Some say the best things happen in threes. This is certainly true if using source control branching capabilities in MadCap Flare—when a project is bound to Git or MadCap Central. Three great benefits to note are:

1. Branching allows authors to streamline processes which can impact their overall workflow efficiency for the better.

2. When using Flare and Central together, branching enables writers to collaborate in an orderly workspace.

3. Branching lets authors engage in continuous parallel development.

One: Source Control

Have you ever worked in a collaborative development environment without source control? With large teams, this can become frustrating and be a chaotic nightmare to manage, especially with a fast-changing project. Making updates to the same files can get messy if a project is located on a shared network drive where anyone can openly edit the files.

In Flare, source control is the practice of managing file changes by synchronizing them with a copy of your project files on a server. Because you work locally and sync files remotely, this safeguards against overwriting another author’s changes. Teams can fearlessly manage multiple versions, rollback versions, pinpoint problems, view history, backup files, and continuously integrate and deliver various file sets. Since the mid-2000s Git services have become an integral part for professionals who develop source code or documents and want to track their file changes effectively.

Two: Branching

Branching is a part of source control. The branches are the individual copies of the original (or default state). So, why is this important?

1. Branching lets authors engage in continuous parallel development without interrupting the original. Work in the repository is modulated into isolated branches (for example, by feature name, task, or team member), which can then be merged back into the main line again.

2. With best practices, the main version of the content stays in a deployable state. That means releases can happen while development continues.

3. Branching provides additional flexibility and control over what is generated or produced for a project.

The key is to plan out your branches and development approach in advance.

Three: Beneficial Features

Quick access to branching options. If your project is connected to source control, a new Status bar with branching options is available in the lower-right corner of Flare’s interface. From it, you can create, switch, delete individual branches, and quickly commit changes (or synchronize changes) to the remote repository. In addition, the Branch Management dialog accounts for local and remote branch flexibility.

Publish branches to remote Central repository. Flare has supported branching for projects that are bound to Git repository systems for a while now, but only for a main branch. Now you can publish or push individual branches up to Git or Central.

Central enhancements. Central is MadCap Software’s cloud-based platform for managing teams and content. When a project is bound to your licensed Git-based Central product you can take advantage of the following:

• Switch between branches when viewing project files and commits.

• Send topics for review from Flare to Central for subject matter experts to manage and edit content for a specific branch.

• Build output in Central for individual branches. This might come in handy if you need to build output of a branch in development for in-company distribution and review.

• Create a host URL site to make output accessible for any built branch.

• Add branching information to your home dashboard widgets for quick activity summaries.

Dual-bound to single-bound. If you’ve been using a dual-bound project with another Git source control system and Central, having the ability to push individual branches up to Central enables you to move your process to a simpler single-bound project.

Summary

Three things about branching to keep in mind are: 1) streamline workflow, 2) collaboration, and 3) continuous parallel development. Source control branching saves time and effort in an agile environment while promoting productivity. This is true for a lone writer or for a team of content developers. You have a means to manage deliverables without the hassle of trying to track “the latest version.” Now, count to three!