Another FrontPage 2003 feature key to the collaborative authoring environment is the capability to check documents in and out from a Web site. During the time that a document is checked out, the individual who checked it out is the only person allowed to edit it. This option can be used to both prevent users from making multiple edits to a single file and editing a file they shouldn't (see Figure 32.3). This option was not available in earlier versions of FrontPage and was the source of a number of problems. The implications of such a tool quickly become obvious the first time one user overwrites the changes made by another. Figure 32.3. FrontPage makes it clear when the document is not yours to check out. It also lets you know whom you must contact to get the document.This option originally was available only on Web sites hosted on a Windows servers running an additional program called Microsoft Visual SourceSafe. Now the feature comes built in to the program. TIP Be sure to stress to your team the importance of checking a document back in after it has been edited. Finding that someone who has gone home for the day, weekend, or year has checked out the document and not checked it back in is very frustrating.
Configuring Check In/Out Settings from Within FrontPageTo turn on the check in/out feature (it works in all Webs, including disk-based ones), simply click the Use Document check-in and check-out option in the General tab of the Site Settings dialog box. This can be reached by selecting Tools, Site Settings. The option can be turned on and off as needed. After the feature has been turned on, every document opened by a user will result in the user being asked whether he wants to check out the document just requested. If he says no, he is given a read-only version of the document that can be saved under a different filename. If the user wants to check out a document without opening it, he can right-click the document in the folder list and select Check Out from the menu. This option is useful for preventing unauthorized edits to important pages.
CAUTION This feature will only work by users editing site content with FrontPage. If anyone else tries to access and edit the content with another program (even Notepad), they will not be allowed to do so. Make sure that your team realizes the limitations of this tool if you are using any other development products with them. |