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Publishing | Templates | Collaborating | Outside Resources

There may come a point in time where you need to work with others on a large project using Dreamweaver MX. This is referred to as "collaborating." Different people will work on different parts of the same project at various times, so you'll need some way to keep track of who has what, what's been done, etc. Luckily, Dreamweaver MX makes this whole process a simple task.

Set Check-in / Check-out Option
The essential feature of working in a collaboratory project is Dreamweaver MX’s "Check-in / Check-out" feature. This is an addition to the standard method of "FTP-ing" files back and forth from the host's server to your computer.

We'll assume you have a place to store your site, and know the appropriate information. If you do not know how to set up Dreamweaver MX to access your site, please refer to the "Publishing" section before continuing.
Go to the menu bar and select “Site” and then “Edit Sites.” Select the site you want to collaborate on from the window that appears. You will then be brought to the “Site Definition” window.

From the “Category” column, choose “Remote Info.” Now, click the “Enable Check In/Check Out” box near the bottom of the screen. Next to “Check Out Name,” enter in a unique name or your initials. Under that, enter in your e-mail address. When you’re done, your window should look something like this:

When you are done, click the “OK” button here, and then “Done” on the next window that appears.

Go ahead and now connect to your site's server space.

Synchronize
Once you're connected, the first thing you must do is "synchronize" with the server. To do this, go to the menu bar and select "Site" and then "Synchronize."

In the “Synchronize Files” window that appears, select “Entire Site” for “Synchronize.” In the "Direction" window, you really have two choices you can make. If you're starting up the files on the server space for the first time (that is, there's absolutely nothing up there that has been uploaded, and you want to put files up there), select "Put newer files to remote." If someone else has put files up, already, you want to get your directory set up to have the exact same file directory as the server. Select "Get newer files from remote." This will begin the downloading of the directory on the server.

Note that downloading the directory could take some time, especially if there are a large amount of files (or simply files with large file sizes) on the server. Using a computer with a fast connection will speed the process. Attempt on dial-up connection at your own risk!

Check-in / Check-out
Once you have connected and synchronized, you will notice that the Site window may look slightly different. Files will have little "locks" next to them.

This means that they are "checked-in"; in other words, they're on the server as-is, and no-one is currently working on that file. To begin working on a file, double-click it (it will open in a Dreamweaver MX window for you to work with).

When you're done working on a file, you need to "check" it back "in" to the server. To do this, you'll need to click the "Check In" button in the toolbar. Below, you'll find an image of the toolbar with the buttons pointed out to you.

Connect / Disconnect:
Connect to the server, or disconnect from the server.

Refresh:
If the contents of a directory have changed since connecting, click to refresh what your programs shows are the contents.

FTP Log:
You pretty much won’t need this feature, which keeps track of your FTP-ing actions in a log.

Get:
Downloads a file(s) from a directory.

Put:
Upload a file(s) to a directory.

Download & Check Out:
Download a file, and check it out to work on.

Upload & Check In:
Upload a file to the server, and check it back in to indicate you are finished working on it.
Always make sure to check out a file before working on it, and always make sure to check in a file when done working on it. You may accidentally prevent someone from later working on a file if you do not check it back in. Also, do not overwrite someone's check-out. If they have a file checked out, they need to check it back in themselves.

When you've checked out a file, a little green check will appear next to it. If someone else has a file checked out, it would have a red check next to it. To see who has a file checked out, scroll over in your "Local Folder" window to the "Checked Out By" section; whatever the person has entered in for "Check Out Name" will be listed, there.

Collaborating With Templates
The combined knowledge of templates and collaboration in Dreamweaver MX can create a very powerful web-designing environment. Using the collaborating features in this program, you can work with other people using the same files, while at the same time, working within the same templates. This allows for a high level of consistency and security in your web pages.

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