Flare includes support for every source control tool on the market by virtue of the fact that Flare uses a wide open architecture. Instead of using proprietary files and databases, all content and project files in Flare are stored as independent XML files. This means that Flare projects are compatible with all source control systems. In addition to this native support for all source control applications, Flare provides integrated support for several source control applications as well.
Flare provides integrated support for the following source control applications:
- Apache Subversion See About Apache Subversion.
- Git See About Git.
- Microsoft Team Foundation Server See About Microsoft Team Foundation Server.
- Microsoft Visual SourceSafe See About Microsoft Visual SourceSafe.
- Perforce See About Perforce.
what is source control/multi-authoring?
Source control is a process that allows you to store your project files in a central location and determine which individuals have access to those files. By using a source control system to manage access to files, you can ensure that there are no file conflicts when many individuals are working on the same project (multi-authoring teams). You can also revert back to earlier versions of source control files if necessary. Source control is even useful for single authors because it provides a means for maintaining a constant backup of all project files.
is the source control application inside flare?
No. Flare does not use a proprietary source control system within the application. Instead, Flare allows you to connect (or "bind") your project to an existing third-party source control application that is separate from Flare.
which source control programs are integrated with Flare?
Built-in support is available for Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, Microsoft Team Foundation Server, Perforce, Git, and Apache Subversion. In addition, an API allows you to configure your project for integration with other source control tools
who is involved with source control?
This depends on how you work in your company. Someone (perhaps a network administrator) needs to set up your source control program (such as Microsoft Visual SourceSafe) and create the necessary database(s) in it. This individual may also set up the "rights" to all persons who have access to the necessary databases and files. If you are working on a multi-author team, each writer on the team needs to have a local copy of the Flare project and will be responsible for checking in and checking out files as necessary.
which files can be included in the integrated source control?
The files that can be included in source control depends on whether you are adding them manually or using the built-in integration.
if including files manually in your source control client
If you are manually adding files to a source control application (rather than using the built-in Flare integration), you can transfer any appropriate files in a Flare project. Appropriate files include the following.
- The main FLPRJ file
- All files from the Content folder
- All files from the Project folder, except those in the Project/Users subfolder
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Files from a specific Output subfolder
You might transfer output files to source control, for example, if you are integrating your Help into a desktop application, and programmers need access to your output files to build the application. However, if you do this, make sure you map the source control to the appropriate output subfolder, and not to the Temporary subfolder or to the main Output folder, which contains the Temporary subfolder.
if using the source control integration in the flare interface
If you are using Flare's built-in source control integration, you can transfer the following types of files.
- The main FLPRJ file
- All files from the Content folder
- All files from the Project folder, except those in the Project/Users subfolder
With the built-in integration, you cannot transfer the output files. In an ideal workflow, you would only need to transfer the content and project files mentioned, and when you are ready to generate output, you would publish the output files to another location where users can access them (such as a website or network drive).