Integrating VSS with Dreamweaver:

VSS Remoting is a remote SourceSafe database accessing software. It allows you to access your SourceSafe databases through any internet connections in a fast and secure way. It is integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio, Macromedia Studio MX 2004 and Borland Delphi 8 seamlessly. Developers can edit files in remote SourceSafe database without leaving the program in which they are working. By adopting it, you can greatly improve the productivity of your team, and make your team collaboration even better.Highlights:. Access SourceSafe database over internet. . Integrate with Microsoft Visual Studio, including VS 6.0, VS.Net 2002 and VS.Net 2003. . Integrate with Dreamweaver MX 2004 and Flash MX 2004. . Based on HTTPS protocol. All communication data are compressed and encrypted. . Checkin sends only a file`s changes rather than the whole file to server. . Define Access Filters to restrict access to the database. . Map any folder of SourceSafe database as a Virtual Database. . Full UNICODE support, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean. . Protect server against brute force attack. . Free for one user.

Version Control

When you work with multiple developers, communication is important. Version control software can prevent miscommunication disasters. Version control software controls the editing of files by allowing a file to be edited by only one person at a time. It also ensures that everyone is working on the latest version of the page. There are a couple of different ways to ensure version control. One is to use Dreamweaver's built-in control system. Another is to install a full-fledged version control program on the server.

Server-Based Version Control

Dreamweaver MX 2004 continues to support source and version control systems such as Microsoft Visual SourceSafe (VSS) and WebDAV-enabled software—two large, complex pieces of administrative software that are installed on web servers to control workflow. These applications act like librarians sitting on the server. Anytime a team member wants to work on a particular file, she must "check it out" from the server, like checking a book out from the library. After a file is checked out, it still exists on the server, but no other team members are allowed to access it until the original member checks it back in. Just like a human librarian would, the server software keeps track of who checks out files and when, so team members and managers can watch the workflow progress by monitoring which files are being accessed.

If your web server uses either of these technologies, you can take advantage of its version control features while working in Dreamweaver by using special protocols to connect to the remote server, as defined in the Remote Info section of the Site Definition dialog box.

Checking In and Checking Out

If you are working on a team, the Check In/Out options can make collaborating on a Web site much easier. When this feature is activated, if a team member checks out a file for editing, Dreamweaver locks the checked out file on the remote server so that no one else on the team is able to edit the file until it is checked back in. As long as the entire team is using Dreamweaver and all team members enable Check In/Out, use the Site window and are connected to the remote server, the Check In/Out feature lets your group know when someone else is working on a specific file, preventing accidental overwriting of material or duplicate efforts.

1. Choose Site > Edit Sites.

The Define Sites dialog box opens.

2. Choose the Lights of the Coast project site in the list and click Edit.

The Site Definition dialog box opens for the "Lights of the Coast" site.

3. Choose Remote Info in the Category list.

The remote-site information is displayed.

4. Check the Enable File Check In and Check Out check box.

One additional check box and two additional text boxes appear. Files become checked out automatically as you open them if Check Out Files When Opening is checked. You must be connected to the remote site for this feature to function properly. If you are not connected, Dreamweaver connects to the remote site automatically.

The additional text boxes are Check Out Name and Email Address.

5. Type a Check Out name and your email address in the appropriate text fields. Click OK in the Site Definition dialog box and Done in the Define Sites dialog box.

Your Check Out name is only for group reference; it can be your full name or simply a user name. This name will display in the Checked Out By column of the Site window when you check out a file. Your email address is available to allow team members to contact you with questions.

6. In the Site window, select the index.html page in the Local Folder pane and click the Check In icon at the top of the window. Do the same for the location.html page. Click No if asked whether you want to include dependent files.

Dreamweaver uploads the selected files to the remote site. In the Local Folder pane of the Site window, the files are marked with a small lock icon to let you know the files have been checked in and will need to be checked out for you to edit them locally.

When you are working with a group of people and using the Check In/Check Out feature, it is important for everyone to use the Check In and Check Out File(s) icons instead of the Get File(s) and Put File(s) icons to upload and download files.

If you already have a local copy of your remote site, you must check in each local file for the check-in/check-out feature to work properly. When you enable Check In/Out, keep in mind that your files are not automatically checked into the remote server. The check and lock icons will indicate the status of a file. Check is for files that have been checked out, lock is for files that have been checked in. If a file has neither a check nor a lock, then it has no Check In/Out status. Such an unmarked file will be available to open or edit. If you are working with team members and using Check In/Out, it is a good idea to check in your entire site once you enable Check In/Out so that no unmarked files will be opened and edited accidentally.

7. In the Site window, select the location.html page in the local panel. Click the Check Out File(s) icon at the top of the window. Click No if asked whether you want to include dependent files.

To ensure that you will be working with the most recent version, the file is downloaded to your local site. The file is marked in both the local and remote panes with a small green checkmark next to the file icon, indicating the file has been checked-out by you. The Checked Out By columns in both the local and remote panes show your Check Out name in the form of a clickable link to your email address. Files checked out by other members of your team are displayed with a red checkmark, indicating that you will be unable to check those files out until they have been

checked back in.

If you attempt to open a file that someone else has checked out, Dreamweaver will inform you that the file is already checked out and give you several options. You can cancel opening the file, open the file to view it, or override the checkout.

NOTE

For the Check In/Out feature to work properly, everyone on your team should be using Dreamweaver. This feature is not recognized by other FTP programs. Other programs will be able to overwrite files, negating the purpose of checking files in and out. When you use the Check In/Out feature, FTP programs will be able to see the files that Dreamweaver creates: For each file that is checked out, an LCK file is created on the server, letting Dreamweaver know that file is checked out. For this exercise, you may be able to see the locations.html.lck file in the Finder (Macintosh) or Windows Explorer (Windows). Don't delete these files! They take up very little space and are required for the functionality of Check In/Out.

8.

In the Site window, select the location.html page in the local panel. Click the Check In icon at the top of the window. Click No if asked whether you want to include dependent files.

This file is now checked in and cannot be edited until it is checked out again.

9. Choose Site > Edit Sites, select the Lights of the Coast site and click Edit. Select

the remote category and uncheck the Enable File Check In and Check Out box.

Since you are not creating the Lights of the Coast project site with a team, the Check In/Out feature is not necessary. The rest of this book assumes that you have Check In/Out disabled.

The index.html and location.html files still appear with a lock icon.

10. Select both index.html and location.html. Choose Site > Unlock (Macintosh) or File >> Turn Off Read Only (Windows).

The lock icons disappear, and the files are now accessible again.