Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
and another team member can make modifications to the same
file at the same time. If the other developer finishes his or hers
and updates the file in version control before you do, you
ll be
notified that there are differences when you attempt to update
thefilewithyourchanges.Yourversioningsystemshouldthen
show you the differences and allow you to make any changes
needed before actually updating the file. With that said, it
'
sgood
practice to keep good communication between team members
and to avoid working on the same file at the same time if at all
possible.
Working with .fla files in version control is a little different
because .fla files are binary files (as are .jpg, .png, .psd, and so on).
Because the versioning system can
'
'
t read the code written within
.fla files, it can
t detect the actual differences that may be within
them even though it is able to detect that the files are indeed dif-
ferent. Because that is the case, it is best to check out or lock .fla
files so there is no possibility of other team members working on
thematthesametimeasyou.Onceyouarefinishedmakingyour
changes to a file, update it in the versioning system and release the
lock to allow other developers access to it in case they need to
make additional modifications.
With that said, starting with Flash Professional CS5, you can
save, open, and work with a new file format called XFL. The
uncompressed XFL format basically breaks your project apart into
several .xml files that contain everything from one .xml file that
describes the entire Flash file to separate .xml files for each indivi-
dual symbol in your library. It also contains more .xml files for
items like your project
'
smobilesettingsandpublishsettingsas
well as folders for external images, and so on. One of the great
things about all of these files is that they can be individually mana-
ged in source control, which actually allows more than one person
to work on a single Flash file at the same time! In addition to that
awesomeness, XFL files support live updates of editable assets.
What does that mean? It means that while one developer is work-
ing in the main Flash file, another developer (or designer) could do
something like edit the .xml file for a button or other library asset.
Once that developer is finished with that asset and saves the .xml,
the changes are reflected in Flash.
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ALERT!
Always check in or unlock your files in version control once you
'
re
finished working on them. Because some version control solutions won
t
let anyone access files except for the person who has them checked out,
it
'
s important to release the control of those files in case you leave the
office or end up being out sick the following day. If you leave the files
locked, it will make it more difficult for your team to continue working on
them in your absence.
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