Editing and managing database resources using a WebDAV client

The Domino® Web server supports Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV), a technology that allows users with Designer access to a database to edit or move items in the design collection of a database without using a Domino® Designer client. For example, you may build a page using a favorite HTML editor. Using Windows™ Explorer, you can drag that page into an NSF file for inclusion in a Domino® application. Similarly, an application designer collaborating on a project might open an HTML page using the Internet Explorer 5.x, edit the page, and then place the page back into the database. WebDAV technology gives you much greater flexibility in the development process as you can use third-party tools and contribute to application design from remote Web clients.

The types of Domino® database resources you can access with a WebDAV client are:

  • File resources
  • Images
  • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Setting up WebDAV

Before you use WebDAV, it must be enabled on the Domino® server. Check with your system administrator to make sure WebDAV is enabled in the Web Site document (found under the Internet Sites view in the Domino® Directory).

You must also do the following:

  • Provide the user with either Designer or Manager access in the database Access Control List (ACL). The user also must have both "Create documents" and "Delete documents" privileges enabled in the database ACL.
  • On the Advanced tab of the database ACL, set the "The maximum Internet name & password" field to either Designer or Manager access.
  • Ensure that you have the correct proxy settings configured for the WebDAV client.
    Note: If your WebDAV client uses a proxy server to access the Domino® server where the WebDAV database resides, you may experience problems when you try to connect to the WebDAV database. If so, disable the proxy for access to that server. You can selectively disable the proxy, specifying that the proxy not be used for access to that one particular server. If you are using Microsoft™ Windows™ Explorer, Internet Explorer 5, or Internet Explorer 6 as the WebDAV client, open the browser and go to Tools - Internet Options - Connections tab. Choose LAN settings, then click the Advanced button. In the Exceptions edit box, enter the hostname of the Domino® WebDAV server, such as develop1.acme.com.
  • Check with your server administrator to make sure sessions authentication is disabled in the Web Site document (found under the Internet Sites view of the Domino® Directory) that enables WebDAV.

For more information on setting up the Domino® server to use WebDAV, see Administering the Domino® System.

Enabling design locking

Design locking prevents the situation where one collaborator overwrites the work of another when working on the same resource. Some WebDAV clients (such as MS Word 2000, Excel 2000, and Dreamweaver 4.x) will lock the file when it is opened for edits or when the file is saved to a WebDAV server. In order for these clients to work with WebDAV databases on the Domino® server, you must enable "Design locking" for each of the WebDAV databases. To turn on design locking for use with WebDAV, enable "Design Locking" on the Designer tab of the Database Properties box.

In order for design locking to work, the Administration server for the database must be accessible. The Administration server (also known as the Master Lock server) is usually the server on which the database was created, unless an alternate server is explicitly specified on the Advanced page in the Access Control List for the database. Since many applications that use locking do so without explicit action by the user, check that the Administration server for the database is correct and that the server is accessible, and ensure that design locking is enabled to prevent problems with WebDAV.

Notes® about working with WebDAV

The following are tips for using WebDAV with an NSF file.

  • If a database has the field "Don't allow URL open" enabled in the Database Properties box, then you will not be able to access the database using a WebDAV client.
  • Macromedia Dreamweaver 4.01 is required to use WebDAV to access databases on a Domino® server. This upgrade can be downloaded from Macromedia's web site at: http://www.macromedia.com/support/dreamweaver/downloads/dw4_updater.html
  • In order for Dreamweaver locks (Check In and Check Out) and Designer client locks to interoperate correctly, the following must be configured.

    In Dreamweaver, under the Remote Sites configuration panel, the user needs to supply a user name to authenticate -- for example, James Smith/Acme -- and a valid password.

    The user must also supply an e-mail address -- for example, james_smith@acme.com. This e-mail address is what is used for Check In/Out in Dreamweaver. The email address specified in Dreamweaver must exactly match the e-mail address that is in the "Internet Address" field in the Person document in the Domino® Directory (names.nsf) for the user James Smith/Acme. Only then will both clients recognize the user to be the same person.

Limitations

  • Microsoft's Front Page 2000 is not a supported WebDAV client for use with Notes® Domino®.
  • WebDAV-enabled clients on MAC PCs are not supported with the Notes® Domino® Web Server.
  • The following are WebDAV-enabled clients that should work correctly with WebDAV on a Domino® server: Microsoft™ Internet Explorer 5.0x or greater, Windows™ Explorer on NT, Windows™ XP, Windows™ 98, Windows™ 2000 Macromedia's Dreamweaver 4.01, Microsoft™ Word 2000 and Excel 2000.
Note: Microsoft™ uses the term "Web Folders" to represent their WebDAV client application. Please refer to Microsoft's documentation for how to use "Web Folders."
Note: With Macromedia's Dreamweaver you configure a "Remote Site" to use WebDAV in order to access Domino® databases via WebDAV. Please refer to Dreamweaver's documentation for more information on how to configure this.