Customizing Dreamweaver in a multiuser environment

You can customize Dreamweaver in a multiuser operating system such as Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Mac OS X. Dreamweaver prevents any user's customized configuration from affecting any other user's customized configuration. To accomplish this goal, the first time you run Dreamweaver in a multiuser operating system that it recognizes, Dreamweaver copies various configuration files into a user Configuration folder for you. When you customize Dreamweaver by using dialog boxes and panels, the application modifies your user Configuration files instead of modifying the Dreamweaver Configuration files. To customize Dreamweaver by editing a configuration file in a multiuser environment, edit the appropriate user Configuration file, rather than editing the files in the Dreamweaver Configuration folder. To make a change that affects most users, you can edit a Dreamweaver Configuration file, but users who already have corresponding user-configuration files will not see the change. In general, if you want to make a change that affects all the users, it's best to create an extension and install it using the Extension Manager.

NOTE

In older operating systems (Windows 98, Windows ME, and Mac OS 9.x), a single set of Dreamweaver Configuration files is shared by all users, even if the operating system is configured to support multiple users.

The location of the user's Configuration folder depends on the user's platform.

Windows 2000 and Windows XP platforms use the following location:

drive:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Macromedia\Dreamweaver 8\Configuration

NOTE

In Windows XP, this folder may be inside a hidden folder.

Mac OS X platforms use the following location:

drive:Users/username/Library/Application Support/Macromedia/Dreamweaver 8/Configuration

NOTE

To install extensions that all users can use in a multiuser operating system, you must be logged in as Administrator (Windows) or root (Mac OS X).

The first time you run Dreamweaver, it copies only some of the configuration files into your user Configuration folder. (The files that it copies are specified in the version.xml file in the Configuration folder.) When you customize Dreamweaver from within the application (for example, when you modify one of the predesigned code snippets in the Snippets panel), Dreamweaver copies the relevant files into your user Configuration folder. The version of a file in your user Configuration folder always takes precedence over the version in the Dreamweaver Configuration folder. To customize a configuration file that Dreamweaver has not copied into your user Configuration folder, first copy the file from the Dreamweaver Configuration folder to the corresponding location inside your user Configuration folder. Then edit the copy in your user Configuration folder.

Deleting configuration files in a multiuser environment

When working in a multiuser operating system, if you do something within Dreamweaver that would delete a configuration file (for example, deleting a predesigned snippet from the Snippets panel), Dreamweaver creates a file in your user Configuration folder called mm_deleted_files.xml. When a file is listed in mm_deleted_files.xml, Dreamweaver behaves as if that file doesn't exist.

To deactivate a configuration file:

1.	Quit Dreamweaver.
2.	Using a text editor, edit mm_deleted_files.xml in your user Configuration folder; add an item tag to that file, giving the path (relative to the Dreamweaver Configuration folder) of the configuration file to deactivate. NOTE Do not edit mm_deleted_files.xml in Dreamweaver.
3.	Save and close mm_deleted_files.xml.
4.	Start Dreamweaver again.

About mm_deleted_files.xml tag syntax

The mm_deleted_files.xml file contains a structured list of items that specify configuration files that Dreamweaver is to ignore. These items are specified by XML tags, which you can edit in a text editor.

The following sections describe the syntax of the mm_deleted_files.xml tags. Optional attributes are marked in the attribute lists with curly braces ({}); all attributes not marked with curly braces are required.

<deleteditems>

Description

Container tag that holds a list of items that Dreamweaver should treat as deleted.

Attributes

None.

Contents

This tag must contain one or more item tags.

Container

None.

Example

 <deleteditems> <!-- item tags here --> </deleteditems> 

<item>

Description

Specifies a configuration file that Dreamweaver should ignore.

Attributes

 name 

• name The path to the configuration file, relative to the Configuration folder. In Windows, use a backslash (\) to separate parts of the path; on the Macintosh, use a colon (:).

Contents

None (empty tag).

Container

This tag must be contained in a deleteditems tag.

Example

 <item name="snippets\headers\5columnwith4links.csn" /> 

Reinstalling and uninstalling Dreamweaver in a multiuser environment

After you install Dreamweaver, if you later reinstall it or upgrade to a later version, Dreamweaver automatically makes backup copies of existing user configuration files, so that if you've customized those files, you can still access the changes you made. When you uninstall Dreamweaver from a multiuser system (which you can do only if you have administrative privileges), Dreamweaver can remove each user Configuration folder for you.