There are many reasons for segments in a particular file being locked when you open it in XTM Workbench. Below you will find the most common causes, with an explanation and suggested solution.

No editing rights

Open

This issue occurs when you open XTM Workbench in Read-only mode, for a particular file.

Solution: Ensure that the Read-only option is not selected when accessing XTM Workbench.

Open

Session from the previous user is still active

Our editing tool only permits one user to operate on a particular part of the document at a particular time. If, for example, you have your file opened in the 1-100 segment range, the second user who attempts to access that part of the file will find that they are locked because the previous user'’s session is still active.

What is more, if another user enters the next workflow step right after the preceding step is finished, the segments will also be locked.

As in the case of the previous issue, this is yet another security measure. It prevents two linguists from modifying the same part of a file at the same time.

Solution: This behavior can be modified by using different workflows, but as a rule of thumb, you should just close the Workbench window, wait patiently for around 10 minutes and then start the editor again.

In some rare cases, if a user closes XTM Cloud incorrectly, with the Workbench opened, that user's session (still open in XTM Workbench) can linger for a while, blocking your access to segments as though the user was still working. In such cases, waiting around 5 minutes before accessing the file again should help.

If the lock is only on one file and does not time out after some fixed time interval, moving your workflow back or forth solves the issue.

ICE-matched segments are uneditable

Sometimes a project manager who created a specific project or was assigned to might decide to disable the editing of ICE-matched segments.

Solution: If only ICE matches are locked, then most likely it is due to this checkbox being deactivated in Project editor → General info → General info → Allow editing of ICE matches.

Keep in mind that only project managers can see the project’s general details, so if you think that a particular ICE-matched segment needs modifying, contact them directly to address the issue.

Locked ICE and Leverage-matched segments

Sometimes a project manager who created a specific project or was assigned to it might decide to disable the editing of ICE and Leveraged matches.

Solution: If only ICE matches are locked, then this is most likely because this checkbox has been deselected in the Project editor → General info → General info → Mark segments as locked when.

Keep in mind that only project managers can see the project's general details, so if you think that a particular ICE or Leverage-matched segment needs modifying, contact them directly to address the issue.

It is possible grant a particular user access to lock/unlock segments in the user's settings in Users → User list → (select a user) → Access rights → XTM Workbench → Segment locking rights.

Segments locked by an approved user

Solution: As mentioned in the previous case, any user that has valid Lock and unlock rights granted, can lock a particular segment and prevent any changes to it after that. A locked segment of this kind can be then unlocked by any user with similar Lock and unlock rights.

Segments are locked by a Contractor

If your company has received a project from a Contractor, this kind of project is controlled by the contractor's settings.

Solution: If the Contractor has some segment-locking options enabled, they are likely to be the reason for this issue. Ask your contractor to review project-related settings that were mentioned above. If you are a linguist, ask your XTM Cloud project manager to forward your questions to the contractor.

Segments locked in offline-translation XLIFF file

Sometimes segments might be locked in XTM Workbench due to the fact that they have been locked in a generated offline-translation XLIFF file. See the following article to learn more about locking segments directly in such XLIFF file: How to translate offline (use of XLIFF files).

Solution: Make sure that the user who is performing the translation in XTM Workbench has permissions to unlock segments [Users → (select a user) → Edit user → Access rights → Segment locking rights → Lock and unlock OR Unlock only].