Setting Up, Turning On, and Enabling Version Cue

Version Cue CS2 files are installed on your computer as part of the default installation of Adobe Creative Suite 2 you don't have to set them up. But before you can begin working with Version Cue, first you need to set up a Version Cue workspace, turn on Version Cue in Acrobat if you're using that application in your projects, and enable preferences. Then you're ready to go to work. This section describes these steps, and how to view a Version Cue workspace.

Setting up Version Cue

Installing Version Cue automatically creates a Version Cue workspace a file storage area that contains all versions and XMP metadata for all files in a project and that maintains the relationships between the files.

A Version Cue workspace can contain many projects (Figure 13-9).

Figure 13-9. Version Cue workspace with current projects.

By default, Version Cue is turned on and requires no special setup. However, if you're part of a workgroup, you (or your administrator) might set up a configuration different from the default for example, installing Version Cue on a server instead.

Version Cue supports three common workflow scenarios: a single user on a personal workstation, a small group of users with files on individual computers, and a larger group of users using a server as a local area network.

Whether you're an individual user or a member of a workgroup with the proper permissions, you can define whether a project is private (for your use only) or shared with others, and who has privileges to access a shared project. (A project is a top-level folder in a Version Cue workspace that contains related files, grouped as you wish and following any kind of file/folder hierarchy.) If you're an individual user, you can also define whether an entire Version Cue workspace is public or private.

If you intend to collaborate with other Creative Suite users, make sure that the Version Cue workspace is available on a computer that everyone can access on a network and that the collaborative projects are kept in that workspace. (See "Collaborating on a Project" later in this chapter.)

Single User Workflow

Individual users of Adobe Creative Suite 2 are ready to go after installing Creative Suite 2, and can immediately begin setting up Version Cue projects. Individuals can access projects from a computer other than their own that's on a local network on which Creative Suite is installed.

Workgroup with Files on Computers Workflow

In a small workgroup, installing Adobe Creative Suite on each workstation in the group also installs a Version Cue workspace on each workstation. Each member of the workgroup can set up a Version Cue project on his or her hard drive, share the project on that hard drive over the local network, and decide which projects are private and which can be shared.

Workgroup with Files on Server Workflow

For a more structured workgroup, installing Version Cue on a server accessible to the members of a workgroup may make more sense. When a Version Cue workspace is on the server, typically it will almost always be available. (On an individual workstation, the Version Cue workspace is unavailable when the computer is put to sleep or shut down.)

Installing Version Cue on a server, as opposed to on an individual computer, has other advantages. On a server, Version Cue typically has a larger file capacity due to the server's large-capacity drives; backup normally is automatic and scheduled; and performance is usually not an issue. In comparison, when Version Cue is installed on an individual computer, file capacity is limited to the computer's hard drive, and backup depends on when a user backs up projects.

To install Version Cue on a server, install from the Creative Suite 2 CD directly to the server's hard drive. Your license for a single copy of the Adobe Creative Suite allows you to install Version Cue on a server, even if other CS2 components are installed on a different workstation. Once installed, the Version Cue workspace on the server broadcasts its presence on the local network; thus, generally, it's unnecessary to configure the server in a special way. By default, Version Cue is turned on when the computer starts, which is necessary in case the server must be rebooted.

Tip: Restart Version Cue Once a Week

It's a good practice to restart Version Cue periodically Adobe recommends once a week. When Version Cue is restarted, it performs an integrity check and makes necessary repairs to its internal structure if required (a very rare event).

Getting Access to Version Cue Projects

If you have license to only one component of Creative Suite 2, you will not have your own Version Cue workspace.

If you have created a Version Cue project and set it to be shared (which you can do only if you have installed the full Creative Suite), it will be accessible to anyone on your local area network who has installed Adobe Creative Suite 2, as well as to anyone who has a copy of individual CS2 applications InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, GoLive, or Acrobat 7.0 Professional and who has permission to access the project. Participation in a shared project gives you access to the full Version Cue feature set. The user of an individual Creative Suite component like InDesign can use the same Bridge and Adobe dialog box interface as someone who is licensed to use Creative Suite (see the sidebar "The Adobe dialog box"). They can even create a project in someone else's Version Cue workspace if they have access to it.

You can also view and open the files remotely if you have access to a Version Cue workspace. When you need to access a project on a different subnet (a computer outside your local area network), you can use the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the computer to access the Version Cue workspace. See "Collaborating on a Project" later in this chapter.

Turning off Version Cue in CS2 Applications

Version Cue is turned on in the Creative Suite 2 applications by default (with the exception of Acrobat 7.0 Professional, which requires that you turn on Enable Version Cue workgroup file management in General Preferences).

Even if you're not using Version Cue, it's a good idea to leave it turned on; doing so gives you access to the Adobe dialog box. However, if you think you'll never use Version Cue, you can turn it off in CS2 applications by deselecting the Enable Version Cue Workgroup File Management option. (This option is in the File Handling preferences in Photoshop and InDesign, and in the File Handling & Clipboard preferences in Illustrator.) Then, in Version Cue CS2 preferences, turn off Version Cue and reboot your computer. As a last step, deselect Version Cue in the Favorites Items section in the Adobe Bridge preferences. Version Cue can't be removed from the Folders pane or the Version Cue submenu of the Bridge Tools menu.

Enabling Version Cue Preference Settings

When you set up Version Cue for the first time, it is set up for an individual working with both print and web projects. The default memory setting is 128 MB of RAM for the workspace (in addition to the 196 MB of RAM required to run any single CS2 application). You can adjust these settings in Version Cue preferences for your particular needs.

To adjust the Version Cue preferences, on the Macintosh, click the Version Cue icon on the menu bar and choose Version Cue CS2 Preferences. In Windows, double-click the Version Cue icon on the system tray at the bottom right of the screen. Adobe Version Cue CS2 Preferences appears (Figure 13-10).

Figure 13-10. Version Cue CS2 Preferences

Depending on the number of users and the kinds of projects you work on, you may want to change a few preferences:

• If the workspace installed on this workstation is going to be shared, select This Workspace Is Visible To Others. Choosing This Workspace Is Private keeps the workspace hidden from others on the network. (If you share your workspace, you can still set individual projects within it to be shared or private.)

• If you plan to use Version Cue a lot, set the Memory Usage to 256 MB for better performance. Setting the memory higher is probably necessary only if you envision copying or moving thousands of files in a single operation at some point when working with a project, even in large workgroups.

• In the Workgroup Size menu, set the size to Single User, Small Group (2-4 people), Medium (5-10 people) or Large (more than 10 people).

• In the Optimize For menu, select Print Media, Web Media, or Mixed Media, depending on the intended projects.

Version Cue in Acrobat and GoLive

Unfortunately, the description in this chapter of how Version Cue works fails in two cases when you're working in Acrobat 7.0 and in GoLive CS2. These two applications access Version Cue features differently than the other Creative Suite applications. Here are some differences:

• In Acrobat 7.0, you must manually turn on Version Cue in General Preferences. Select Enable Version Cue Workgroup File Management to turn on Version Cue.

• Acrobat 7.0 is limited to the functionality that existed in Version Cue 1.0, so some features described in the chapter are not available.

• Acrobat 7.0 and GoLive CS2 don't use the Adobe dialog box.

• In GoLive, Version Cue normally uses a special folder, the documents folder, for non-GoLive files, but this file is hidden (unless you are viewing your working copy folder). When you create a new Version Cue project in GoLive or add a website to your project, Version Cue creates three new folders to contain the web assets: Web-content folder, Web-data folder, and Web-settings folder.

If you plan to include files from Acrobat 7.0 and GoLive in your projects, refer to Acrobat 7.0 Help and Adobe Creative Suite 2 Help in the Adobe Help Center.

Viewing Version Cue Workspaces

It's easiest to view a Version Cue workspace in Adobe Bridge. Clicking Version Cue in the Favorites panel of Bridge initially displays an icon labeled Workspaces in the content area (Figure 13-11, left). (Later, as you start to work on projects, aliases or shortcuts of those projects will also appear at this level of your file hierarchy.) Double-clicking the Workspaces icon displays the Version Cue workspace on your own workstation, marked with the name of the workstation and My Computer. If your local network has other Version Cue workspaces, icons will also appear with the name of the workstation and Adjacent Computer (Figure 13-11, right).

Figure 13-11. Click Version Cue on the Adobe Bridge Favorites panel to display Version Cue workspaces (left); Version Cue workspaces visible on a local network (right).

When you view Version Cue workspaces in Adobe Bridge, icons indicate the workspace status, as shown in Table 13-1.

Table 13-1. Version Cue Workspace Icons and Their Meanings

Workspace	Icon	Meaning
Workspace on Own Hard Drive		The workspace is on your own hard drive.
Remote Workspace Online		The workspace is on a different computer and is available.
Workspace Not Available		The workspace is not currently available.

Tip: If You Don't See Version Cue...

If Version Cue doesn't appear in Adobe Bridge, you may have turned off the display of Version Cue in the Favorites panel. Go to Bridge General Preferences and check Version Cue in the Favorites Items section.

Version Cue workspaces also appear in the Adobe dialog box when choosing the Open, Save, Save As, Place, Import, and Export commands of InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop (see the sidebar "The Adobe Dialog Box.") However, Version Cue workspaces aren't easily accessible when browsing in your operating system's file hierarchy or when using your operating system's Open or Save dialog box.

The Adobe Dialog Box

Because your operating system doesn't "see"Version Cue workspaces, you need a method for opening, saving, and placing files in your projects when using the Adobe applications. The tool that provides this is the Adobe dialog box.

You open the Adobe dialog box by choosing Open, Save, Save As, Place, Import, or Export in InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop, and clicking the Use Adobe Dialog button (Figure 13-12). (If the Use OS Dialog button appears instead, you're already in the Adobe dialog box. If no button appears, you may have turned off Version Cue in the current application. You can turn it back on in File Handling Preferences.) The Adobe dialog box provides enhanced information about files in your project. You can toggle it between icon, thumbnails, tiles, or detail view of the current folder using the pop-up menu at the upper right. You can also see the status of the files in the project, the current version and comment, and alternates. The Metadata/Properties pane displays additional document information, such as author and keywords; open it by clicking the double-arrow icon at the bottom right. (When viewing information about a non-Version Cue file, the heading for the pane is "Properties for [filename]").

Figure 13-12. The Adobe dialog box

Icons at the top of the dialog box let you move up the file hierarchy, add a new folder, refresh the view, and delete a file. A Project Tools menu (click the tiny triangle next to the toolbox icon) contains various commands for managing your files.

The Show Places pane lets you search a project or view files in use or in the Project Trash (if necessary, drag the expansion widget to open the pane). The pane displays set favorite locations; you can add your own by selecting a folder and choosing Add To Favorites from the Project Tools menu.

The Adobe dialog box also works with non-Version Cue files, so you can use it all the time! It provides the same kind of information, except that it won't show the metadata, such as comments particular to a Version Cue project.