How to Separate Merged Plan Versions and Fix Version Stacks

Overview

When you upload plan revisions to Fieldwire, the system scans drawing numbers to automatically stack newer versions on top of existing plan sheets.

Sometimes, two different plan sheets, such as A2.1 and A2.2, can be incorrectly merged into the same plan version stack. This can happen when Optical Character Recognition (OCR) detects similar drawing numbers or when Add as new version is selected for a drawing that should be a separate plan.

Why this matters: Plan version stacks cannot be automatically separated after they are merged. Renaming a plan also changes the name across every version in the stack. To separate incorrectly merged plan sheets, create a new plan, move any associated tasks, and remove the misplaced versions from the original version stack.

Why did two plan sheets merge into the same version stack?

Fieldwire automatically versions plan sheets when it identifies an uploaded drawing as a revision of an existing plan.

Two different plan sheets can be merged into the same version stack when:

• OCR identifies similar drawing numbers as the same plan sheet.
• Add as new version is selected during an upload or version conflict prompt for a drawing that is actually a separate sheet.

For example, if A2.1 and A2.2 are incorrectly identified as the same plan, revisions from both sheets can appear in a single version stack.

How to separate incorrectly merged plan versions

To separate two plan sheets that were incorrectly merged into one version stack:

1. Review existing content: Identify any tasks, markups, or hyperlinks associated with the misplaced plan versions.
2. Re-upload the separate sheet: Upload the drawing that was incorrectly merged and create it as a separate plan.
3. Reassign tasks: Move tasks associated with the misplaced version to the newly created plan.
4. Remove the misplaced versions: Delete the versions that do not belong in the original plan's version stack.

Step 1: Review tasks, markups, and hyperlinks

Before deleting any plan versions, identify content associated with the versions you need to remove.

1. Open the plan containing the incorrectly merged versions.
2. View the versions that belong to the other plan sheet.
3. Check for tasks, markups, and hyperlinks associated with those versions.
4. Note any content that needs to be moved or recreated before you delete the misplaced versions.

 Tip: You can preserve markups from the misplaced version before deleting it. Use the Selection Tool on the web to box-select the markups, press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C), open the new plan, and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V) to paste them in place.

Step 2: Re-upload the separate sheet as a new plan

1. Go to the Plans tab on Fieldwire web.
2. Click + New Plan and upload the original plan sheet file.
3. In the upload review window, verify the Plan Name / Sheet Number.
4. Make sure the plan name identifies the sheet as a separate drawing. For example, use A2.2 rather than  A2.1.
5. Click Confirm to publish the plan.

Restore historical plan versions (optional)

If you need to recreate the revision history for the newly uploaded plan, upload its previous revisions in chronological order.

1. Upload the plan revisions one at a time, starting with the oldest version.
2. For each subsequent revision, select Add as new version to add it to the newly created plan's version stack.
3. Continue until you upload the newest version.

Important: Only choose Add as new version when the uploaded drawing is a revision of the same plan sheet.

Step 3: Reassign tasks to the new plan

If tasks were pinned to a misplaced plan version, you do not need to recreate them. Reassign the existing tasks to the newly created plan.

1. Open the task on Fieldwire web.
2. In the task attributes panel on the right, locate the Plan field.
3. Select the newly created plan from the dropdown menu.
4. Open the new plan.
5. Drag the task pin to the correct location on the plan sheet.

If you have multiple tasks to move, go to the Tasks tab, filter by the original plan, select the tasks using the checkboxes, and use Batch Edit to update the Plan field to the new sheet all at once.

Step 4: Delete the misplaced versions from the original plan

Warning: Deleting an individual plan version from Version Control is permanent and cannot be restored from the Trash tab. Ensure all needed markups and tasks have been migrated before deleting.

After creating the separate plan and moving the necessary tasks, remove the misplaced versions from the original version stack.

1. Open the original plan sheet. For example, open A2.1 if versions of  A2.2 were incorrectly added to that plan.
2. Click Version Control in the lower-left corner.
3. Locate the version or versions that belong to the other plan sheet.
4. Click the Trash icon next to each misplaced version to delete it.

Important: When you delete a plan version, markups drawn on that version move down to the version immediately below it. After deleting the misplaced versions, review the remaining plan and manually remove any markups that belong to the other drawing. 

How to prevent plan versions from merging incorrectly

Review plan names before confirming an upload

Check the plan names that Fieldwire automatically identifies on the upload confirmation screen. If two plan sheets have similar drawing numbers, confirm that each sheet has the correct and distinct plan name before completing the upload.

Review version conflict prompts

Only select Add as new version when the incoming drawing is a revision of the exact same plan sheet. If the drawing is a different sheet, upload it as a new plan instead.

Use Collections for plans with similar sheet numbers

For projects with multiple buildings, phases, or disciplines that use duplicate or similar drawing numbers, organize plans into separate Collections. Plans in different Collections will not automatically merge into the same version stack.

Related Articles

• How do I upload plans and resolve version conflicts?