Locking a design element

About this task

If you work on a team and want to ensure that other designers cannot modify design elements that you are working with, you can explicitly lock them. When you have finished working with the design elements and want to release them so that others can modify them, you can unlock them. (A design element that is not explicitly locked is always temporarily locked while it is being edited. After the designer has finished editing the design element, the temporary lock is released.)

Shared Actions are contained in one design note.Therefore, when you lock a Shared Action, you lock all Shared Actions.Likewise, when you unlock a Shared Action, you unlock all Shared Actions.

Parent topic: Completing an application and managing design changes
Related tasks:
Preventing design changes
Modifying multiple design elements
Hiding design elements

To enable design element locking

About this task

Enable design element locking when you want to give designers the ability to lock and unlock any of the design elements in a database.

Procedure

  1. Open the database.
  2. Choose File - Application - Properties and click the Design tab.

  3. Select "Allow design locking."

    Now designers can explicitly lock design elements in the database. A newly created column next to the design element name indicates the lock status of the design element.

To lock a design element

About this task

Lock a design element when you want to ensure that you have exclusive ownership of it and to prevent others from modifying it.

CAUTION:
If you work locally or offline and attempt to lock a design element, Domino® Designer displays a message stating that the "Master lock database cannot be reached" and asks if you want to proceed with locking the design element. If you click Yes to proceed, the database applies a provisional lock to the design element. When you connect again and replicate, the database attempts to convert the provisional lock to a true lock. If it is successful, the database saves the edits that you made to the design element. If it is unsuccessful, the database sends you mail containing the edits that the database could not save; you must apply them manually to the design element.

Procedure

  1. Highlight the design element in the Work pane.
  2. Right-click the design element and select Lock.

    If the design element was unlocked, a padlock icon appears in the Work pane indicating that you have successfully locked the design element, and a message appears on the status bar. You now have exclusive access to the design element; other designers cannot modify it.

    If someone else has locked the design element, a lock-and-key icon appears in the Work pane.

To unlock a design element

About this task

Unlock a design element when you have finished making changes to it and want to allow others to be able to modify it. You can unlock only design elements that you have locked. Designers with Manager access to the database can unlock any design element.

Procedure

  1. Highlight the design element in the Work pane.
  2. Right-click the design element and select Unlock.

    If you had locked the design element, the padlock icon disappears in the Work pane indicating that you have successfully unlocked the design element, and a message appears on the status bar. You no longer have exclusive access to the design element; other designers can now modify it.

To disable design element locking

About this task

Disable design element locking when you want to prevent designers from explicitly locking design elements in a database.

Procedure

  1. Choose File - Application - Properties and click the Design tab.

  2. Deselect "Allow design locking."

    Now designers cannot explicitly lock design elements in the database.