How can we edit the same file?

[takama]

Hi,

This is takama from Japan.
I have a few month's experience of RoboHelp and new comer of Flare from this year.
This means that I have little experience as a OnlineHelp creater.

I have co operative job that One OnlineHelp will be made between Japan and China.

Our plan is:
1. Put one Flare project on the network server.
2. Download it locally on Japan and China.
3. When a file was locally modified, upload it on the network server and report it each other to update the local data.

How about?

Regards,
Takama

[Richard Ferrell]

That should work, as long as you make sure that you have the latest version of the file and you talk among your users.. You may want to consider using source control software, that way you couldn't over the other users files.

[takama]

Thank you, Richard.

Could you please advise me about source control software?
What is better for Flare?

Regards,
TAKAMA

[Andrew Heard]

+1 for source control - I'd say an essential for multiple users.

Perforce doesn't bind with Flare (yet).

If you're in a software development company, talk to your developers.

[forfear]

If you're in a .NET Visual Studio/Microsof type development environment, i think its gonna be Team Foundation Server.

There are others like STAR team from Borland, its quite good apparently, not sure if they have VSS connector, but if they do that's an option.

[Richard Ferrell]

I would use Visual Source Safe or Team Foundation Server, Both Will work with Flare with out any problems.

[takama]

Thank you, all, for your quick response.
I'll check up Visual Source Safe or Team Foundation Server.

takama

[forfear]

try to use the same source control as your devs, if you're all in the same department.

as a writer, you probably don't need one server just for docs..., just to help keep server usage to a minimum/

[lizat]

Takama,

If you are going to use multiple content authors, rather than help author/designers, then you may want to look at Madcaps X Edit or XEdit ontribute

liz

[Andrew]

+1 for source control - I'd say an essential for multiple users.

It really depends on the project. Most of our projects are multi-user, but for just about all of them, there is approaching zero chance that writers will need to work in the same topics at the same time. In our case, source control is overkill (though the rollback and versioning features are often very useful, completely aside from the multi-authoring aspect).

[KevinDAmery]

I prefer to have a source control system, even though I'm a lone writer and fully own the documentation files. In addition to roll backs and versioning, it ensures that my documentation is protected by the same backup regimen used for the application source code (handy in case some hard drives bite the dust). Our company backs up key data once a week to tapes which are stored off site, and that includes the contents of the source safe repository - I'm happy to have my docs included in that.

[wijnand]

aslong as the flare project is on a network drive you can both open the file at the same time however ther eis no control over what and when someone is editing the same file.

Aslong as you have a Microsoft Source Control API compatible Source Control you can use any source control to bind it to you

[Andrew Heard]

As long as you have a Microsoft Source Control API compatible Source Control you can use any source control to bind it to you

Perforce is Microsoft Source Control API compatible but it just refuses to bind.

http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... =13&t=3501
http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... =13&t=3969

[takama]

Thank you, all.

As Andrew said, source control system is overkill for our project,
because the onlineHelp doc will be made only by two tech. writers (One in Japan and the other in China) in this project.
So, the same content will not be modified at the same time. This control will be available in one excell file...

For source control system, if our project might include a few of tech writers, I should be considered.

I have one question:
When updating data on a common network server, I have only to overwrite the modified HTML files and images(movies) in the "Content" folder.
Is it right?

Regards,
TAKAMA

[KevinDAmery]

You'd have to over write anything that gets changed - the files you mention would be included, but you would also want to over write anything in the project area that changes (variables, conditions, aliases, targets, etc.) and on the content side you would want to include stylesheets, snippets, master pages, page layouts, etc. Basically, if one writer changes a file, it should be uploaded so that both writers have the same files to work with.

[forfear]

Still takama,
i recommend someone takes ownership of the two projects and stores the sources (eventually when you're done) in one 'repository'
be it a file system or as the rest have wisely chipped in
(i go for the long term) a simple source control server at least
(takes under 10 minutes to set up)

or you'll have a case of 'not invented here' .

...if you hope to look towards future work/projects....and not a one off doc delivery.

[Andrew]

Hi,
Our plan is:
1. Put one Flare project on the network server.
2. Download it locally on Japan and China.
3. When a file was locally modified, upload it on the network server and report it each other to update the local data.

Re-reading your original proposal, I a bit of feedback:

Why not have both writers work on the file server copy, rather than on local copies? It seems needlessly complicated to have two people working on two different local copies that have to be kept in sync. Plus, you will never know if you have overwritten someone else's change. One nice thing about Flare is that it tells you if you are going to overwrite someone else's changes when you save (hmmm...actually, I wonder how that works with autosave?).