How does Adobe Bridge work (purging cashes)?

[LarryM01]

What exactly does "Purge Cache" mean?

In “Bridge>Tools>Cache” You have a choice “Purge cache for folder “XX”.

That makes sense, the thumbnails for the chosen folder are recreated.

In Preferences>Cache Management it says:

Purge cache | Previously cached items that are no longer available may be removed from the cache| Purge All Local Cache Files .

That explanation seems to be very misleading, and being more about compacting the cache.

More accurate seems to be:

 Purge cache |Warning:  All cached thumbnails on your system are deleted and recreated next time Bridge starts| Purge All Local Cache Files .

Is it a reasonable Request to have that text changed?

And also with a better specification of which ‘All’ cache files that are affected:

Which cachefiles are affected by “Purge All Local Cache Files”?

Probably all .bridgeCacheT files in folders are deleted and reconstructed.

But what about the .bridgeSharedCache folders?

And other Cache locations in Appdata?

I think it is important to understand the full effect of this button.

For me to click “Purge All Local Cache Files” could in worst scenario mean total recreation of my 100 GB (!) cache files, having the CPU percentage running at 100% for a very very long time.

That should probably be avoided…

So I would very much like be sure of exactly what “Purge All Local Cache Files” means!  Which Caches are affected by that button?

Also in ”Tools>Cache>Manage Cache…” you have a choice “Clean up Cache>Purge all local files”.  Same question: Which cache files are affected by this?

And what does “Clean up Cache” mean – I would not call deletion and recreation of all thumbnails for “Clean Up”?

[jbm007]

Clear as mud to me.

Don't expect any chnages anytime soon.

I tell people just clear folder cache, nothing more.

You are not the first to ask. 

People wanted to clean all cache files becuase it was causing them tp eat up hard drive storage.

I also suggest that cache files be installed in folders so if the file is moved , the cache file moves with it,.

[LarryM01]

I am glad it’s clear (as mud) to you.

Yes, you have an option under “Tools>Cache>Manage Cache” to create a cache for any folder. That goes probably into file .bridgeCacheT in the respective folder. This is straight forward – you can recreate the thumbnails in that folder.

And if you happened to have NOT done that with ANY folder – are their any local files? In this case what does “Purge All Local Files” in “Preference>Cache Management” mean?

What does “local files” exactly mean?

Is it only the .bridgeCacheT files in the folders that are local?

Have you any idea which cache files are affected by “Purge All Local Files” in “Preferences>Cache Management”?

Is there any other command to purge or recreate the whole Cache (not only local files)?

[LarryM01]

It is a bit unclear to me what “Purging the Cache” exactly means.

In Prefs>Cache Management>

“Compacting the Cache” is “removing obsolete cache records and the associated JPEG files”.

Unfortunately the description for purging is similar:

Purge cache: “Previously cached items that are no longer available may be removed from the cache”.

So Compacting removes items and Purging may remove items (but is also renewing cache files).

Could it be so that Compacting works only on the central Cache and Purging only works on “local” files?

And what are “local” files?  Is it all the ‘.brigeCacheT’ files in image folders and the ‘.bridgeSharedCache’ folders in image folders??

Is “Purging” always = total Deleting all cache files and Recreating the Cache from scratch (regardless of talking about Cleaning Up, Removing old items…)?

Or is it only = Removing cache files with no or changed original files and Creating new cache files for new or changed original files?

When “Purge All Local Files” are then the cache files also exported back to the central Cache? So “Purge All Local Files” also means purging at least part of the central Cache?

Does “Tools>Cache>Manage Cache>Clean Up Cache>Purge all local cache files” do the same as “Prefs>Cache management>Purge All Local Files” and purge All local cache files on the computer?

Or is “Tools>Cache>Manage Cache>Clean Up Cache>Purge all local cache files” the same as “Tools>Cache>Purge cash for folder ‘xx’”  only affecting the cache files for the folder?

[LarryM01]

For a single user system (PC):

Starting caching (as it seems):

An image folder that is opened (and closed in any short time) will start Bridge to cache its files. And this continues even if the folder is closed, or Bridge closed and opened again, the caching for the folder goes on until done. So a huge folder that only opens a second in Bridge will eventually be cached in full. It does not seem that you can prevent caching from being done. The cached files are stored in the central Cache.

As an option you could choose also to create a  FolderCache which is also transferred (exported) to the central Cache where it can be used by Bridge.

The aim for the FolderCache is to follow the folder when copied or moved. The FolderCache seems to be either a .bridgeCacheT file or a .BridgeSharedCache folder.

FolderCaches can also be used for a Caching Plan:

If you have mainly archive folders or backup folders that you don’t use there is little need for often Purging the cache.

Remove the FolderCaches (either .bridgeCacheT file or .BridgeSharedCache folder) from these archive folders.

Set Automatic Purging to 180 days (=max) to keep down the caching for all image folders.

And build a FolderCache in all the folders you are working with and in Tools use “Clean Up Cache>Purge all local cache files” OR in "Prefs>Cache Management>Purge All Local Files" to purge only the folders that you are working with. To be done before or after working with them.

If you mainly work in one folder xx use "Tools>Cache>Purge Cache For Folder xx" to only purge that folder. 

( this needs confirmation).

[Ramigrafx]

Hi, 

I have been using Bridge since it was a baby, and know all about clearing up the cache etc, but my problem which is never discussed to my knowledge is recreating it so that everything moves speedily afterwards. I have my Bridge and other caches on a separate internal 1TB ssd to speed up things.

Recreating the cache involves opening up the folder in Bridge and allowing the cache to recreate. This is ok for a folder full of camera images which in my case can be 120MB each, but for my processed psd files which can be up to 1GB in size it takes ages. This would be ok if I could set Bridge to look at all of the images on a hard drive, and letting it run in the background, but having to select each folder in turn involves my constant attention. Adobe, is there a way of speeding this up?