Why am I seeing ~lock~ files after i save an image which is I refined after the initial edit?

[HerrBill]

I got a reply to the above subject which I quite can't follow. Also the blog was immediately closed down by affinity. Why I Don't know. Firstly, what useful purpose is there  in locking a file after a re_edit?

A further complication arises because the image on the thumbnail is blanked out  by the AF logo which prevent one from quickly recognising what the image content is. Very frustrating to say the least. And in Windows 11, if I right click the image, it simply don't open in AF 2 and a message appears stating the this file not supported. Is there a way to stop this practice from occurring?

 

 

 

[walt.farrell]

42 minutes ago, HerrBill said:

I got a reply to the above subject which I quite can't follow. Also the blog was immediately closed down by affinity

Your other topic is still there, and open for continued discussion. https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/198261-“afphoto~lock~-type-association”/

 

43 minutes ago, HerrBill said:

Firstly, what useful purpose is there  in locking a file after a re_edit?

Any file that has a name will be locked while you're editing it, to ensure no one else can edit it and overlay your changes (or vice versa). 

45 minutes ago, HerrBill said:

A further complication arises because the image on the thumbnail is blanked out  by the AF logo which prevent one from quickly recognising what the image content is.

Where is your file saved? If it's in a folder managed by OneDrive that's an issue to discuss with Microsoft, as their applucation is doing something wrong. 

48 minutes ago, HerrBill said:

And in Windows 11, if I right click the image, it simply don't open in AF 2 and a message appears stating the this file not supported. Is there a way to stop this practice from occurring?

We would need to see a sample file that has that problem.

[R C-R]

5 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

6 hours ago, HerrBill said:

I got a reply to the above subject which I quite can't follow. Also the blog was immediately closed down by affinity

Your other topic is still there, and open for continued discussion. https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/198261-“afphoto~lock~-type-association”/

I think @HerrBill is talking about the linked https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/192411-why-am-i-seeing-~lock~-files-when-opening-a-document-after-updating-to-affinity-22/ FAQ topic.

But regardless, it seems to me that the real issue is why is he seeing these normally hidden files at all, & as you suggested where it is not being hidden.

 

[walt.farrell]

Thanks, @R C-R.

Yes, @HerrBill, if you meant the FAQ was closed for discussion you're right. But, still, you could have continued in your other topic; no need for a new one.

I think the lock files are Hidden, but users can configure their systems to display Hidden files, and perhaps you (like I) have done that.

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

I think the lock files are Hidden, but users can configure their systems to display Hidden files, and perhaps you (like I) have done that.

FWIW, for anyone doing that (either with Windows or the macOS) just keep in mind there is almost always a good reason why some files are hidden by default. Consequently, unless you know why they are & what would happen if you attempt to do anything with them, "hands off" is a good rule to follow.

[HerrBill]

Thank you both for your responses. I much appreciate them.

I still don’t understand why Affinity went to the trouble to create duplicate files. Most photographers are the sole users of their computers and there is little danger of anybody else interfering with the saved edits.

I now know, from trial and error, that if I want to open a locked file, I simply use the ‘Open Command’ in Affinity Photo and bingo it opens.

Anyhow, locked files according to Affinity have a duration of 5 minutes. So what’s the big deal you might ask and rightly so!

[Pšenda]

On 2/11/2024 at 1:37 PM, walt.farrell said:

I think the lock files are Hidden

Yes.

[walt.farrell]

39 minutes ago, HerrBill said:

went to the trouble to create duplicate files

The lock files are not a duplicate of anything. They simply record which user, on which computer, has the file open and the last time the file was in use.

41 minutes ago, HerrBill said:

I now know, from trial and error, that if I want to open a locked file, I simply use the ‘Open Command’ in Affinity Photo and bingo it opens

If you have been trying to Open the lock files, that is part of your problem. They are not usable files, as I mentioned.

On the other hand, what you may have found is that, as I mentioned, they also record a time. And if the time is old enough, that is taken to mean that the file is not truly in use. Perhaps the application crashed, for example, and left the lock file behind. So when the time in the lock is old enough, the lock is ignored and the application will delete and recreate the lock file when you open the true document.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, HerrBill said:

I still don’t understand why Affinity went to the trouble to create duplicate files. Most photographers are the sole users of their computers and there is little danger of anybody else interfering with the saved edits.

As @walt.farrell explained, they are not duplicates. (This should be obvious if you compare file sizes!) Also, please keep in mind that it is not just photographers that use the Affinity apps & some people work in a collaborative environment. Besides, as explained in the FAQ, this is part of an ongoing attempt to mitigate the problem of work being lost when access to a file is lost.

Anyway, the bottom line is the file normally is hidden & is not usable so under normal circumstances you should just ignore it.