HOWTO: Use a Single SourceSafe Database with Multiple Web Servers

ID: Q231612


The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 32-bit, for Windows versions 5.0, 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual InterDev, versions 1.0, 6.0


SUMMARY

Developers often want to have their own individual Web servers to develop a Web application against while keeping project files in a single Visual SourceSafe project. Although Visual InterDev/Visual SourceSafe integration was designed with one Web Server and one SourceSafe Database in mind, there are two ways to do this. This article describes both methods.


MORE INFORMATION

Visual InterDev uses the FrontPage Server Extensions to do all Visual SourceSafe integration. The files that handle the Visual SourceSafe functionality from within the Visual InterDev integrated development environment (IDE) are located on the Web server. If each developer has his or her own Web server and any of the developers adds or removes files, those changes will not be propagated to the other developers' Web servers.

The following two methods allow Visual SourceSafe to work with multiple Web servers:

Method 1 - Local Mode

  1. In Visual InterDev, create a centralized Web server that has the project added to Visual SourceSafe.


    1. Open Visual InterDev.


    2. Click New Project on the File menu.


    3. Enter the name of the Web server.


  2. Each user opens the centralized Web project in Visual InterDev and specifies the \Wwwroot\<Web name> directory on his or her Web server as the working folder for the project.


  3. On the Start Menu, point to Programs, and then point to Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack, and then point to Internet Information Server. Click Internet Service Manager.


  4. Make this new project an application: Right-click the project and select Properties, and then click Create.


  5. Open the Web in "local mode" so that all saves only occur on the local Web server. (See the "References" section of this article for more information on working in local mode.)


  6. Check the file out by right-clicking on it in the Project Explorer and clicking Check Out.


  7. Do all testing locally.


  8. When finished testing, check the file back in by right-clicking on it in the Project Explorer and clicking Check In, updating the master Web.


Method 2 - Localhost

  1. Make the Web project connect to "localhost" as the Web server.


    1. Open Visual InterDev.


    2. Click New Project on the File menu.


    3. Enter localhost for the Web server.


    4. Choose to work in Local Mode.


  2. Add to Visual SourceSafe:


    1. In Visual InterDev, select the Solution file in the Project Explorer.


    2. On the Project menu, point to Source Control, and then click Add to Source Control.


  3. New users connect to the Web by opening the File menu and clicking on Open Project, and then clicking on Source Control and pointing to the SourceSafe database.


  4. In Visual InterDev, select the Project menu, point to Web Project, and click Recalculate Links.



REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q194006 INFO: The Difference Between a .sln and a .vip File
Q171116 HOWTO: Enable VSS Integration with FrontPage and Visual InterDev

For additional information, search for the following in the Visual InterDev product documentation:
  • Working locally


  • Using Visual InterDev 6.0 local mode


  • Local mode, specifying


  • Updating master Web application


  • Synchronizing master and local files


  • Show differences (File) command (Tools menu)


  • Show differences (Project) command (Tools menu)


  • Show differences command (Development Environment)


  • Debugging mixed client and server script


Additional query words:

Keywords : kbSSafe500 kbSSafe600 kbVisID kbVisID100 kbVisID600 kbDSupport
Version : WINDOWS:1.0,5.0,6.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: February 1, 2000
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