System and method for item versioning in a content mangement system

摘要

A content management system provides versioning capability that can either be controlled by the client application or be transparent thereto. Control of document versions depends on the root and child component attributes that are defined by the hierarchical structure of the document. When a document is updated, the present system performs any or all of the following scenarios as desired by the user: replace the existing attribute values stored in the root component instance for a specified document; replace the existing attribute values stored in a specified child component instance for the specified document; add a new child component instance into the hierarchical structure for the specified document; or delete an existing child component instance from the hierarchical structure for the specified document.