Which file version can I share?

You need to share a document. The folder contains three versions, a correction sits in the chat, and an older email still has an attachment. Which file is the right one now? The modification date alone cannot answer that question. Even a file saved moments ago can contain an unreviewed suggestion.

Before sharing it, you need a version you can locate and a short explanation: what has been reviewed, who is it intended for, and what remains unresolved? You can record that in a shared note in your existing project folder.

Start with the purpose of the version

An invented example for illustration: You are preparing a workshop handout with two other people. Version 2 has been reviewed for content and approved for participants. Version 3 contains a new section and internal comments. Shortly before the workshop, someone asks for the document.

Version 2 is currently the version intended for participants. Version 3 can be developed further within the agreed editing group. Being newer does not extend its approval. If the new section must be included before the workshop, reviewing it remains a specific outstanding task.

So establish the purpose: should the recipient help edit, review the content or receive the finished document? The same file may suit one of those purposes while still being unfinished for another.

Agree on one place to keep the working version

Agree where the current working version belongs. Link to that exact location in the project note. Attachments in older messages then remain traceable snapshots, without accidentally becoming the current working version.

For separate files, a simple naming pattern such as “Workshop-Handout-v03-Draft” can help. What matters is that everyone understands it the same way. “Final-new-really-final” explains neither the review status nor the intended audience. If you work directly in a shared document, the note can refer to that document and the specific version that was reviewed. A document being edited continuously is not automatically the version that was reviewed earlier.

Keep older versions findable for now. You do not need to reorganise the entire folder or delete files just to make the next handover clear.

Record the status in five short entries

For the workshop example, the shared note could look like this:

Working version: Version 3 in the project folder; the new section and comments remain unresolved.
Reviewed version: Version 2; approved for participants within the agreed scope.
Responsibility: The person responsible for content reviews the new section; the person sending the handout uses the approved version.
Open decision: Should the new section be included before this workshop?
Next check: Look the day before to see whether the decision is available; this is an internal reminder.

Add the actual review date and time, and an unambiguous reference to each file. Keep the note alongside the document or make it easy to reach from there. A second list maintained independently would create another record you need to reconcile.

Open the version you are about to attach or link to. In the example, check the workshop title, the intended section and any internal comments. Compare it with the approval note. A suitable filename does not replace that check.

For a link, also check whether the intended recipients have access and whether they can read only or edit too. Resolve missing access specifically for that group. Making the document publicly accessible would be an additional decision. You can use existing approvals within their agreed scope; a new version or a new audience may need clarification.

If anything changes after the review, update the recorded status accordingly. Until the change has been reviewed, it should remain clear which version is still intended for sharing.

Keep the reference after sending

Record which version went to which agreed group and when. In the workshop example, a reference to the sent message and version 2 is enough. That lets you connect a later question to the document the recipient actually received.

If you discover a correction afterwards, first check what was sent and who needs the correction. Then update the project note. Replacing the working file alone does not tell previous recipients what has changed.

Where Bhalithan is intended to help

Bhalithan is being developed as a personal agent with his own webspace, memory and email. He is designed to keep files and project context together and continue working within your permissions. The personal customer version remains in development; this article is an editorial guide to organising your work, not an already available automated document review service.

An assistant who keeps the context explains the foundation. One email, three tasks shows how to connect documents with appointments and pending replies. If you would like help with this, you can describe your first task without commitment. A general description is enough.