Instance management

Create a new instance

Important notes:

• Only space administrators can create new Instances.

• Instances support two permission types: Instance Editor and Instance Viewer. Make sure the correct role is granted at creation. Learn more about instance-level roles.

To create an instance:

1. Navigate to the space where you want to create the instance.

2. On the sidebar click the cogwheel icon (Manage space).

3. Click Project Users / Instances.

4. Click + ADD NEW INSTANCE.

5. Choose whether to start from a snapshot or create an empty instance.

6. Fill in the instance name and description. Both can be modified later.

Create a shared Instance and invite collaborators

1. Open your space (course or research project).

2. On the sidebar click the cogwheel icon (Manage space).

3. Click Project Users / Instances, then + INVITE.

4. On the Option 1 - User Invitation screen, click + ADD NEW INSTANCE.

5. Choose between creating an empty instance or one with snapshot contents, then click CONTINUE.

6. Enter a name and description for your instance, then click + ADD NEW INSTANCE.

7. Choose the role to invite users with - collaboration generally requires the Editor role.

   Learn more about instance-level roles.

8. Enter the email addresses and click + INVITE.

Edit an instance

Important notes:

• Instance Editors and space administrators can edit instance names and descriptions.

• Master and Distributed instances cannot be changed - the names and descriptions are both fixed for these.

• Both name and description fields have a maximum length of 1023 characters.

To edit an instance:

1. Navigate to the space where you want to edit the instance.

2. On the sidebar, click the cogwheel icon and select Project Users / Instances.

3. Open the INSTANCES tab.

4. Locate the Instance in the list and click the pencil icon.

5. Edit the name and description. The Instance name must be unique within the Space.

6. When done, click SAVE CHANGES.

The changes will take effect immediately, and the instance list will refresh to show the updated information.

Delete an instance

Important notes:

• Only space administrators can delete instances.

• The Master and Distributed Instances can't be deleted - remove the entire Space if you need to clear them.

To delete an instance:

1. Navigate to the space where you want to delete the instance.

2. On the sidebar, click the Cogwheel icon (Manage space) and select Project Users / Instances.

3. Open the INSTANCES tab.

4. Locate the Instance in the list and click the pencil icon.

5. Click the Trash can icon on the instance list.

6. Read the warning, tick I understand, and click DELETE.

Invite users to an existing instance

To invite users to an existing instance:

1. Navigate to the space containing the instance.

2. On the sidebar click the Cogwheel icon and select Project Users / Instances.

3. Go to the Instances tab, find your instance, and click + INVITE USERS.

4. Select Option 1 - User Invitation, then Invite to an existing shared instance.

5. Choose whether to invite Instance Editors or Instance Viewers.

6. Enter the email addresses and click + INVITE.

Where to go next

• To set up snapshots, distribute content, or recover an Instance from a previous state, see How-to › Shared workflows › Snapshots and How-to › Shared workflows › Distribution mechanic.

• To monitor how Instances consume storage within a Space, see Administration › Resource monitoring.

• If you want to understand the difference between current states and snapshot states, and why Instances are versioned the way they are, see Concepts › Snapshots, distribution, and states.