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Read only files, Workgroups

If you are a single-worker, this chapter won't be interested for you.

If serveral persons work with the same text files, you will normally get a problem. Some editors like DOS Wordstar do not allow two programs (or users) to read a file. So you won't have a problem by overwriting a file, but on the other hand reading a file simultaneously won't be possible. Others allow reading and writing, but if two persons have opened the text file simultaneously, only the changes of the person who saved the file at last are written to the file.

The WSedit workgroup functionality is enabled by checking when opening, set file to read only (for workgroups) on the Save Page in the settings notebook (^OO).

WSedit sets the read-only flag of the text file if a user opens the file. The first user has got write-access. All users who open the file later won't have write-access, but they can read the file. To remember that writing is not possible, the background is gray instead of white or blue and in the title bar "READ ONLY" appears.

After the user which had got write-access leaves the file, the WSedit program of the other ("read-only") user catches automatically the write-access and the window background turns to white (or blue).

If the user with write-access saves the file, the other users will get automatically an actualized file content.

In the Menu, you will find a command "File - let go write access". Here you can give your write-access to the other user - your WSedit switches to read-only.

To simulate a dual-user mode, open one text file twice by starting WSedit two times.

If the workgroup functionality is enabled, the text file which is opened by WSedit is set to read-only. If WSedit crashes (what we won't hope!), the text file will rest in read-only state. To turn on or off the read-only workgroup feature, open the settings notebook of the text file icon (right mouse button, properties) and activate/deactivate the "read only" checkbox.

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