Accessing generated documents

Overview

Azure Documenter provides multiple ways to access a generated document and review its generation history. You can retrieve the most recent document directly from the configuration list, access any previously generated document from history, or open the document URL that appears after generation completes.

Business value

Multiple access points to generated documents mean you don't need to remember where a report was produced to retrieve it later. Teams can grab the latest document from the configuration list, revisit earlier versions from history, or audit past generation runs and their outcomes — all from within Azure Documenter.

Prerequisites

At least one document configuration with at least one generated document must exist. See [NEEDS VERIFICATION] Generating a document for creating a configuration.

Required permissions

How it works

Accessing a generated document

You can access a generated document in three ways:

• After generation — once generation completes while creating a document configuration, a hyperlink will be available to download your document. Click the Click here button to save it.
  

• From the configuration list — the Last generated status column in the configuration list shows the most recently generated document as a link. Click it to download the document immediately without opening history.
  

• From document history — open the Actions menu on the configuration, select View history, then click the Download link for the document you want. This method lets you access any previously generated document, not just the most recent one.

Document generation states

Each entry in document history moves through a defined set of states:

• Queued — generation is queued, pending confirmation that no other generation is already in progress for this configuration.
• In progress — generation is currently running.
• Published — generation succeeded and the document has a URL.
• Failed — generation failed; a reason for the failure is shown in the history entry.
• Cancelled — generation was cancelled manually or automatically.

Document history

Document history lists every generation run for a configuration in chronological order. You can filter the list by document type to narrow results to a specific report type. The history includes Snapshot comparison documents in addition to standard document types.

Steps

Use the following steps to access a generated document. Navigate to Azure Documenter and locate the configuration in the tree view.

Access the most recently generated document

Accessing from the configuration list is the fastest way to download the current output without opening the history panel.

1. In the Azure Documenter configuration list, locate the configuration.
2. Click the document name link in the Last generated status column to download the most recently generated document.

Access a document from history

Accessing from history lets you retrieve any previously generated document and review the generation status of each run.

1. Click the Actions menu next to the configuration.
2. Select View history.
3. Optionally, filter the list by document type to narrow the results.
4. Click the Download link next to the document you want to access.

Troubleshooting

1. A document generation is stuck in Queued
   Cause: another generation for the same configuration is already running.
   Fix: wait for the earlier generation to complete — the queued entry moves to In progress automatically once it's next.

2. A document generation shows as Failed
   Cause: generation encountered an error; the history entry includes a failure reason.
   Fix: review the failure reason in View history, resolve the underlying issue, then regenerate the document.

3. The Last generated status column shows no link
   Cause: no document has been successfully generated for this configuration yet, or the most recent generation failed.
   Fix: generate the document from the Context menu ( ⋮ ) and confirm it reaches Published status in history.

FAQs

1. Can I access documents generated before the current configuration state?
   Yes. View history shows all previously generated documents for the configuration, including Snapshot comparison documents, regardless of the current configuration state.

2. Can I filter document history by document type?
   Yes. Use the document type filter in the View history panel to narrow the list to a specific report type.

3. What happens if a document generation runs too long?
   It is cancelled automatically after 6 hours, or if a technical issue is encountered during generation. The history entry shows a Cancelled status.

Related articles

• [NEEDS VERIFICATION] Generating a document
• [NEEDS VERIFICATION] Scheduling document generation