Hello, I have a document library with many word documents that have 5 custom properties already filled out. I am uploading new files that have the same name as the documents in the library (the option add as new version to existing files is checked). Most of the time, the new file is going to replace the document in the library and keep the metadata that were already there. The problem is that sometimes it will replace the document in the library but will also replace the already existing metadata with blank values. I just dont understand why it does that every once in a while. My goal is to only replace the Word document but keep the metadata already entered. Do you have any ideas about what could be happening? Thanks!!

It sounds to me like your user downloaded a copy of the document and worked on it offline. The metadata may then subsequently have changed on the site, but since the downloaded document has a cached version of the old values (which could be blank), when the user then uploads the document to the site, it overwrites the document as well as the metadata properties it has set which, if they were blank when the document was originally downloaded, will be blank after the upload as well. The proper way to update the document is to check it out on the SharePoint site and then open it for edit. Office will use your local drafts folder for the offline copy and the checkout will prevent the metadata from changing while you're working on the document so that when it is checked back in, there's not surprise loss of metadata. I trust that answers your question... Thanks C http://www.cjvandyk.com/blog