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Checking in and checking out files


 

    About the Check In/Check Out system

    If you’re working in a collaborative environment, you can check files in and out from local and remote servers. If you’re the only person working on the remote server, you can use the Put and Get commands without checking files in or out.

    Note: You can use Get and Put functionality with a testing server, but you cannot use the Check In/ Check Out system with a testing server.

    Checking out a file is the equivalent of declaring “I’m working on this file now—don’t touch it!” When a file is checked out, the name of the person who checked out the file is displayed in the Files panel, along with a red check mark (if a team member checked out the file) or green check mark (if you checked out the file) next to the file’s icon.

    Checking in a file makes the file available for other team members to check out and edit. When you check in a file after editing it, your local version becomes read-only and a lock symbol appears beside the file in the Files panel to prevent you from making changes to the file.

    Dreamweaver does not make checked-out files read-only on the remote server. If you transfer files with an application other than Dreamweaver, you can overwrite checked-out files. However, in applications other than Dreamweaver, the LCK file is visible next to the checked-out file in the file hierarchy to help prevent such accidents.

    Set up the Check In/Check Out system

    Before you can use the Check In/Check Out system, you must associate your local site with a remote server.

    1. Select Site > Manage Sites.
    2. Select a site and click Edit.
    3. In the Site Setup dialog box, select the Servers category and do one of the following:

      • Click the Add New Server button to add a new server

      • Select an existing server and click the Edit Existing Server button

    4. Specify Basic options as necessary, and then click the Advanced button.
    5. Select Enable File Check Out if you are working in a team environment (or working alone but from several different machines). Deselect this option if you want to disable file check in and check out for your website.

      This option is useful to let others know that you checked out a file for editing, or to alert yourself that you may have left a more recent version of a file on another machine.

      If you do not see Check In/Out options, it means that you have not set up a remote server.

    6. Select the Check Out Files when Opening option if you want to automatically check out files when you double-click to open them from the Files panel.

      Using File > Open to open a file doesn’t check the file out even when this option is selected.

    7. Set the remaining options:
      Check Out Name
      The check-out name appears in the Files panel alongside any files that are checked out; this enables team members to communicate with the right person if a file they need is checked out.
      Note: If you work alone from several different machines, use a different check-out name on each machine (for example, AmyR-HomeMac and AmyR-OfficePC) so you’ll know where the latest version of the file is if you forget to check it in.

      Email Address
      If you enter an e-mail address, when you check out a file, your name appears in the Files panel as a link (blue and underlined) next to that file. If a team member clicks on the link, their default e‑mail program opens a new message with the user’s e‑mail address and a subject that corresponds to the file and site name.

    Check files into and out of a remote folder

    After you set up the Check In/Check Out system, you can check in and check out files on a remote server using the Files panel or from the Document window.

    Check out files using the Files panel

    1. In the Files panel (Window > Files), select files to check out from the remote server.
      Note: You can select files in the Local or Remote view, not the Testing Server view.

      A red check mark indicates that another team member has the file checked out and a lock symbol indicates that the file is read-only (Windows) or locked (Macintosh).

    2. Do one of the following to check out the file(s):

      • Click the Check Out button in the Files panel toolbar.

      • Right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh), then select Check Out from the context menu.

    3. In the Dependent Files dialog box, click Yes to download dependent files along with the selected files, or click No to refrain from downloading dependent files. The default is to not download dependent files. You can set this option at Edit > Preferences > Site.
      Note: It’s usually a good idea to download dependent files when checking out a new file, but if the latest versions of the dependent files are already on the local disk, there’s no need to download them again.

      A green check mark appears beside the local file’s icon indicating that you have checked it out.

      Important: If you check out the currently active file, the currently open version of the file is overwritten by the new checked-out version.

    Check in files using the Files panel

    1. In the Files panel (Window > Files), select checked‑out or new file(s).
      Note: You can select files in the Local or Remote view, but not the Testing Server view.
    2. Do one of the following to check in the file(s):

      • Click the Check In button in the Files panel toolbar.

      • Right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh), then select Check In from the context menu.

    3. Click Yes to upload dependent files along with the selected files, or click No to refrain from uploading dependent files. The default is to not upload dependent files. You can set this option at Edit > Preferences > Site.
      Note: It’s usually a good idea to upload dependent files when checking in a new file, but if the latest versions of the dependent files are already on the remote server, there’s no need to upload them again.

      A lock symbol appears beside the local file’s icon indicating that the file is now read-only.

      Important: If you check in the currently active file, the file may be automatically saved before it’s checked in, depending on the preference options you’ve set.

    Check in an open file from the Document window

    1. Make sure the file you want to check in is open in the Document window.
      Note: You can check in only one open file at a time.
    2. Do one of the following:

      • Select Site > Check In.

      • Click the File Management icon in the Document window toolbar, then select Check In from the menu.

        If the current file is not part of the active site in the Files panel, Dreamweaver attempts to determine which locally defined site the current file belongs to. If the current file belongs to a site other than the one that’s active in the Files panel, Dreamweaver opens that site, then performs the check in operation.

        Important: If you check in the currently active file, the file may be automatically saved before it’s checked in, depending on the preference options you’ve set.

    Undo a file check-out

    If you check out a file, then decide not to edit it (or decide to discard the changes you made), you can undo the check-out operation and the file returns to its original state.

    To undo a file check-out, do one of the following:

    • Open the file in the Document window, then select Site > Undo Check Out.

    • In the Files panel (Window > Files), right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh), then select Undo Check Out.

      The local copy of the file becomes read-only, and any changes you’ve made to it are lost.

    Use WebDAV to check in and check out files

    Dreamweaver can connect to a server that uses WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning), which is a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allow users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote web servers. For more information, see www.webdav.org.

    1. If you have not already done so, define a Dreamweaver site that specifies the local folder you use to store your project files.
    2. Select Site > Manage Sites, and then double-click your site in the list.
    3. In the Site Setup dialog box, select the Servers category and do one of the following:

      • Click the Add New Server button to add a new server

      • Select an existing server and click the Edit Existing Server button

    4. In the Basic screen, select WebDAV from the Connect Using pop-up menu, and complete the rest of the Basic screen options, as necessary.
    5. Click the Advanced button.
    6. Select the Enable File Check Out option and enter the following information:

      • In the Check Out Name box, enter a name identifying you to other team members.

      • In the Email Address box, enter your e‑mail address.

        The name and e‑mail addresses are used to identify ownership on the WebDAV server and appear in the Files panel for contact purposes.

    7. Click Save.

      Dreamweaver configures the site for WebDAV access. When you use the Check In or Check Out command on any site file, the file is transferred using WebDAV.

      Note: WebDAV may be unable to properly check out any files with dynamic content like PHP tags or SSIs because the HTTP GET renders these as they are checked out.

    Use Subversion (SVN) to get and check in files

    Dreamweaver can connect to a server that uses Subversion (SVN), a versioning control system that lets users collaboratively edit and manage files on remote web servers. Dreamweaver is not a full SVN client, but does let users get the latest versions of files, make changes, and commit the files.

    Important: Dreamweaver CS5 uses the Subversion 1.6.6 client library, and Dreamweaver CS5.5 uses the 1.6.9 client library. Later versions of the Subversion client library are not backward-compatible. Be aware, if you update a third-party client application (for example, TortoiseSVN) to work with a later version of Subversion, the updated Subversion application will update local Subversion meta data, and Dreamweaver will no longer be able to communicate with Subversion. This issue is not affected by updates to the Subversion server as those updates are backward-compatible. If you do upgrade to a third-party client application that works with Subversion 1.7 or later, you’ll need to check with Adobe for updates before you can use Subversion with Dreamweaver again. For more information on this issue, see www.adobe.com/go/dw_svn_en.

    Adobe recommends that you use a third-party file comparison tool as you work with SVN version-controlled files. When you compare files for differences, you can learn exactly what kinds of changes other users made to the files. For more information on file comparison tools, use a web search engine such as Google Search to search for “file comparison” or “diff” tools. Dreamweaver works with most third-party tools.

    For a video overview of working with SVN and Dreamweaver, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4049_dw.

    Set up an SVN connection

    Before you use Subversion (SVN) as a version control system with Dreamweaver, you must set up a connection to an SVN server. You set up a connection to an SVN server in the Version Control category of the Site Definition dialog box.

    The SVN server is a repository of files from which you and other users can get and commit files. It is different from the remote server you typically use with Dreamweaver. When using SVN, the remote server remains the “live” server for your web pages, and the SVN server exists to hold the repository of files over which you want to maintain version control. The typical workflow is to get and commit files back and forth between the SVN server, and then publish them to your remote server from Dreamweaver. The remote server setup is completely separate from the SVN set up.

    You must have access to an SVN server and an SVN repository before you begin this set up. For more information about SVN, see the Subversion website at http://subversion.apache.org/.

    To set up the SVN connection, follow these steps:

    1. Choose Sites > Manage Sites, select the site you want to set up version control for, and click the Edit button.
      Note: If you haven’t already set up local and remote folders for a Dreamweaver site, you’ll at least need to set up a local site before proceeding. (The remote site is not required at this stage, but you will eventually need to set it up before publishing your files to the Web.) For more information, see Working with Dreamweaver sites.

    2. In the Site Setup dialog box, select the Version Control category.

    3. Select Subversion from the Access pop-up menu.

    4. Set access options as follows:

      • Select a protocol from the Protocol pop-up menu. The available protocols are HTTP, HTTPS, SVN, and SVN+SSH.

        Note: Using the SVN+SSH protocol requires special configuration. For more information, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_dw_svn_ssh_en.

      • Enter the address for the SVN server in the Server address text box (typically in the form of servername.domain.com).

      • Enter the path to your repository on the SVN server in the Repository path text box (typically something like /svn/your_root_directory. It is up to the server administrator to name the root folder for the SVN repository.)

      • (Optional) If you want to use a server port other than the default server port, select Non Default and enter the port number in the text box.

      • Enter your SVN server user name and password.

    5. Click Test to test your connection, or click OK to close the dialog box. Then click Done to close the Manage Sites dialog box.

    Once the connection with the server established, your SVN repository is available for viewing in the Files panel. To view it, you can select Repository View from the View pop-up menu, or click the Repository Files button  in the expanded Files panel.

    Get the latest versions of files

    When you get the latest version of a file from the SVN repository, Dreamweaver merges the contents of that file with the contents of its corresponding local copy. (In other words, if someone else has updated the file since you last committed it, those updates are merged into the local version of the file on your computer.) If the file does not yet exist on the local hard drive, Dreamweaver simply gets the file.

    Note: When getting files for the first time from the repository, you should work with a local directory that is empty, or a local directory that does not contain files with the same names as files in the repository. Dreamweaver will not mount repository files to the local drive upon first try if the local drive contains files whose names match files in the remote repository.

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Do one of the following:

      • Display the local version of your SVN files in the Files panel by selecting Local view from the View pop-up menu. (If you are working in the expanded Files panel, the Local view is automatically displayed.) Then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file or folder you’re interested in and select Version Control > Get Latest Versions.

      • Display the SVN repository files by selecting Repository View from the View pop-up menu in the Files panel, or by clicking the Repository Files button in the expanded Files panel. Then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file or folder you’re interested in and select Get Latest Versions.

    Note: You can also either right-click a file and choose Check Out from the context menu, or select the file and click the Check Out button to get the latest version. Because SVN does not support a check-out workflow, however, this action does not actually check out the file in the traditional sense.

    Commit files

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Do one of the following:

      • Display the local version of your SVN files in the Files panel by selecting Local view from the View pop-up menu. (If you are working in the expanded Files panel, the Local view is automatically displayed.) Then select the file you want to commit and click the Check In button.

      • Display the SVN repository files by selecting Repository View from the View pop-up menu in the Files panel, or by clicking the Repository Files button in the expanded Files panel. Then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file you want to commit and select Check In.

    3. Review the actions in the Commit dialog box, make changes if necessary, and click OK.

      You can change actions by selecting the file whose action you want to change, and clicking the buttons at the bottom of the Commit dialog box. Two choices are available: commit and ignore.

    Note: A green check mark on a file in the Files panel denotes a changed file that has not yet been committed to the repository.

    Update status of files or folders in the repository

    You can update the SVN status of a single file or folder. The update does not refresh the entire display.

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Display the SVN repository files by selecting Repository View from the View pop-up menu in the Files panel, or by clicking the Repository Files button in the expanded Files panel.

    3. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) any folder or file in the repository and select Update Status.

    Update status of local file or folders

    You can update the SVN status of a single file or folder. The update does not refresh the entire display.

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Display the local version of your SVN files in the Files panel by selecting Local view from the View pop-up menu. (If you are working in the expanded Files panel, the Local view is automatically displayed.)

    3. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) any folder or file in the Files panel and select Update Status.

    View revisions for a file

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Do one of the following:

      • Display the local version of your SVN files in the Files panel by selecting Local view from the View pop-up menu. (If you are working in the expanded Files panel, the Local view is automatically displayed.) Then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file you want to see revisions for and select Version Control > Show Revisions.

      • Display the SVN repository files by selecting Repository View from the View pop-up menu in the Files panel, or by clicking the Repository Files button in the expanded Files panel. Then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file you want to see revisions for and select Show Revisions.

    3. In the Revision History dialog box, select the revision or revisions you’re interested in and do one of the following:

      • Click Compare to Local to compare the selected revision with the local version of the file.

        Note: You must install a third-party file comparison tool before you can compare files. For more information on file comparison tools, use a web search engine such as Google Search to search for “file comparison” or “diff” tools. Dreamweaver works with most third-party tools.

      • Click Compare to compare two selected revisions. Control-click to select two revisions simultaneously.

      • Click View to view the selected revision. This action does not overwrite the current local copy of the same file. You can save the selected revision to your hard drive just as you would save any other file.

      • Click Promote to make the selected revision the most current revision in the repository.

    Lock and unlock files

    Locking a file in the SVN repository lets other users know that you are working on a file. Other users can still edit the file locally, but will not be able to commit the file until you’ve unlocked it. When you lock a file in the repository, you’ll see an open-lock icon on the file. Other users see a completely locked icon.

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Do one of the following:

      • Display the SVN repository files by selecting Repository View from the View pop-up menu in the Files panel, or by clicking the Repository Files button in the expanded Files panel. Then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file you’re interested in and select Lock or Unlock.

      • Display the local version of your SVN files in the Files panel by selecting Local view from the View pop-up menu. (If you are working in the expanded Files panel, the Local view is automatically displayed.) Then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file you’re interested in and select Lock or Unlock.

    Add a new file to the repository

    A blue plus sign on a file in the Files panel denotes a file that does not yet exist in the SVN repository.

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. In the Files panel, select the file you want to add to the repository and click the Check In button.

    3. Make sure that the file is selected for Commit in the Commit dialog box and click OK.

    Move, copy, delete, or revert files

    • To move a file, drag the file to the destination folder in your local site.

      When you move a file, Dreamweaver marks the file in the new location with an Add With History sign, and marks the file in the old location with a Delete sign. When you Commit these files, the file in the old location disappears.

    • To copy a file, select the file, copy it (Edit > Copy), and paste (Edit > Paste) the file in the new location.

      When you copy and paste a file, Dreamweaver marks the file in the new location with an Add With History sign.

    • To delete a file, select the file and press delete.

      Dreamweaver gives you the option of whether you want to delete the local version of the file only, or both the local version and the version on the SVN server. If you select to delete the local version only, the file on the SVN server is not affected. If you select to delete the version on the SVN server as well, the local version is marked with a Delete sign, and you must commit the file for the deletion to take place.

    • To revert a copied or moved file to its original location, right-click the file and select Version Control > Revert.

    Resolve conflicting files

    If your file conflicts with another file on the server, you can edit it and then mark it as resolved. For example, if you try to check in a file that conflicts with another user’s changes, SVN will not let you commit the file. You can get the latest version of the file from the repository, manually make changes to your working copy, and then mark your file as resolved so that you can commit it.

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Display the local version of your SVN files in the Files panel by selecting Local view from the View pop-up menu. (If you are working in the expanded Files panel, the Local view is automatically displayed.)

    3. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file you want to resolve and select Version Control > Mark as Resolved.

    Go offline

    You might find it useful to avoid repository access during other file-transfer activities by going off-line. Dreamweaver will reconnect to the SVN repository as soon as you invoke an activity that requires a connection (Get Latest Versions, Commit, and so on).

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Display the local version of your SVN files in the Files panel by selecting Local view from the View pop-up menu. (If you are working in the expanded Files panel, the Local view is automatically displayed.)

    3. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) any file or folder in the Files panel and select Version Control > Go Offline.

    Clean up a local SVN site

    This command lets you remove locks on files so that you can resume unfinished operations. You should use this command to remove old locks if you receive “working copy locked” errors.

    1. Make sure that you’ve successfully set up an SVN connection.

    2. Display the local version of your SVN files in the Files panel by selecting Local view from the View pop-up menu. (If you are working in the expanded Files panel, the Local view is automatically displayed.)

    3. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the file you want to clean up and select Version Control > Clean Up.

    About moving files and folders in Subversion-controlled sites

    When you move the local versions of files or folders in a Subversion-controlled site, you run the risk of creating problems for other users who might be synching to the SVN repository. For example, if you move a file locally, and don't commit that file to the repository for a few hours, another user might try to get the latest version of the file from the file’s old location. For this reason, you should always commit files back to the SVN server immediately after you've moved them locally.

    Files and folders remain on the SVN server until you've manually deleted them. So even if you move a file to a different local folder and commit it, the old version of the file remains in the previous location on the server. To avoid confusion, delete the old copies of files and folders that you've moved.

    When you move a file locally and commit it back to the SVN server, the file’s version history is lost.

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