Archiving moves folders and documents out of the way into a folder designated for the purpose after they haven't been used for a while. This:

Designate a top level folder in a project as an archive folder using on the menu.

The designated archive folder is indicated thus: . You will probably also give it a name which reflects its purpose.

Only folders and documents at the top level of a project are moved to the archive. Sub-folders are not candidates for archiving on their own.

Sometimes you may need to stop a folder being archived even if there haven't been any changes. For example, let's say you have a foulder of useful resources like logos etc. That may not change often but its contents are accessed frequently. Once archiving is turned on you can prevent any top level folder from being archived - just choose manage archive and you will be offered this option. Likewise to change your mind.

They are put into the designated archive folder, or folders within it organized by date. You can choose which when you designate the archive folder. The archive folder itself will normally be a top level folder within the project.

Dated folders can either be created for each month or each year, or hierarchically by month folders within year folders. If you prefer, everything can just go directly into the designated archive folder.

The folder where something is archived is named according to the date when the contents most recently saw any activity, not when it was actually archived or the date when it or its contents were added in the first place.

For example, say a top-level folder F contains two folders A and M, created in April 2011 and May 2011 respectively. They each contain a document on which comments were made during April and May 2011. In June 2011 the document in the later folder was approved, and no further changes are made. Then, if archiving is set for three months of inactivity into year and month folders, some time in September 2011 F gets moved into a folder called "June" in a folder called "2011" in the archive folder.

Items are checked typically daily to see whether they need to be archived.

Any top-level folder or document which has not seen any activity in any of its contents during the time interval you specify is a candidate for archiving. Activity means anything that would appear in the history or in a watch. This includes new and revised comments, new versions, new documents and sub-folders, setting a document to be approved and numerous other changes.

The folder or document is simply moved to a folder in the archive folder according to the dating method chosen. The original structure of the sub-folders and documents within a moved folder is retained.

Also, any page images made for all versions of any documents in the archived material are removed, together with any PDF files made for the version if it was not itself a PDF file. This saves considerable space. The thumbnail image for a version is retained.

These are automatically regenerated if a page from a version is looked at again in the future.

Just move it where you want it. Select the item, go to the folder where you want it, and choose (on the menu).

Page images are not regenerated when you do this. That only happens when you look at a document. This also particularly means that page images are not regenerated for older versions unless an older version is explicitly viewed, even when they are for the most recent version of a document.

No. Moving the folder counts as a change. For example, if you have said you want to archive items after a month of inactivity, even if you do nothing else to it or its contents, it won't become a candidate for archiving again until a month has elapsed.

Project leaders are sent an email whenever any of their folders are archived.