During development, you can work in two modes: live (connected) and offline (disconnected). i Projects aid in team development because you can work offline and then synchronize your entire project with a software change management repository, rather than having to edit each member separately while connected to the IBM® i server.
Live editing mode
In live editing mode, you make a connection to your i server (using the Remote System Explorer) and open source code for editing. Your member is locked on the server, and each time you save, the server incorporates your changes. However, you always have to be in an environment, at work for example, where you have access to your i server.
Working offline with i Projects
The i Projects perspective allows for disconnected development. A live connection is required only when code updates or builds are needed. If you are working on a remote laptop, or are at home with a slower connection, you might choose to work in disconnected mode. With this option, you explicitly copy files locally while you have a live connection, close the connection, work on the files at your leisure, and upload them back to the server when you have finished. Another advantage to working in disconnected mode is that you can verify source code for syntax and semantic errors without being connected and submit a compile only when you are connected.