One of the most powerful and unique features in Arc Studio is “branch & merge.” You can create a copy of your script (called a Branch Copy) and make changes to it without affecting the original script (called the Main Draft).

You can then merge the Branch Copy back into the Main Draft and choose which of the changes made in the Branch Copy are incorporated into the Main Draft. This review portion of the merging process gives you great control over what changes occur.

There are many uses for branch & merge, but here are a few of them:

• Experimentation - You can use the Branch Copy as a safe place to experiment without messing up your Main Draft. If you liked all or part of what you changed in the Branch Copy, you can merge it back into the Main Draft.
• Privacy when working with collaborators - You can create a “Private Copy for Me” that your collaborators on a script cannot view until you decide to share it with them. This means no one will be staring over your virtual shoulder as you write!
• Contributions from others - You can select “Share Copy With Collaborators” and invite others to edit the Branch Copy, but those edits don’t automatically affect the Main Draft. You can use the merge process to choose which of the edits from your contributor(s) are incorporated into the Main Draft. You’re getting the contributions of others while maintaining control of your script!

• Creating Branch Copies
• Private Copy For Me
• Publishing the Private Copy to Your Collaborators
• Inviting Specific Collaborators to Your Private Copy
• Share Copy with Collaborators
• Naming the Branch Copy
• Start marking changes
• Script content
• Visibility
• Notes
• Choosing Collaborators
• Permission
• Inviting Collaborators
• “Add myself”
• Message to collaborators…
• Create
• Creating Branch Copies for A Single Beat
• Changing the Name of a Branch Copy
• Archiving and Unarchiving Branch Copies
• Merging the Branch Copy into the Main Draft

Creating Branch Copies

To create a Branch Copy click Branch Copy in the Drafts sidebar

You can then choose between:

• Private Copy for Me
• Share Copy With Collaborators

Select Share Copy With Collaborators if you want to invite collaborators to the branch copy immediately. If you select Private Copy for Me the branch copy will only be visible to you, but you can always invite collaborators later.

Private Copy For Me

Selecting Private Copy for Me will open a new branch copy with the default name “Alternate branch.” You’ll see that name in a new tab in the toolbar.

As a reminder, this copy defaults to private. If you have collaborators in the Main Draft, they won’t be able to see it. (You’ll notice that when viewing this copy their avatars don’t appear in the toolbar.)

Publishing the Private Copy to Your Collaborators

If you’ve created a private copy for yourself, later on you can grant your collaborators access to it by clicking Unhide on the Branch Copy in the Drafts sidebar. All the collaborators on the Main Draft will now be able to access the draft.

Inviting Specific Collaborators to Your Private Copy

If you don’t want to publish the Private Copy to all of the collaborators on the Main Draft, you can invite specific people through the Collaboration menu. Access it by clicking the + in the top bar to the right of the collaborator avatars.

For more on adding collaborators, check out our collaboration guide.

Share Copy with Collaborators

Selecting Share Copy with Collaborators will give you more options over what parts of your script you share and which of your collaborators has access to the branch copy.

Naming the Branch Copy

Add the name of the branch copy where it says “Name of branch copy…” (You’ll want to choose something that makes sense to the collaborators you’re inviting.)

Start marking changes

Start marking changes defaults to on. Toggle it off if you don’t want to start marking changes in the branch copy. (Marking changes is helpful in seeing what is different in the branch copy, and which collaborator made the changes.)

Script content

Script content defaults to All. This means your entire Script, including Notes and Beats on the board will be shared with the collaborators in the Branch Copy

Change it to Custom if there are parts of your script you don’t want to share.

Visibility

If you select Custom, the Visibility field will appear.

Select Script to only send the Document, and not the Beats on the board.

Select Beats to send the collaborator to the Beats board. (This is helpful when bringing in collaborators during the planning stages.)

Select Both to share both the Script and Beats.

Notes

If you select Custom, the Notes field will also appear.

Select All to share all your notes.

Select Custom to choose which notes to exclude by searching for them and selecting the notes.

Select None to not share any of your notes.

Choosing Collaborators

Click Select collaborators —> to continue.

Collaborators defaults to Everyone. This means that all the collaborators on the main document will have access to the Branch Copy you’re creating.

Change it to Custom if:

• You only want specific collaborators to have access.
• You’re inviting someone who isn’t a collaborator on the main document.
• You want to specify the Permission levels of the collaborators you’re inviting.

Permission

If you selected Custom, you can change the Permission levels of the collaborators you’re inviting. Permissions defaults to Can edit. This means they’ll be able to edit the Branch Copy. (Remember you’ll be able to approve their changes before they’re incorporated into the Main Draft.)

You can change the Permission levels to:

• Admin - They can edit the Branch Copy and invite collaborators to it.
• Read only - They will be able to read the Branch Copy and leave comments, but they won’t be able to edit the Branch Copy.

Inviting Collaborators

To invite someone to be a collaborator on the Branch Copy, enter their email address in the field that says Enter names or emails… and select Invite [email address you’ve entered]. You can then add another collaborator.

If you’ve invited the collaborator to a script before, you can also select their name from the list that pops up when click on the Enter names or emails… field.

“Add myself”

Add myself defaults to on. This means that you’ll have access to the Branch Copy you’re creating, and you’ll be able to see the work whomever you invite does in the Branch Copy.

If your collaborator wants to be able to write in private until they’re ready to share their work with you, toggle Add myself off.

Message to collaborators…

If you select Custom, you can also include a note to your collaborators giving them context on why you’re sharing the Branch Copy with them and what you want them to do.

Create

When you’re ready, click Create to share the branch copy with your collaborators.

Creating Branch Copies for A Single Beat

Instead of creating a branch copy for your entire script, you can create a branch copy for a single Beat. This will only include the portion of your script in that Beat. Text in other Beats or not attached to a Beat will not be included in the branch copy. Note: All text from the start of one Beat to the start of the next Beat is included in the first Beat.

To create a branch copy for a single Beat, right click on the Beat icon in the left margin and select Edit Beat in Branch Copy .

Select Private copy if you want to work on it yourself.

Select Share with others if you want to invite collaborators to the Branch Copy. You will be sharing a Branch Copy that only includes the text from that Beat.

Changing the Name of a Branch Copy

To change the name of a Branch Copy, click the … more options menu to the right of the branch copy name in the Drafts sidebar and select Rename.

Archiving and Unarchiving Branch Copies

To remove a Branch Copy by archiving it, click the … more options menu to the right of the Branch Copy name in the Drafts sidebar and select Archive branch.

You can access your archived Branch Copies by selecting All in the Drafts sidebar. Click the … more options menu on the archived Branch Copy you wish to access and select Unarchive branch to unarchive it.

Merging the Branch Copy into the Main Draft

If you’d like to incorporate the changes you or your collaborator(s) made in the Branch Copy into the Main Draft, click Merge on the Branch Copy in the Drafts sidebar or in the top bar on the right. (Don’t worry, you’ll first be able to review all the changes.)

You can view a Combined view of the changes made in the Branch Copy, or you can view a Side by Side view. In the Side by Side view your Main Draft will be shown on the left, and the Branch Copy will be shown on the right.

The changes made in the Branch Copy will be marked. Everything added in the Branch Copy will be highlighted in green, and everything cut will be highlighted in red.

Seeing the changes in red and green is seeing them By Type. But you can also see the changes by the author who created them by changing to By Author in the dropdown menu.

By default you’ll see the words that were deleted within a paragraph, but you can toggle those off for easier an reading experience by toggling off Show deletions inline.

You can click on each flag and select “Accept” (to make the change in the Main Draft) or “Discard.”

Then click Merge into Main and Confirm Merge.

All the changes you accepted are now in your Main Draft.

(If you want to merge all the changes without approving them individually, select Merge into Main and then select “Accept” to accept all the changes. Finally, click Confirm Merge )

Once you merge the Branch Copy into the Main Draft, the Branch Copy will disappear.