idea Lock scene files for editing (multi-user workflow) in ArcGIS CityEngine Ideas

Lock scene files for editing (multi-user workflow)

Bee-am — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 05:20:16 GMT

CityEngine currently locks at Workspace level (not at project or file level), and I wanted to find out if it's not possible to add a similar flag for CE projects/files?

This could be useful in a team workflow where:

it will be easier to identify specific projects that are in use. Ideally I'd have wanted to be able to lock files individually, but this could be a big ask.
different users may be working on various files under the same project, or various projects under the same workspace. It would be useful to prevent other users from opening/editing a file that's in use by another.

Re: Lock scene files for editing (multi-user workflow) - Status changed to: Needs Clarification

ThomasFuchs — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 11:25:15 GMT

Thank you @Bee-am

Your use case is to collaborate on a project in your team. I can see that unintentional overwriting of files can be a problem.

Can you tell me a bit more about how your team is sharing the projects?
Are they saved on a network drive?
Do you need a solution for concurrent editing?

Re: Lock scene files for editing (multi-user workflow)

Bee-am — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 13:03:29 GMT

Hi @ThomasFuchs !

Indeed, our use case is that of project collaboration.

We are currently synchronising our CE projects through a basic cloud storage service and we "give each other turns" to work on a scene file. The challenge has been on coordinating who's currently working on which file.

To answer your question, ideally, we'd need a solution for concurrent editing - but I imagine that could take time for the developers to implement; hence my proposal for the possibility to "checkout"/lock files for editing as an interim feature (since we already have a similar implementation with workspaces)

Re: Lock scene files for editing (multi-user workflow) - Status changed to: Under Consideration

ThomasFuchs — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 09:17:30 GMT

Thanks for the clarification. The dev team is considering your idea!