Connect to Dimensions CM

You can connect Visual Studio to one or more Dimensions CM servers. Use automatic login for your most recent connection. While offline, you can use disconnected mode with Visual Studio.

Login guidelines

Follow these guidelines when logging in:

Connections to Dimensions CM servers are shared with the desktop client, so you can use any existing connection profiles.
Repository bindings are created automatically when a connection is available.
For security reasons, you may be required to log in using the HTTP/S network protocol instead of the default Standard Dimensions Protocol (SDP). The Dimensions CM HTTP Connector allows a connection to a server using HTTP/S. For details, see Administration.
After your login has timed out, or before performing sensitive operations, you are requested to re-enter your password.

Create a connection

To log in to Dimensions CM, you need the following information:

The server name.
(Optional) The port number used to run Dimensions CM.
The network protocol used by the server: SDP, HTTP, or HTTPS.
The database name of the Dimensions CM product with which you are working.
The connection string for the database.

To create a connection to Dimensions CM:

In Visual Studio, select View > Dimensions Explorer and click Connect.
In the login dialog box, click New. The Define a New Connection dialog box opens.
If smart card support is enabled, choose whether to log in with user credentials or with a smart card. Under System, select either User Credentials or Smart Card.
In the Definition name field, enter a name for the login definition. You can then select and reuse these credentials later.
To log in using standard user credentials, enter a User ID. You need to enter a password later when you attempt to log in.

To log in using a smart card, enter the smart card certificate in the Certificate field.

Under Dimensions, enter the following details:

Server. Enter the Server name and, optionally, the port number to connect to:

SDP protocol	`<server name[:port]>`
HTTP protocol	`http://<server name[:port]>`
HTTPS protocol	`https://<server name[:port]>`

DB Name: The name of the Dimensions CM database to connect to.
DB Connection: The database connection string.

To log in automatically in future sessions, select Use Automatic Login. This option is available only if enabled by your administrator.
Click OK.

Edit and delete connections

You can modify and delete connections to Dimensions CM.

To edit a connection:

In Visual Studio, select View > Dimensions Explorer, and click Connect.
Select the connection to edit, and click Edit.
If smart card support is enabled, choose whether to log in with user credentials or with a smart card. Under System, select either User Credentials or Smart Card.
To log in using standard user credentials, enter the ID of the user to connect as.
To log in using a smart card, enter the smart card certificate in the Certificate field.

Under Dimensions, enter the following details:

Field	Details
Server	The network name of the system that hosts the Dimensions CM server.
DB Name	The name of the Dimensions CM database to connect to.
DB Connection	The database connection string.

To log in automatically in future sessions, select Use Automatic Login. This option is available only if enabled by your administrator.

Note: This option is available only when logging in for the first time.
Click OK.

To delete a connection:

In Visual Studio, select View > Dimensions Explorer, and click Connect.
Select the connection to delete.
Click Delete, and then click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Open a connection to Dimensions CM

To ease the login process, Dimensions CM saves a list of connections you have defined. You can open multiple connections simultaneously.

To open or select a connection to Dimensions CM:

In Visual Studio, select View > Dimensions Explorer.
In Dimensions Explorer, click Connect. The log-in dialog box opens.
To open a connection, select a connection from the Unopened connections list. Enter your password and click Login.

Alternatively, you can select an existing connection from the Opened connections list and click Use selected.

You can also define a new connection. For details, see Create a connection.

Note: If you are logging in using a smart card, you may need to enter a PIN.

Use automatic login

Use automatic login to bypass the login dialog box when reopening your most recent connection. When opening a connection that is configured for automatic login, you don't need to enter your login credentials.

Prerequisite: Ensure that your admin has enabled automatic login in Dimensions CM.

To enable automatic login:

Configure your connection information to enable automatic login.
Log in to the connection the normal way.
When prompted to enable automatic login for future connections to the server, click Yes.

When automatic login is enabled, it behaves this way:

Action	Result
Click Connect when no other connections are open.	If the most recently used connection had auto login enabled, it opens in Dimensions Explorer. The login dialog box is not displayed. Otherwise, the login dialog box opens.
Click Connect when other connections are already open.	The login dialog box opens. When you select a connection, the Password field displays that the automatic login is enabled. Click Log in.
Press CTRL + click Connect.	The login dialog box opens. Select a connection to open manually.
Allow your connection to the server to time out.	The Password Required dialog box opens. Enter your password and click OK.

Work offline

You can use disconnected mode with Visual Studio to work offline. This enables you to edit files while offline.

When you reconnect and attempt to check in or deliver local changes to the repository, you need to merge any conflicting changes. Before proceeding with check-in, test the merged code locally.