[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change]

# Enabling Edit-While-Running

The edit-while-running feature can be enabled via the user interface or via the command prompt. You must be an administrator of the IIS computer to enable this feature. Edit-while-running is dependent on the metabase history feature being enabled. The metabase history feature is enabled by default. For more information, see the MaxHistoryFiles property sheet.

## User Interface Procedure

1. Right-click the Computer icon within the IIS snap-in.
2. Select Properties.
3. Select the Internet Information Services tab.
4. Select the Enable Direct Metabase Edit check box.

## Command Prompt Window Procedure

The following procedure requires stopping the IIS Admin service. Stopping the IIS Admin service stops all sites until the IIS Admin service is restarted. To enable this feature without interruption of service, you should use the user interface procedure as outlined above.

1. Stop the IIS Admin service. For information about stopping the IIS Admin service, see Restarting IIS.

   Note Step 1 causes the in-memory metabase to be written to disk, and new MetaBase.xml file to be created by IIS if there are changes pending in the in-memory metabase.

2. Open MetaBase.xml with a text-based tool such as Notepad. By default, the MetaBase.xml file is located at `%windir%\system32\inetsrv\.`

   Important To edit the metabase files, use an application, such as Microsoft Notepad, that writes plaintext. Using an application that does not write plaintext, such as Microsoft Word, might corrupt the metabase.

3. With the IISComputer node `Location = "/LM"`, change the value of the EnableEditWhileRunning property from FALSE to TRUE. The change should look as follows:

   EnableEditWhileRunning = "TRUE"

   Important All text within MetaBase.xml should be considered case sensitive.

4. Save changes to the MetaBase.xml file.
5. Restart the IIS Admin service. For information about starting the IIS Admin service, see Restarting IIS.

Related Topics

- For information about enabling metabase history, see Configuring the Metabase History Feature.
- For more information about the EnableEditWhileRunning property, see EnableEditWhileRunning.

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