Sharing projects using Project Interchange

If you are not using a repository or software configuration management (SCM) system, such as ClearCase, and you want to share projects with team members, you can use the Project Interchange feature.

There are many different ways that you can develop in a team environment and share projects and resources. One of the best methods is to use a team repository, such as ClearCase or CVS. For information about using CVS in a team environment to share files and other resources, see Working in the team environment or Working with a CVS repository.

There are other ways that you can share projects and files. You can share an entire workspace by copying or archiving it; or you can export projects into EAR files, WAR files, JAR files, or simple ZIP files. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages that might not suit your needs. For example, exporting EAR files and WAR files is not optimized for the purpose of sharing, and you might lose metadata or waste time during a subsequent import.

Project Interchange sharing mechanism

A more optimal solution is to use the Project Interchange feature. When you export using Project Interchange, the entire project structure is maintained, including metadata files. You can also export several unrelated projects or include required projects for an entire application, like when you export an EAR file. The projects can then be easily imported into another workspace with a single action.

Tip: The Project Interchange mechanism exports projects as they exist in the workbench, including the project property that specifies the target server runtime for the project. If a user imports the exported project and does not have the same target server runtime installed, the project will not compile. This can be corrected by modifying the target server for the project.
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