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Support Adobe Lock Files #10237

Description

@i2h3

Situation

Adobe InDesign creates a lock file named ~test~0kjyv(.idlk for Test.indd when the document is opened, to prevent concurrent editing by multiple users.

Known Adobe Lock File Patterns

App Extension Naming pattern Trigger
InDesign .idlk ~{basename}~{random token}(.idlk Opening any .indd document
InCopy (checkout) .idlk ~{basename}~{random token}(.idlk Checking out an .icml story
Premiere Pro .prlock {basename}.prlock Opening any .prproj project
Illustrator No lock file created
Photoshop No lock file created
After Effects No lock file created
Audition No lock file created

Notes

  • .idlk is used for two distinct cases: InDesign document locks (alongside .indd) and InCopy checkout locks (alongside .icml). The InCopy case is relevant for teams using Nextcloud as a shared editorial server.
  • InDesign is known to not create a lock file when opening a document from a network or cloud path in some versions (fixed in InDesign 19.1 / 2024). Detection of .idlk files should therefore not be treated as a guarantee that a document is open — only as a signal that it is.
  • Stale lock files can remain after an abnormal termination of InDesign or Premiere Pro.

To Do

  • Detect .idlk files and treat them as lock files (do not sync or surface as regular files)
  • Detect .prlock files and treat them as lock files
  • Verify whether any other Creative Cloud apps create lock files not covered above

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feature: 📁 file providermacOS File Provider Extension, more general also known as virtual file system.os: 🍎 macOSApple macOS, formerly also known as OS X
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