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Opening Documents from Aras

August 25, 2026 06:49 AM
1 min read

Use the Open command on the Aras ribbon to retrieve Office files previously saved into Aras Documents for viewing or editing. This brings up a Search dialog for Documents.

Search Dialog for Documents

Selecting the Open command brings up a search dialog for Documents:

Note
The columns displayed in the dialog are configurable by the administrator and so may appear different at your site.

View and Edit Options

Once the desired Document has been located using the search dialog, it can be opened in either View or Edit Mode. For View Mode, select the row with the document and click the View button, or double-click on the row. For Edit Mode, select the row with the document and click the Edit button. Characteristics of View Mode versus Edit Mode are as follows:

  • View Mode

The Document opens as Unclaimed.

Used when there is no intention of modifying the file, only to read the file, copy content from it, or do a Save As to Aras with it.

This is the only possible mode if a user doesn’t have rights to claim the Aras Document, for example, if the Document is released or claimed by someone else.

  • Edit Mode

The Document opens as Claimed. No one else can make changes until it is unclaimed.

Used when intending to modify the contents of the file.

If attempting to open the file using Edit Mode and the system cannot claim the Document, the Connector will prompt if it is OK to open the file for view only.

It is possible to open the file for view only and later claim the Aras Document to allow editing. However, if someone has modified the Aras Document in the meantime, it cannot be claimed because the file will be outdated. See the next section for details.

Opening from a Linked Item

It may be easier to locate the Document by searching for an Item it is linked to rather than the Document itself. For example, suppose the Document pertains to a Part or a Project being worked on. The Open from Linked Item command provides an easy way to do this. This command is accessed by clicking on the arrow next to the Open command:

This opens the search task pane, where the desired type of linked item can be selected using the Item Type selector and then searched for. Select the desired Item and click on the Keyed Name to view it.