Multi-user ConsiderationsThe Developer interface is similar to most Windows applications with a movable menu and tool bar, status bar, and a main work area. The main work area can display the Library as well as any of the available document editors. If you display the Library, you can see a default set of folders and documents. The Library is the central repository of your content that can be accessed by one or more authors at the same time. The Library shows all content in the form of various folders and documents. Folders are similar to the folders on your computer that store files; however, folders in the Developer are used to store content-specific documents. Every object in the Developer is called a document and there are specific document types that you use to build content.
As you develop content and begin to create and open documents, additional work areas appear in new tabs. The document name appears in the tab and cannot be directly edited in the tab. If you want to change the name of a tab, you must change the name of the document.
Each tab is associated with a specific document editor that is launched when you open a document. For example, when you open a module document, a new tab appears, and the Outline Editor is launched in the work area. The name of the document appears in the tab with the appropriate document type icon. You can continue to open additional documents, thereby opening a new tab for each new work area. You can navigate between each tab by clicking on it and close a tab when you are finished with the content that is displayed.
A work area may have multiple panes associated with it. For example, the Library has two panes where the left pane displays folders and the right pane displays the documents that are stored in the selected folder. The Outline Editor also has two panes where the left pane displays the outline of module, section, and topic documents and the right pane can display document details or conceptual and introduction content that is linked to each document. These different displays of document information are called views. For example, the Details View displays columns of document properties such as its Type, Last Modified Date, and so on. The Player View simulates the user interface of the Player and displays conceptual and/or introduction content that is linked to a specific document in the outline. This linked content can be web pages, documents, presentations, and so on. You can easily switch between these views using the View toolbar.
The remainder of this section describes how to start the Developer and customize various areas of the interface.
Since you can use the Developer in single or multi-user mode, the documentation includes a chapter on multi-user functionality as well various multi-user considerations. The following convention is used to identify specific multi-user functionality throughout this documentation:
Multi-user Considerations