3.1: Projects and Workspaces

After you have launched the Studio, the first step is to create a Project. WebMaker projects reside within Workspaces. To create your first Project, use the Project | New project menu item. If this is the very first time you have launched the studio, you may see a Getting Started screen like the one below: The 'Getting Started' dialogue contains links to useful resources, including the WebMaker Forum. You can access this dialogue at any time using the Help | Getting Started menu item. You can either use the Help me create a new project link or close this dialogue and select the Project | New project menu item. Using either option will open the New Project dialogue to help you get started with your first project. You will notice that the project is based on a template. If you hover over any of the templates, you should notice the options to create a new project based on this template. You can see any additional screen shots for templates by clicking the picture icon on the template thumbnail and also obtain additional information about the template by hovering over the i info icon. During the creation process, you will also see a default workspace name, which you can change if required. You can use the various options available under the Project menu to undertake specific project management actions, including create, delete, copy, import, export, etc. You can also use the Workspace Management option within the Project menu to perform a whole range of project and workspace management operations, including renaming projects and workspaces. In addition to the Project Management option within the Project menu item, you can also click on an open project name on the top info strip to rename it. You can also move it to a different workspace by clicking and selecting a different workspace name. The top bar of the Studio will also indicate whether your project is checked in or checked out. If you have defined a Team Server under the Team menu item, you will see two additional icons showing the connection status of the Team Server and also your role for the currently open project. More detailed information on Source Control and the Team Server is available later in this guide. You can access the core WebMaker functionality from the Menu and Toolbar to create, test and publish your web applications. We will cover many of these items as we progress through the documentation. You can customise the appearance and grouping of the icons on the toolbar to suit your requirements by using the Edit | Preferences menu option and selecting the Toolbar link. You can export your WebMaker project using the Project | Export option. This will package and save a copy of your project in a .zip file which you can import in future. The Export feature is useful for ad-hoc sharing, archiving, backups and distribution. You can Import projects that have been previously exported. You can use the Browse button to select a .zip file that contains a previously exported project. Once you have selected a suitable file, WebMaker will parse the project information and auto-complete the project name, which can be changed as required. You can also select the workspace on the left, indicating where the imported project should reside. WebMaker projects, are based on templates. The templates are arranged in two sections. The first section contains system templates that cannot be changed. The second section is populated by templates that are derived from projects you create. You can create new projects based on these templates, in exactly the same way as for system templates. You can also click and remove the template marker for user templates. Please note that this does not delete the template or project, but simply removes the marker that makes it appear on this list. If you want to switch this marker on again to make the template reappear on this list then use the Project | Project Properties menu option from the Toolbar. Simply click the Allow this project to be used as a template for new projects check box. Project templates are the same as normal projects and can be shared in exactly the same way. Simply create a project based on the template and share the project using the Team menu item or the Project | Export Project menu item. See later section on Sharing and Collaboration.