Items in the local file system and repositories stored in the local KW database are always available offline. References to Web pages in a local repository can be made available offline by storing them in the Internet cache however, references to web pages in shared repositories must first be copied to a local repository before disconnecting from the network. Snapshots stored in the database of a server based repository are usually not available when a connection to the server is unavailable. To overcome this limitation KW can store a copy of the item in a local working directory. This is accomplished by using the CheckOut or Get functions listed below. However, when disconnected from a shared repository the tree of it's contents is no longer visible and you must browse this local working directory to see its content..
Activate the View menu and select [Browse Checked Out and Gotten Files]. This will open a popup window showing a file and folder structure that reflects the location of the item in the repository.
Navigate to the item you want to open and double click it.
Items in a shared repository may be modified by multiple users. It is therefore possible that changes made by one user could be overwritten by changes made by another. To warn users that you may be modifying an item or that you want to protect it from deletion you can apply a lock to it. Locking an item places a visual indication (a padlock image) next to that item in the navigation tree, and also prevents the item from being deleted. The user applying the lock can enter an optional comment (during the locking operation) which can be used to indicate the reason for locking the item, and perhaps a time when the user expects to unlock it. This can be useful on a Server Repository where the item is used by multiple users. Lock comments can be seen on the Locks page of the items properties which also lists the names of the users who have applied any locks and the dates they were applied. Multiple users can lock an item and only the user who applied the lock or the system administrator can remove it. The item can still be modified by any user but cannot be deleted. To prevent modification of an item while you are using it set the read only property. Locks can also be applied to items in a local repository to prevent accidental deletion.
Locks can be managed by opening the "Locked Items" within the "Administration" folder of the relevant repository. This lists all locks applied to items in the repository and can be sorted and grouped (username grouping is the default). This is a particularly useful tool for system administrators to use to remove locks applied by a specific user.
Either:
Right click on the item within the tree.
Select Lock/Unlock/Checkin/Checkout and then Lock.
Enter an optional comment to explain why the item is locked.
Click [OK].
OR
Open the item's properties.
Click on the Locks tab
Click the [Lock] button.
Enter an optional comment to explain why the item is locked.
Click [OK].
Either:
Right click on the item within the tree.
Select Lock/Unlock/Checkin/Checkout and then
UnLock.
OR
Open the item's properties.
Click on the Locks tab
Select the lock you want to remove
Click the [Unlock] button.
Click [OK].
The checkout process places a lock on an item and copies the item from the server repository to a local working directory (You can view all checked out and gotten items in a list from the View menu - Browse checked out and gotten files). It can be applied to an entire branch in a single step. Subsequent open commands will open this local copy until the item is checked back in. Multiple users can checkout an item at the same time, however each additional user who attempts to do so will see the lock icon next to the item and a warning message indicating that it is locked by another user. In addition checking an item out:
makes the item available when you are not connected to the server (offline access).
enables the item to be opened by applications other than KnowledgeWorkshop.
To Checkout an item:
Right click on the item within the tree.
Select Lock/Unlock/Checkin/Checkout and then Checkout.
Enter an optional comment to explain why the item is locked.
Click [OK].
When you are finished modifying the item you can check it in or undo the checkout (see below).
The checkIn process saves the modified item to the repository and removes the lock.
Right click on the item within the tree.
Select Lock/Unlock/Checkin/Checkout and then Checkin.
The Undo Checkout removes the lock without saving any changes made to the item in the repository. When you open the item it will revert to opening from the repository server rather than the local working directory.
Right click on the item within the tree.
Select Lock/Unlock/Checkin/Checkout and then Undo Checkout.
Get copies the item from the server repository to the local working directory as a read only file. It does not place a lock on the item. It can be applied to an entire branch in a single step. The item in the tree still points to the shared repository. Get essentially makes a read only version of the item available when you are not connected to the server (offline access). You can view all checked out and gotten items in a list from the View menu - Browse checked out and gotten files.
Right click on the item within the tree.
Select Lock/Unlock/Checkin/Checkout and then Get.
Click [OK].