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.idlk files over Cloud storage.

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When you open an Indesign file it creates a .idlk file that stops other users from opening the same file, when it's open by other users. Works great on a server.

On All cloud services we have tried, including Creative Cloud, that file is ignored and two people can easily open the same page at the same time.

Does anyone know of a cloud service that allows the .idlk file to exist?

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multireflex

Inspiring

It looks like it works with Dropbox.

Adobe CC ignores .idlk files and does not sync them. This makes very difficult work with InCopy workflows as InDesign users cannot know whether an InCopy user that works with synched files in the cloud is locking an assignment or not.

But with Dropbox, it works.

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Max Schmidt

Participant

If you encounter any issues with Dropbox (or any other filestore/cloudprovider) you could also use the script from GitHub and modify the folder to your Cloudproviders local folder on your machine.

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digital.dreamer

Participant

Max, we've been using your prevent-multiple-opens.jsx script and it works well on our Synology Drive sync between two printing plants. Thanks to you and Kasyan Servetsky for your efforts.

Now, we've run into an issue, however. When one opens a file and does a "Save As" a different file, the .txt file lingers and never gets deleted. It's obvious why this happens, as the file is no longer the same file.

I wonder about creating another event listener and function for "Save," and, depending on the file name, delete the older .txt file and create a new one.

I don't know much about JavaScript, only BASH, C, and Assembly. Old school stuff. Now, I did write a 2,100 line Applescript for production use at our print shop. That was a learning curve I didn't really enjoy.

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Max Schmidt

Participant

We have or better had the same problem. Thanks to @Kasyan Servetsky's script, which we modified to our needs and added a new function, we were able to fix this issue on our Synology Drive. This solution will or should work on other cloud services as well. Not only Dropbox.

Here is the link to our GitHub repository for the script https://github.com/t3n/indesign-prevent-multiple-opens

This script has to be installed in the Startup Scripts folder! Otherwise it won't work as expected.

Again thanks to Kasyan for his awesome Dropbox solution!

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S

simenkjus

Participant

Hi @Max Schmidt , whats the difference with the original script from Kasyan, and the one you modified? I see you write that you added a new function?

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rob day

Community Expert

It seems like the problem with a lock file on any service that relies on file sync’ing—CC, Dropbox, Google Drive—would be the sync latency, which could be micro seconds when all the users have fast broadband, but days if a user has no internet connection. So the method I suggested of moving the file to the desktop as a form of checkout depends on all of the parties having a fast connection, which is never guaranteed.

A lock file or even a text file indicating a the current user would also have the latency problem, which is why I’m guessing CC doesn’t sync the .idlk file.

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BobLevine

Community Expert

Here's the weird thing about those lock files not working through cloud services...they do work for InCopy check outs.

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Kasyan Servetsky

Legend

We work on DropBox and encounter the same problem. Here's my idea about how to solve it. So far, it's totally untested.

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J

JayFOCUSAuthor

Participating Frequently

Is this working for you? Sounds like a great solution!

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rob day

Community Expert

What if there were 3 collaborators all working on laptops connected to the internet via WiFi? User A unknowingly looses her WiFi connection, opens the file, makes a correction, saves and closes. In that case user A’s warning text and the ID files would not sync to the other user’s DB folders until she reconnects to the WiFi network. In the meantime Users B & C could be making edits, and their warning text file would sync to their machines, but not to user A’s.

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BobLevine

Community Expert

I am going to repectfully, but strongly disagree with the others.

Communication is key here. This workflow is for very small workgroups and it shouldn't be that hard to send a message to others saying you'll be working on the document.

Copying back and forth is going to cause way more problems. The other possibility is if some are just editing content is to use InCopy which does honor the lock files.

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J

JayFOCUSAuthor

Participating Frequently

Respectfully, if the solution is some kind of Monday.com 'communication' platform open at the same time, just to communicate to other staff, about who has what page open and when they closed it, it would unnessarly create hundreds of messages per day, which would just become white noise.

It's pretty simple, when someone has a file open, you either get a stopped from opening the file (just like what happens on a server) or you get a warning before you proceed.

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T

Test Screen Name

Legend

This would be a good enhancement for InDesign, why not suggest it. It's certainly not a bug, and it is reckless to move to this workflow in a busy environment where people will not coordinate, carefully and reliably, every time. Disasters will happen constantly and it is your fault for moving to the workflow. Suggestions: https://www.adobe.com/products/wishform.html

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Geоrge

Legend

There is no real "cloud" simultaneous work with .indd. Forget it at this moment of time. This is not a Google Docs philosophy.

But! You can construct share folder in the local network with VPN access and then use it InDesign-InCopy workflow.

If you're need InDesign-to-Indesign workflow then use it this: https://www.automatication.com/index.php?id=13

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Remember, never say you can't do something in InDesign, it's always just a question of finding the right workaround to get the job done. © David Blatner

L

Laubender

Community Expert

Hi John,

thankfully someone moved that thread over to the Adobe InDesign forum.

Randy's answer above is an excellent one, I think.

Otherwise, when a team is working with a mutual cloud storage volume, every participant has to communicate if he/she wants to open an InDesign document and also has to communicate to all when the document is closed again.

What could happen if that does not work:

The one who saves the document last will "win" and all other edits will be non-existent.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

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John T Smith

Community Expert

This is a public forum with "some" Adobe staff participation, use the links below to make a report or request
-for Video & Audio & Animator programs https://adobe-video.uservoice.com/
-https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

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Randy Hagan

Community Expert

No, alas, I don't.

Not only is the .idlk file no lock, if both (or more) users don't close out of the file before backing out of the cloud drive, the remaining .idlk file can keep everybody from getting back into it. Please don't ask me how I know, the memory is too painful.

For your own good, I recommend you package .indd files on cloud drives and pull them down locally to work on them.

Just like nuking it all from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

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J

JayFOCUSAuthor

Participating Frequently

Pulling files from the cloud, to work on them, and then reuploading again, creates a massive unnessary task for each designer that seems counter-intuitive to using the cloud in the first place.

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rob day

Community Expert

If a shared file gets worked on simultaneously a Conflicted copy should be added to the local Creative Cloud Files Folder, so here I worked on SyncFile.indd from two different computers at the same time (SYNC TEST folder is inside of my /Users/username/Creative Cloud Files folder):

Pulling files from the cloud, to work on them, and then reuploading again, creates a massive unnessary task for each designer

You shouldn’t have download and upload the files. A work around might be to simply move the file out of the local Creative Cloud Files folder, which would hide it from other collaborators as the CCF folder is sync’d. You could effectively create a "checkout folder" outside of the CCF folder on all of the collaborator’s machines.

Here I’ve dragged SyncFile.indd to my desktop, opened the file, edit, and save. To make the edited file available to others, all I have to do is drag it back into the SYNC TEST folder, which is inside of my CCF folder.

Also it looks like files saved and sync’d by a collaborator on a remote machine will open as unsaved—there will be a asterisk in the title.

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