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Working in the Cloud is probably something that most EverWeb users will be doing sometime during their day. It’s inevitable, either at work or at home, the benefits of using the Cloud are undeniable. But it is a how does EverWeb work with the Cloud and what are the advantages and disadvantage of this type of strategy when it comes to building your website?

Read on to find out the answers to these types of questions!

EverWeb Software and The Cloud

Let’s start wth EverWeb software itself. The most important thing to remember is that EverWeb is standalone software. This means that you should not install it, or use it, in The Cloud. The software should be installed on your local Mac or Windows computer. only and accessed from there.

If you need to use EverWeb on two computers, for example a laptop and desktop, you can install the software on both machines. This is ideal if you are in situations when, for example, you are working both from home and office locations. Usually one person with EverWeb installed locally on two different computers is fine. There are caveats, though, about accessing project files from more than one computer which we will talk about later on in this post.

If you are in a situation where you have more than one person using EverWeb, then you will need to use a multi-person license, or the other people accessing EverWeb will need to have their own license. In this situation, we recommend contacting EverWeb Support to discuss your situation. The same applies if you work in Education and want to use EverWeb with students.

EverWeb’s Project Files and The Cloud

EverWeb’s project files provide the structure of your website as well as storing the media used in its pages. The project file is therefore a collection of files. On a Mac, all of the resources of your project are stored in a ‘.everweb’ file. In Windows, this collection of files is stored in a folder with the same ‘everweb’ extension instead.

When EverWeb creates a new project file it is stored with a randomly generated filename so that it remains unique. This is different to the name that you see on the Projects Window or the name that you assign your project in EverWeb itself. Think of these as aliases for the real file name. To see the ‘real’ file name, go to the Projects Window and click on the Ellipses in a Circle icon to the right of the project if you are using a Mac version of EverWeb. If you are an EverWeb for Windows user, click on the downward facing triangle. In both cases, a dropdown menu will appear. Choose the ‘Show On Disk’ menu option. This will reveal the real file name of your project and also its location on your local hard drive.

You can rename the real file name if you want. Sometimes this is a good idea, especially if you are using project files in The Cloud.

Using Project Files In The Cloud

Once you know the location of your project files on your hard disk, you might then want to move them in to the Cloud. There are a number of reasons why this might be a good idea:

• it provides an instant backup source for the project
• It provides a quick and easy way to recover project files if needed
• You can easily store project file assets in The Cloud at relatively low cost
• Facilitates collaboration (Note the restrictions below)
• It enables you to easily work on one project file on more than one computer

If you move your project file in to The Cloud, bear in mind the following:

• Potential Synching Issues: Whilst Cloud services are good, often you might get synching issues between computers accessing the same project file in The Cloud. If you are swapping work environment, we strongly recommend the following. First save and close your project on the computer you are currently using. Note the project file’s timestamp in the Cloud before moving the your new work environment. Once you have moved to the second computer, check your project file’s timestamp to make sure it matches that from the original computer. If it does not, then wait for the Cloud synching to take place, or trigger the synching manually if possible. Once the timestamps, are in synch, access the project file from the second computer.
• Launching EverWeb: Sometimes EverWeb may take time to launch files in the Cloud are being synched. If EverWeb delays in launching, check to see if Cloud synching is taking place as this is often the cause of delay.
• The Projects Window: If you store your project files in The Cloud, they will not be displayed anymore in the Projects Window. You will need to either use the File-> Open command (Mac and Windows), or double click on the project name in the Cloud on a Mac, or double click on the ‘EverWeb Project File.ewwinproj’ file in EverWeb for Windows, to launch EverWeb and the project file.
• Single Use Access: When using EverWeb in The Cloud, only ONE person at ONE time should accesss the project file. EverWeb does NOT support shared access to project files, live co-authoring or shared editing. If more than one person is accessing the project file at the same time, one user will overwrite any changes the other user may make.
• Internet Dependence: It goes without saying that if you do not have Internet access, you will not be able to access you project files in The Cloud. Coupled with this, if you do have Internet access but poor connection or connection speed, then you may find working with the project file is impaired.

Last Word…

Working with EverWeb project files in The Cloud can be very beneficial to your workflow and also provides a useful addition way to keep your project file backed up safely. Although there are caveats to using project files in The Cloud, once you are used to the way in which to work within these constraints, you will find that working this way straightforward and trouble free.