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In a multi-user installation, you can use the Developer in either an online or offline mode. When you work online, you are connected to the content server through the network, an intranet, or the Internet. In this mode, you can access any document that is checked in to the server. When you access any document while online (by opening it in an editor and viewing its content), a read-only copy of the document is automatically downloaded to a local cache on your computer. If you want to edit a document that is on the server, you must first check out the document. When you do this, an editable copy of the document is downloaded to your local data storage location. After you make changes to the checked out document, you must check the document back in to the server to save the changes to the content server.

You can determine the location of the local data storage location when you create a Login Profile for the first time. The complete path of the local data storage location is displayed on the Summary page of the Login Profile Wizard for reference.

You can set the maximum available disk space for the local data storage location using the Library settings in the Developer category in Tools, Options.

Note: As you work with documents, you may see "downloading" messages when documents in the Library are downloaded from the server to your local data storage location.

Client - Server Synchronization

When you are working online, the Developer (client) installation on your local computer automatically synchronizes with the content server approximately every minute or so. The Library then updates to display all of the changes that have been checked in to the server, including new documents and folders, changes to folder and document names or properties, deleted documents, and so on. The Outline Editor also displays some of the results of this synchronization (for example, changes to document names), except for changes that were made to the outline structure (the links between the documents). To display any structural changes to the outline from the Outline Editor, you must refresh the display manually using the Refresh command on the View menu or by pressing F5. The Library also automatically synchronizes when you use commands on the Document menu such as Check In, Check Out, Get, Get All, and so on. However, you will still need to perform a refresh in the Outline Editor to see the any structure changes in the outline you have open.

Work Offline

You can also work offline when you are not connected to the server. You are working strictly with the documents that are stored in your local data storage location. You might choose to work offline for the following reasons:

There is no connection available to the server (such as on an airplane or at another remote location with no connectivity to the content server).
There is a connection to the content server, but it is slow (such as a dial-up connection).
The server is unavailable for a period of time for technical reasons (such as maintenance or a power outage).

When you work offline, you can edit only the documents that you have previously checked out; however, you can view other documents that you have in your local cache that you do not have checked out. You can also create new documents but you cannot delete documents under version control when you are offline.

Note: If you are working online and your connection with the server stops (for example, the server goes offline unexpectedly), the connection state will change to Disconnected. When the server is available again, the Developer connects automatically, and the state changes back to Online.

If you plan to explicitly work offline, you should always check out documents that you need to edit before going offline. You may also want to use the Get command from the Document menu to ensure that you have local copies of the most recent documents that you want to view in addition to those that you want to edit. If you go offline and do not have copies of some documents in your local data storage location, those documents will be unavailable to you. To remedy this, you will need to go back online and "get" the documents that you need.

Note: When you create a login Profile and log in to the Developer for the first time, all documents in the System folder are automatically downloaded to your local computer. If another author checks in modifications to any of these documents such as a master role list document or publishing style, you should periodically go online and download updated documents using the Get command.

Server Connection States

There are four connection states in a multi-user environment: Online, Disconnected, Offline, and Offline/Login failed. The Connection State icon in the bottom right corner of the Developer screen identifies the state in which you are currently working.

Online: You are currently connected to the server.
Disconnected: You do not have a connection to the server, but would like to. You can get in this state if the network connection is dropped. When this happens, the Developer will regularly try to reconnect to the server.
Offline: You explicitly chose to work offline. The Developer does not try to reconnect to the server until you explicitly go online.
Offline/Login failed: The user password is incorrect, or the account does not exist on the server. You are notified of the failure to log in, and the Developer remains offline. You may also experience this state if the administrator changes your login credentials while you are working online.

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