Share conflict and resolution

Two shares cannot have the same combination of issuer, recipient and shared object (document or folder). When you attempt to create a share with the same three values as an existing share, the conflict prevents you from creating the new share.

A share can be isolated, which means that it has no relationship to any other shares. An isolated share is created when you share a document or a folder by using the Share action in IBM® Content Navigator.

If a share is not isolated, it is linked with other shares in a controlled relationship. For example, when you share a folder and grant edit permissions on a document in that folder by using the Select Document to Edit option, a document share is created and is controlled by the folder share. In this case, the document share is the controlled share, which has the folder share set as the controlling share. A controlled share is deleted when its controlling share is deleted or expires, or when the share issuer deletes the controlled share by removing edit rights in the folder permissions window.

Controlled shares are created in the following circumstances:
  • You create a folder share and use the Select Documents to Edit option. In this case, you create a share for each document that you select. These document shares are controlled by the folder share. A conflict occurs if the issuer previously shared one of the documents with the same recipient. For example, it is possible that the issuer previously shared by using one of the following methods:
    • The issuer created an isolated share of the document.
    • The issuer created a share of a different folder in which the document is also filed and through which a controlled document share was created.
  • A share recipient contributes a document or subfolder to a shared folder. In this case, Content Cortex automatically creates a share of the contributed document or subfolder for the contributor. The share is controlled by the folder share that grants the recipient the permissions to contribute. Because the contributed object is new and has no existing shares, a conflict would not occur.
The share issuer can respond to a conflict in one of several ways:
  • If the issuer is satisfied with the existing share, the issuer does not need to do anything.
  • The issuer can update the existing share’s expiration or permissions.
  • The issuer can remove the old share for the recipient with that same folder or document. Then, the issuer can create a new share.