capture
- Edit
- Delete
You can view the History for an item by clicking the button at the top of the item form.
In this example, we are going to use the Risk form as an example, but all BarnOwl object forms contain this button, except for the Key Indicator capture/edit form.
The History form shows you the name of the user, the date and time when the change was made, and what changes were made.
From version 8.5, you can also view change history for custom fields in risks, controls and objectives, but you cannot view custom fields which have been deleted.
Item-specific custom fields are prefixed by a * symbol, while Unit/Process/Template custom fields are prefixed by a + symbol.
Custom fields will only be displayed automatically if you have selected the check box in the Preferences form. If you have not selected this option, no custom fields will be displayed.
For information about Preferences, see Specifying Preferences.
Viewing Item History
The BarnOwl History form works the same way as a BarnOwl register. This means that you can filter the grid, save a Favourite view and export the register to Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word.
For more information about this, see About the BarnOwl Registers.
You can also add or remove columns using the BarnOwl Field Chooser.
(For more information on the BarnOwl Field Chooser, see The BarnOwl Field Chooser).
Comparing History Changes
From version 8.5.1, you can compare two history items to view changes.
To view the changes made by a user:
- In the objective, risk or control form, click the button. The History form for the selected item opens. By default, the top two rows (displaying the latest changes) are selected. You can unselect and select rows as required, but only two rows can be compared at a time.
- To compare two entries, select the two rows you wish to compare by ticking the check box next to each row. Changes which have occurred are displayed in bold.
- After you have viewed the information you require, click the button to return to the form.