About Synchronization with Site and Group Versions
You can use Form Sync to deploy revisions to a form customized at the Site or Group scope type so customizations for end users are synchronized with the revision. This approach simplifies the customization process, because end users do not have to revert their customized forms or recode them.
You can similarly deploy revisions to customized global objects.
Synchronization with site or group versions follows the same logic as synchronization with vendor versions in a vendor-supplied application upgrade. The Source configuration contains revised versions of forms customized at the Site or Group scope type. The Target configuration contains customized versions that are to receive the revisions. Note that developers revise forms in a separate development environment, which serves as the Source in synchronization.
To synchronize site or group versions, designate a base-level scope type in the Synchronization base level field in the Synchronization Options dialog box, and select either Site or Group. For more information, see the help for this field.
Forms and global objects with the designated scope type serve as base-level versions for synchronization just as Vendor versions serve as base-level versions in an upgrade.
Definitions of forms with the designated scope type in the Source configuration are then merged with any customized forms that are based on forms with the same scope type in the Target configuration. Forms with the designated scope type in the Source configuration replace forms with the same scope type in the Target configuration.
EXAMPLE:
A developer with Site Developer editing permissions adds a component to a form named DueNow. The developer specifies Group as scope type and AccountsReceivable as scope name.
A member of the AccountsReceivable group with the user ID JJones changes the caption for the component. The change is at User scope type, and the scope name is JJones.
In a separate development environment, the developer adds an event handler to the form.
In Form Sync, the developer specifies Group as the synchronization base level, DueNow as the form name, the development configuration as the Source configuration, and the production configuration as the Target configuration. The developer then synchronizes the two configurations.
Following synchronization:
- The JJones version of the form retains the customized caption and contains the new event handler.
- The revised version of DueNow with scope type Group and scope name AccountsReceivable replaces the first customized version of the form with the same scope in the Target configuration.
- The Vendor version of the form is unaffected.