Versioning

In Eximee, every application element — e.g. a form, process, script, or content — has its own version history, managed directly in the repository. The versioning mechanism enables safe introduction of changes, tracking of modifications, and easy restoration of earlier versions if needed.

Major and minor versions

The versioning system distinguishes two levels of versions:

• Major versions (major) — marked with successive whole numbers: 1, 2, 3, etc. They are used to mark changes that affect the operation of the application or its structure (e.g. changes to the data schema, process logic, or relationships between components).
• Minor versions (minor) — marked as a decimal number relative to the major version: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc. They are used when introducing smaller changes that do not affect the application interface and do not require adjustments to dependent components (e.g. text changes, layout fixes, cosmetic modifications).

The first version of each application element is 1.0.

When saving changes, the user decides whether to create a new major version or a minor one. Versioning is done manually — the system does not enforce automatic version number increments.

Draft version (draft)

When an application element is edited, its draft version (draft). A draft version is a temporary copy of the edited element that does not yet affect the operation of the application and is not visible to other users.

Key rules for working with a draft version:

• For a given major version branch (e.g. 3.*) only one draft version can exist at a time.
• Editing the draft version locks the branch, which means that other users cannot make changes to the same major version at the same time.
• The lock is removed automatically when the user:

  • saves the draft version as a new major or minor,
  • or discards the draft version without saving it.

A draft version allows safe experimentation with changes — only saving (promoting) the version to the repository makes it available in the history and usable in applications.

Version history

Each application element has a tab available from the interface Version history, where you can see:

• all approved versions (1.0, 1.1, 2.0 etc.),
• change descriptions (if added when saving),
• author and modification date,
• access to compare the contents between versions,
• the ability to restore a selected version as a new draft.

This makes it easy to trace changes over time and maintain full control over the development of each application element.

Figure 1. "Version History" view

In Figure 1, we see the version history of the request template, which has many major versions. The major version 11.* has 5 minor versions (from 11.0 to 11.4).

Branching off the main branch, including the production one

Branching off the main branch is especially recommended before starting major changes — such as process redesign, changes to the data structure, or the development of new functionality — that could affect the stability of the running application.

The mechanism of branching off the main branch is used to separate a stable version (e.g. production) of the application or request from work on new functionalities. Branching off the branch consists of creating a new major version, which serves as an independent space for further development.

Figure 2. Separation of production and development versions

In practice, this means that version 1.* (e.g. 1.12) can still run in production while the team works in parallel on version 2.*, developing it independently until it is ready for deployment. This approach makes it possible to maintain a stable version of the application and develop the next one at the same time, minimizing the risk of errors and conflicts between changes. If needed, fixes can also be introduced in the production branch without affecting the new version under development.

Figure 3. Parallel development of version 2.0 while maintaining version 1.*

Branching off the production branch is especially recommended before starting major changes — such as process redesign, changes to the data structure, or the development of new functionality — that could affect the stability of the running application.