Live collaboration
Write one project with other people in real time. Everyone keeps real files on their own computer, and changes travel through a server your group runs.
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Live collaboration lets several people write the same project at the same time. You see each other’s cursors as you type. You can comment on the text and suggest changes, and each of you compiles the PDF on your own computer.
Everyone keeps the whole project as ordinary files in their own library. Changes travel between those copies through a collaboration server that your lab, department or institution runs, and that server decides who can join. There’s no Oleafly account. You sign in with one you already have, such as your university login or GitHub.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”Every person has a full copy of the project. Edits merge character by character as people type, so two people can work in the same paragraph without overwriting each other.
You keep working when the connection drops. Your changes wait on your computer and go out when you reconnect. Offline & reconnecting explains what happens then.
The server stores each shared project and passes changes between the people in it. It can read the files of the projects shared on it, and the Share dialog tells you so before you share. Server security covers how it handles sign-in, device keys and logs.
Each person compiles on their own computer, with the engine and main document that the project sets for everyone. Build output, Oleafly settings and Git history stay on each computer, so your Git commits and saved checkpoints are yours alone.
Who it’s for
Section titled “Who it’s for”- Labs and research groups writing papers, grants and theses together, with one server for the whole group.
- Co-authors at other institutions. A project owner can invite them as guests, and they see only that project.
- Courses where students and teaching staff share drafts and comment on them.
- IT and security staff who review and run the server. Start with Run a collaboration server and the security page.
A quick tour
Section titled “A quick tour”Open a shared project and you’ll find these:
| Where | What you see |
|---|---|
| Library | Shared with you lists projects people shared with you that aren’t on this computer yet. Shared projects in your library carry a Shared flag. |
| Toolbar | Avatars of the people in the project right now, and the Share button. |
| Editor | Other people’s cursors and selections, each in their own colour, with their name. |
| Explorer | A dot in a person’s colour beside the file they have open. |
| Live collaboration pane | People, Activity and Recently deleted. The icon at the top shows whether your changes are up to date. |
| Comments pane | Comment threads and suggested changes, grouped by file. |
| Settings → Collaboration | Your servers, your devices, and what others see of you while you work. |
The Live collaboration and Comments panes open from the project rail. A dot on either one means something new happened there.
Where to go next
Section titled “Where to go next”- Someone invited you: Get started.
- You want to share a project: Share a project.
- You’re writing with others now: Work together.
- You run the server: Run a collaboration server.