When a client sends a revised version of a file that is already in a project, Update Source replaces the file in place. The existing work units of every language pair move to the new version: unchanged text keeps its translation, and only the edited and new text goes back to the workflow. You don't get duplicate work units that start over from zero, and the project keeps every earlier version of the file.

Before you start

Roles: Account Admins and Project Managers. See All about wxrks roles.
- Project Managers usually run the update when the client sends a revised file.
- Account Admins can run it too, and grant or remove the permission below for other users.
Permission: Project Resource Create, in the Project module of the permission matrix (People > Users > [User] > Permissions). It is the same permission that lets a user upload files to a project. Without it, Update Source doesn't show.
Project status: the project must be in Draft. If the project was already approved or delivered, revert it to Draft first (see Update the source of an approved project).
Project type: standard projects only. Continuous Projects update their files through their own update path, and Update Source doesn't show on them.
Same format: the revised file must have the same extension as the current one (a .docx replaces a .docx, a .json replaces a .json).

ℹ️ Note: Update Source is enabled per account. If you have the permission and a Draft project but don't see the option, contact wxrks support.

How Update Source works

A work unit is one file in one language pair at one workflow step: a file translated into French and Spanish with a Translation and a Review step has four work units. A segment is a unit of text that wxrks splits a file into for translation, usually a sentence or a string.

Update Source compares the revised file with the current version, segment by segment, and sorts each segment into one of four groups:

Group	What happens to it
Unchanged	Keeps its translation and its current state: a confirmed segment stays confirmed, a locked one stays locked.
Edited	Goes back to every step of the workflow.
New	Goes back to every step of the workflow.
Removed	Leaves the workflow and stays in the translation memory (TM). It generates no credit on the cost.

The update always applies to every language pair and step of the file at once. The source text is shared by all the work units of a file, so it can't be updated for one language and not another.

How an edited segment is recognized depends on the format:

Formats with keys (such as JSON, YAML, properties and XLIFF) identify each string by its key. If the text of a key changes, the segment is Edited and comes back with its previous translation as an unconfirmed draft. If a key is renamed, even with the same text, it's a different string: in a JSON file where report.cancel becomes report.discard and both say Cancel, the preview shows Cancel once as Removed and once as New.
Formats without keys (such as DOCX and PPTX) have no stable identifier, so wxrks compares the text itself. Identical text keeps its segment. Altered text is shown as Edited in the preview so you can see the before and after, but it enters the workflow as a new segment; on approval, its previous translation comes back from the project TM as a fuzzy (partial) match.

Example. A 2,000-word DOCX is translated into 12 languages. The client changes one paragraph and adds a short sentence. Upload File would create a new set of work units and send all 2,000 words back to translation in each language. With Update Source, the same work units move to version 2, and only the edited paragraph and the new sentence go back to the workflow in each language.

Update the source of one file

Use this path when you have a revised version of one file. It updates every language pair of that file, whatever the name of the file you upload.

Go to Projects and open the project.
On the Overview tab, click the three-dot menu (...) at the end of any work unit row of the file, and click Update Source.

If the option is grayed out, hover over it to see why: the project isn't in Draft (Revert the project to Draft to update the source), or the file was split (Split files cannot have their source updated).
The Update source window opens. The Every language is updated banner reminds you that the new version replaces the file in all the language pairs of the project, not only in the work unit you opened it from.
Drop the revised file in the upload area, or click it to browse. wxrks compares it with the current version, which can take a few seconds.
Review the preview before applying anything:
- The four counters show how many segments and words are Unchanged, Edited, New and Removed.
- Going back to the workflow shows how many segments and words return to the linguists.
- Affected work units lists every language pair and workflow step of the file, with the version change (for example, v1 → v2).
- Changes lists each edited, new and removed segment with its Before and After text.
Optional: click Export changes (CSV) to download the changes. The file has one row per edited, new or removed segment, with its type, key (for formats with keys), before text and after text. Send it to your client if they need to approve the changes before the work starts.
Click Update source. When it finishes, a confirmation shows the new version number (for example, Source updated to version 2). Click Done.

The work unit list now shows a version badge (for example, v2) next to the file name.

💡 Tip: if you close the window without clicking Update source, nothing changes in the project. The preview stays valid for about two hours; after that, upload the file again.

Update several files at once

Use this path when the client sends revised versions of several files. wxrks matches each uploaded file to a project file by name.

Go to Projects and open the project.
To limit the update to some files, select their work units on the Overview tab. Otherwise, skip this step.
Click Actions and, under Update Source, choose:
- Whole Project, to match the uploaded files against every file of the project.
- Files of selected work units, to match them only against the files you selected.
In Update source of several files, click Upload the revised files and pick the files.
Check the correspondence table. For each uploaded file, the Target file column shows the project file it will replace:
- Names are matched even when a download added a suffix, so Brochure (2).docx, Brochure - Copy.docx and Brochure copy.docx all match Brochure.docx.
- If no project file matches, the row shows No matching file in the project and is marked Left out. Pick the target in Target file to include it, or leave it out.
- Clear the checkbox of a row to leave that file out of the update.
Click Preview changes. Each row shows the segments and words going back to the workflow, the Unchanged, Edited, New and Removed counts, and an Export changes (CSV) button.
Click Update N files (for example, Update 1 file). Each row shows Source updated to version N when it finishes. Click Done.

ℹ️ Note: each file moves to its new version in every language pair it has, including the work units you didn't select. Selecting work units only chooses which files take part.

Update the quote of a project that was never approved

There is no earlier approved cost to keep, so the whole new version is quoted. The quote isn't recalculated by the update itself: before you approve the project, open the Costs tab, click Recalculate Costs and confirm with OK. Otherwise, the project is approved with the cost of the previous version.

Example. A project quoted at $5.60 for a 28-word file is updated to a 36-word version. The cost stays at $5.60 until you click Recalculate Costs, and then becomes $7.20.

Update the source of an approved project

Update Source only works in Draft, because it changes the cost of the project. If the project was already approved or delivered:

Open the project, click the project actions menu (⋮) in the upper-right corner, and click Revert to Draft.
Update the source with either path above.
Approve the project again as usual: click Approve Draft and then Approve Project.

When the project is approved again, only the changes of the update become new work and new cost:

Only the delta is quoted. The approved cost is kept, and wxrks adds the cost of the edited and new segments only, with your usual TM leverage (the discount for text already in the translation memory). The word-count analysis of the update, called a logfile, shows on the Logfiles tab as Source update vN (for example, Source update v3). Each changed segment is charged once, and removed segments generate no credit.
Only the delta becomes tasks. The edited and new segments become tasks at every step of the workflow, including steps that were already delivered. Delivered work isn't redone, and what you owe vendors for delivered tasks doesn't change.

Example. A project was approved at $18.80 for French and Spanish. After you revert it to Draft, the client changes one 6-word string. On the next approval, the cost becomes $21.20: the $18.80 already approved, plus 6 words in each of the two languages.

Keep or release the current assignees

When you update the source of a project that was approved before, the preview shows the Keep current assignees and notify them switch. It's on by default.

On: open tasks stay with their assignees and absorb the changes, and the assignees are notified. Steps already delivered get a new task for the same linguist. Use it when the same team should handle the revision.
Off: open tasks are released from their assignees and go back to distribution on approval, together with the new tasks. No task is cancelled. Use it when the revision should go to other linguists.

Update source preview of a project that was approved before, with a red box around the Keep current assignees and notify them switch, turned on, and the notes about open tasks and the next approval.

ℹ️ Note: if a kept assignee is no longer eligible for the task, the task goes to normal distribution.

Check earlier versions of a file

wxrks keeps every version of an updated file while the project exists.

Version history: on the project's Files tab, the Versions column shows the current version of each updated file. Click the badge to open Source versions. Each version lists its file name, who uploaded it and when, its segment and word counts, and its changes (+ new, ~ edited, - removed). From the menu (...) of a version, download the Original file, the Translated file, or the Export changes (CSV) report of that update.
Download a specific version: from the work unit three-dot menu (...), click Download File. When the file has more than one version, choose it in Source version before you pick the file type.

ℹ️ Note: the translated file of an earlier version is a snapshot of the translation, taken when the file was updated. If no snapshot was kept for a version, its Translated option is disabled and reads No translated file was kept for this version. To download the translated file of the current version, use Download File.

What vendors see

Vendors don't run Update Source, but it changes their tasks:

When the assignees are kept, the vendor keeps the task and is notified of the update.
Each task of an updated file shows the source version it works on, for example v2. An open task shows the current version; a delivered or skipped task shows the version that was current when it finished.

Troubleshooting

Message	What to do
Revert the project to Draft to update the source	The project is Pending, Approved or Delivered. Revert it to Draft, as described in Update the source of an approved project.
Split files cannot have their source updated	The file was split into parts. Update Source isn't available for split files.
The new file is identical to the current source	The uploaded file has no changes. Check that you picked the revised version.
Zip archives cannot update a source file	Upload the revised files themselves, not a `.zip`.
The file has no work units, upload it as a new file instead	The file isn't in a workflow yet. Use Upload file instead.
The file is still being processed, try again in a few minutes	The file's work units are still being created. Wait and try again.
The new file could not be read, upload a valid file of the same format	The file is empty, damaged, or its content doesn't match its extension. Upload a valid file of the same format.
The file changed since the preview, preview it again	Someone else updated the file after you opened the preview. Close the window and upload the file again.
Another update of this file is in progress	Wait for the other update to finish, then try again.

How to update a project's source file with a revised version