Source Control for Frame

[FeiMin_Lorente at amis.com]

I agree with Mike. We use CVS with our FrameMaker files. Although it is a 
bit annoying that FrameMaker thinks it's changed when it often hasn't, and 
CVS can't tell the difference, the source control system is still 
extremely useful for all the reasons that Mike gave below. We also find 
the check-in comments are good for figuring out what change was made at 
what time, and why.

Fei Min
________________________________________
Fei Min Lorente
Senior Technical Communicator
Medical Division
ON Semiconductor
feimin.lorente at onsemi.com
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"Mike Feimster" <mike.feimster at acstechnologies.com> 
Sent by: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
12/10/2008 09:01 AM

To
<quills at airmail.net>, "Donald M Rinderknecht" 
<Donald.M.Rinderknecht at noaa.gov>, "Flato, Gillian" 
<gflato at nanometrics.com>
cc
Framers List <framers at frameusers.com>
Subject
RE: Source Control for Frame






Even though the files are binary and you can't do diffs, the other
benefits of a good version control system are well worth it.

- You can always go back to a previous version, whether it's the version
from yesterday or last quarter's release.

- Archiving is simple with tags.

- You always know who the last person to work on a file was.

- File locking for binary files makes it very difficult to step on each
other's work.

- It is impossible to delete something from the repository, this means
it is extremely difficult for someone to permanently mess up a document.
(You can delete stuff from the "current version" but it still exists in
the older versions.)

- Since each person has their own local working copy of files, you
rarely have network issues and absolute path problems can be minimized.

- Provided you're update/commit (check-out/check-in) policies are
followed, you always know where the latest version of any doc is. 

- If you move to structured Frame and XML, you can do diffs as well as
branching and merging.

We use Subversion with TortoiseSVN. Terminology and specific benefits
may be different for other systems.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of
quills at airmail.net
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 3:36 PM
To: Donald M Rinderknecht; Flato, Gillian
Cc: Framers List
Subject: Re: Source Control for Frame

At 1:53 PM -0600 12/9/08, Donald M Rinderknecht wrote:
>Hi Gillian,
>
>Other than the diff report (which I assume provides more details than 
>just a time/date stamp) is SVN useful?
>
>I've been wanting some centralized document management for our 
>FrameMaker (and other) files for a long time. We have several folks 
>that author materials, sometimes in teams. I'd like to have check 
>in/check out and versioning at the very least. It would be really cool 
>to be able to metatag content and search for it also.
>
>Folks have mentioned going to MIF files or XML. Wouldn't those options 
>add steps to the workflow? I assume they (MIF or XML) would affect the 
>workflow in a similar fashion. Also, going to XML would require 
>structure (I assume) so I don't think we're ready for that. We've 
>started to use structure in some docs, but I haven't had time to 
>implement that broadly.
>
>What is PDM?
>
>Thanks,
>don.
>
>Don Rinderknecht -- 405.325.2805
>Meteorologist Instructor/Developer
>Warning Decision Training Branch, Norman, OK http://www.wdtb.noaa.gov

If you are working with a team that may be assigned files that others
are working on, the locking capability is nice. It prevents others from
checking out the file you are working on. Other than having that and a a
date time stamp version, there isn't a lot that any source control
system can add for Frame since the primary files are binary.

Scott


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