Checkout Explorer: Centralized Checkout Management in ACCELQ

The Checkout Explorer is a powerful hub designed to give you complete visibility and control over all checked-out entities in your project. Instead of managing check-ins one by one, you can now view, compare, and act on multiple checked-out items for yourself or other users in a single, intuitive interface.

With intelligent dependency analysis, powerful bulk actions, and different views for organizing your work, the Checkout Explorer streamlines the entire check-in process, making it faster, safer, and more collaborative.

Key Concepts

• Checkout Explorer: A centralized UI, accessible via the main ACCELQ Entity Explorer, for managing all checked-out entities.
• Dependency View: The default and most powerful view. It intelligently groups Scenarios and Actions based on their relationships. For example, a checked-out Scenario will be grouped with all of its checked-out dependent Actions. This provides a task-oriented view of your changes.
• Entity Type View: An alternative view that groups checked-out entities by their type (e.g., all Scenarios together, all Actions together).
• Check-in Blocker: A checked-out entity that must be checked in along with another selected entity to maintain project integrity. The system automatically detects these dependencies.

Accessing the Checkout Explorer

You can open the Checkout Explorer in several ways:

From the Global Search: 

Click the Global Search field in the top navigation and select Entity Explorer. In the Entity Explorer, select "Checked-Out Entities" from the "Explore" dropdown. You can then select the desired user.

From the Actions or Scenarios Grid: 

Right-click on a checked-out entity and select the "Check-in" context menu. You will find an option to navigate to "Show my checkouts...".

From an Entity's Check-in Button:

When viewing an entity you have checked out, clicking the "Check-in" button dropdown options will also provide an option to go to the Checkout Explorer.

The Checkout Explorer Interface

The main view is organized to give you maximum context about your ongoing work.

• Title Area: Displays which user's checkouts are currently being viewed.
• View Toggle: Switch between Dependency View and Entity Type View using the "Change" link in the information bar.
• Action Buttons: The main Check-in and Undo Check-out buttons in the header become active when you select one or more entities. When viewing another user's checkouts as a Project Admin, an Admin Override button with special actions will also appear.
• Entity List: The central area lists the checked-out entities, grouped according to the selected view. Each item shows its status, when it was last updated, and the check-out comment.

Core Capabilities

1. Viewing Changes with Inline Diff

Before taking action, you can review the exact changes made to any entity. Simply click on the diff icon for the entity row to open an inline diff view. This split-screen comparison shows the "Base Version" against the "Checked-Out Version," helping you make informed decisions about whether to check in or revert your changes.

2. Grouping by Dependency vs. Entity Type

You have two powerful ways to organize the list of checked-out entities:

• Dependency View (Default): This view is perfect for task-based workflows. If you modified a related Action while working on a Scenario, this view groups them together. This ensures you can check-in the entire logical change at once, preventing errors. You can even select an entire group with a single click on the group header's checkbox.
• Entity Type View: This provides a straightforward list of all checked-out entities, grouped by their type (Scenarios, Actions). This is useful when you need to find a specific type of entity quickly.

3. Streamlined Check-in Process

The Checkout Explorer streamlines the check-in process, especially for complex changes involving multiple entities.

Bulk Check-in: Select multiple entities (or an entire dependency group) and click the main Check-in button. A modal will appear, giving you powerful options:

• Check-in Comments: By default, you can provide a single, common comment for all selected entities. If you toggle this option off, you can manage comments individually. Each entity's comment field will be pre-populated with the comment provided at check-out, giving you a chance to reuse, edit, or replace it.
• Update Status: Optionally, you can update the status of all selected entities to a new value (e.g., "In Progress" to "Ready for Review") as part of the check-in process.

Intelligent Dependency Resolution: If you select an entity for check-in that has "blocker" dependencies (i.e., other checked-out items that must be checked in with it), the system automatically detects this.

• A "Resolve Check-in Dependencies" pop-up will appear, listing the blocked items and their required dependencies.
• You have the choice to cancel or proceed by clicking "Include & Check-in All," which intelligently bundles all the necessary items into a single, safe transaction.

This powerful feature prevents partial check-ins and ensures your automation project remains stable and consistent.

4. Undo Checkout

If you decide to discard your changes, simply select one or more entities and click Undo Check-out. This will revert the selected entities to their last checked-in state.

Managing Another User's Checkouts (Admin Override)

The actions you can take on another user's checkouts depend on your project role.

• Project Admin View: When viewing another user's checkouts, a Project Admin will see an "Admin Override" button. This allows the admin to perform a Force Check-in or Force Undo Checkout. This is a critical governance feature for situations where a team member is unavailable or a lock needs to be cleared.
• Non-Admin View: If you are not a Project Admin, you can still view the list of entities another user has checked out, but you cannot take any action. This listing is read-only.

Real-World Example: A Test Automation Workflow

Imagine you are tasked with updating the login logic for an application.

1. You check out the central "Login" Action.
2. As you test it, you realize this change also requires minor updates to three different Scenarios that use this login Action. You check them out and modify them.
3. With the Checkout Explorer, you open your checkouts in Dependency View. You see three Scenario Groups, and each one correctly lists the "Login" Action as a dependency.
4. You simply click the checkbox on the header of the main Scenario Group you were working on. This selects the Scenario and its dependent "Login" Action.
5. You click Check-in, provide a comment like "Updated login flow to handle new MFA requirement," set the status to "Completed," and commit the change in a single, safe transaction.

This workflow is not only faster but also significantly reduces the risk of human error.