Page Version History

Track changes to documentation pages with version history. Create named snapshots, compare versions, and restore previous states to maintain document integrity.

February 5, 2026

Documentation pages in NeoArc support version history, allowing you to create named snapshots and restore previous states. This feature is similar to diagram versioning but optimised for text-heavy content pages.

When to Use Page Versioning

Major Revisions

Before restructuring or rewriting significant sections

Review Cycles

Before and after stakeholder review feedback

Release Milestones

Capture page state at product releases

Experimental Changes

Before trying alternative content approaches

Compliance Snapshots

Document state for audit requirements

Collaboration Handoffs

Mark state before handing to another author

What Gets Versioned

Version snapshots capture the complete page state:

Component	Versioned
Page title and summary	Yes
All content blocks	Yes
Block order and structure	Yes
Authors list	Yes
Published status	Yes
Target IDs (publishing targets)	Yes
Created/modified dates	No (metadata)
Version history itself	No (stored separately)

Creating a Version

Version Metadata

Each version includes:

Field	Description
ID	Unique identifier (UUID)
Version Number	Sequential number (1, 2, 3...)
Name	User-provided version name
Description	Optional notes about the version
Timestamp	When the version was created
Snapshot	Complete page content at that point

Viewing Version History

The History panel displays all versions chronologically with the most recent at the top.

Restoring a Version

Storage Format

Page versions are stored directly in the page JSON file:

{
  "schemaVersion": "1.0.0",
  "id": "page-uuid",
  "title": "My Documentation Page",
  "content": [...],
  "versionHistory": [
    {
      "id": "version-001",
      "version": 1,
      "name": "Initial draft",
      "description": "First complete draft for review",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-01T10:00:00Z",
      "snapshot": {
        "title": "My Documentation Page",
        "content": [...]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Lineage Anchoring

Pages can be anchored to a specific version for lineage tracking. This is useful when other documents reference a page and need to link to a stable version rather than the current state.

{
  "lineageAnchor": {
    "versionId": "version-001"
  }
}

Best Practices

Practice	Reason
Version before major changes	Provides easy rollback if changes do not work out
Use descriptive names	Makes it easy to identify the right version to restore
Include context in descriptions	Future you will thank past you for the context
Clean up old versions	Delete obsolete versions to manage file size
Version at milestones	Creates clear history aligned with project phases

Comparison with Diagram Versioning

Feature	Page Versioning	Diagram Versioning
Storage format	Full snapshots	Snapshot-based
Transitions support	No	Yes
File size impact	Higher per version	Lower per version
Restore behaviour	Direct replacement	Direct replacement
Comparison view	No	Yes