Why am I seeing ~lock~ files when opening a document after updating to Affinity 2.2?

[Dan C]

In Affinity 2.2 we have made some changes to how File Open/Saving is handled.

When a file is opened in Affinity 2.2 or later, we now generate a hidden file next to the opened file, using the same filename as the one you have opened, suffixed with ~lock~.
For example if you open a file called 'MyFile.afdesign' it will generate a hidden file called 'MyFile.afdesign~lock~' next to this.

If a user attempts to open a file that has been locked by a different user, they will be informed which Affinity application locked the file, the computer's username that locked the file, and the machine name and be prevented from opening that file.

Whilst a file is open the corresponding lock file is updated every 4 minutes to ensure that the file continues to remain locked from other users opening it.
When a file is closed the corresponding lock file is then deleted, which will allow other users to then open that file.
There is also a 5 minute timeout on the lock file, so if for whatever reason the lock file is not removed (i.e the machine crashes), other users will still be able to open the Affinity file after 5 minutes, without being told the file is still locked.

We have also improved other aspects of file saving so if access is lost to the original file you should no longer be forced to close the file, and instead be given options to now save as a new file.

For any users experiencing issues with the new file changes, please create a New Thread and our team will be happy to assist.