Revision-Tracked Artifact

A Revision-Tracked Artifact is a digital artifact that maintains change history (recording modifications, additions, and deletions over time).

• AKA: Version-Controlled Object, Change-Tracked Item, Revisioned Artifact.
• Context:
  • It can typically preserve Historical States through sequential versioning.
  • It can typically attribute Change Authorship through contributor identification.
  • It can typically document Modification Timestamps through chronological recording.
  • It can typically support Version Comparison through differential analysis.
  • It can typically enable State Rollback through historical state restoration.
  • ...
  • It can often include Change Annotations for modification rationale.
  • It can often contain Branch Indicators for parallel development paths.
  • It can often provide Merge Markers for branch reconciliation.
  • It can often maintain Change Log Entries for modification documentation.
  • It can often incorporate Access Control Indicators for change permissions.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Linear Version History Artifact to being a Branched Version History Artifact, depending on its history structure.
  • It can range from being a Simple Change-Tracked Artifact to being a Complex Revision Management Artifact, depending on its tracking sophistication.
  • It can range from being a Single-User Revision Artifact to being a Multi-Contributor Collaborative Artifact, depending on its authorship model.
  • It can range from being a File-Level Revision Artifact to being a Component-Level Revision Artifact, depending on its granularity.
  • It can range from being a Manual Version Artifact to being an Automated Revision Artifact, depending on its version creation method.
  • ...
  • It can have Version Identifiers for state reference.
  • It can have Differential Markup for change visualization.
  • It can have Conflict Indicators for competing change representation.
  • It can have Revision Timeline for history visualization.
  • It can have Approval Status Markers for change validation.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Document Artifacts, such as:
    • Version-Controlled Text Documents, such as:
      • Revision-Tracked Contract with negotiation history.
      • Version-Controlled Technical Specification with requirement evolution.
      • Revision-Tracked Research Paper with editorial history.
      • Change-Tracked Policy Document with approval stages.
    • Revision-Tracked Structured Documents, such as:
      • Version-Controlled Spreadsheet with calculation history.
      • Revision-Tracked Presentation with slide development.
      • Version-Controlled Form with field evolution.
      • Revision-Tracked Survey with question refinement.
    • Change-Tracked Media Documents, such as:
      • Version-Controlled Rich Media Document with embedded content history.
      • Revision-Tracked Interactive Document with behavior changes.
      • Version-Controlled Compound Document with component revisions.
  • Digital Assets, such as:
    • Version-Controlled Code Artifacts, such as:
      • Revision-Tracked Source Code File with implementation history.
      • Version-Controlled Configuration File with setting evolution.
      • Revision-Tracked Database Schema with structure changes.
      • Version-Controlled API Definition with interface revisions.
    • Revision-Tracked Design Artifacts, such as:
      • Version-Controlled 3D Model with geometric evolution.
      • Revision-Tracked Architectural Drawing with design iterations.
      • Version-Controlled Graphic Asset with visual development.
      • Revision-Tracked UX Wireframe with interface refinement.
    • Version-Controlled Data Artifacts, such as:
      • Revision-Tracked Dataset with data point evolution.
      • Version-Controlled Knowledge Base with information revision.
      • Revision-Tracked Structured Data with schema changes.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Unversioned Artifact, which lacks change tracking mechanisms.
  • Artifact Snapshot, which represents a single point-in-time state without history.
  • Audit Record, which documents actions performed rather than content changes.
  • Backup Copy, which preserves complete state without differential information.
  • Final Document, which represents only the current state without previous versions.
• See: Digital Artifact, Versioned Content, Change Record, Revision History, Collaborative Document, Content Evolution, Baseline Artifact.

---