Getting Started with Version Cue

With Adobe Creative Suite 2, Version Cue is turned on by default, and all of the suite applications (with the exception of Acrobat 7.0 Professional) are automatically configured to access Version Cue during installation of the suite. Additionally, Version Cue is configured to automatically launch every time you start your computer (which is a good thing unless you don't plan on ever using Version Cue in your workflow). Version Cue likes memoryand lots of itrequiring a minimum of 128MB. If you don't plan on using it, you should turn it off. If you do plan on using it to manage your files (and why not?), you should bump that up to 256MB, if you can. These settings, among others, can be found in different places, depending on the platform you are using.

By the Way

To access Version Cue from Acrobat 7.0 Professional, you must launch Acrobat and turn on the Enable Version Cue workgroup file-management setting in the General panel of Preferences.

Version Cue Settings for Macintosh

To access Version Cue settings on a Mac, launch your System Preferences (you can find this either in the Dock or in the Apple menu) and click on the Version Cue CS2 icon (it appears in the Other category of preferences; see Figure 11.1). Alternatively, you can click on the Version Cue CS2 icon that appears in the menu bar (see Figure 11.2).

Figure 11.1. The Version Cue CS2 icon, in the System Preferences window.

Figure 11.2. Accessing Version Cue preferences from the menu bar on a Mac.

Turning On Version Cue for Windows

To access Version Cue settings on Windows, choose Control Panel from the Start menu and click on the Version Cue CS2 icon. Alternatively, you can click on the Version Cue CS2 icon that appears in the systray.

Version Cue's Preferences

When you've got the Version Cue settings dialog box open, you can choose from several options to optimize your setup (see Figure 11.3). If you plan to use Version Cue all the time, you can check the Turn Version Cue On When the Computer Starts option. This will save you from having to turn on Version Cue manually every time you restart.

Figure 11.3. The Version Cue CS2 preferences dialog box.

The Workspace Access setting enables you to specify whether your Version Cue workspace will be visible to other users who are on your network or whether it will be hidden so that others can't access your files.

The Workgroup Size and Optimize For settings are used to gauge how Version Cue allocates resources internally for different tasks. Larger workgroups might have different performance requirements than smaller ones. That being said, any settings you choose here will work, so you don't have to worry about making a decision. You can always change these settings if your setup or workflow changes.

Finally, you can specify how much memory is allocated to Version Cue. Remember that 128MB is the bare minimum. If you plan to use Version Cue a lot, you'll see a very noticeable performance gain by allocating more memory to Version Cue here.

When you're done, click on the Apply Now button to have your new settings take effect.

By the Way

Adobe suggests that you periodically restart Version Cue because this runs a self-checking routine that will not only check the integrity of your Version Cue database file, but also make repairs to it, in case it is corrupt in some way.

Installing Version Cue on a Server

You can have your Version Cue workspace located on your own computer or have it running on a server (a central computer that is accessible by others on a network). You can also access workspaces on other people's computers (if you have the rights to do so). It's important to remember that if you activate the workspace on your computer and allow others in your group to share your workspace, the performance of your own computer might be slowed if you have a large number of people accessing your computer continually. In such cases, using a workspace on a dedicated server might be better. Also note that for larger workgroups, you should allocate more RAM to Version Cue (in the Version Cue Control Panel or System Preferences).

To install Version Cue on a server, simply run the Creative Suite 2 installer, choose the Custom Install option, and select to install just the Version Cue component of the suite.

By the Way

Version Cue doesn't require any specific server software and can run in multiple OS environments. For example, you could install a Version Cue workspace on a Windows machine and access that workspace from a Mac. Version Cue automatically "sees" other computers on the network (within the same subnet) and requires no special configuration.