You must always lock file entities and XML inclusions before they can be edited. Locking them ensures that you are the only person able to make changes to them. A small yellow filing cabinet icon precedes entities and inclusions. When you lock one, a small key will appear over the filing cabinet, showing the entity or inclusion is locked for your use. Any changes made to entities and inclusions are saved when you save your main document. Also, when you save your main document, any entities and inclusions that you locked will be unlocked and made available to other users.

If you try to lock an entity or inclusion that another user has locked, a dialog box will appear, giving you the choice to open the entity or inclusion in read-only mode. If you choose to open it in read only mode, you will not be able to try to lock it again until you have closed and reopened your main document.

If a file entity or XML inclusion resides in a content management system, you will need to use your local checkout protocol to lock it. For all other file entities and inclusions, use Edit > Edit all Entities and Inclusions to lock all the entities and inclusions in your document at one time.

You can lock individual file entities and XML inclusions implicitly by typing text in the expanded inclusion or entity, or by inserting, modifying or deleting markup. In the Document Map, click on the file cabinet icon to select an entity or inclusion. Double-click on the entity or inclusion name in the Document Map to open the inclusion or entity in a separate window.