Cache file

[BHAYT (Bryan [WIN10, PL8, VP4, FP7, G9 & EM1 Mkii, RTX 3060])]

@John-M

So, conclusion for @riverman; you could run multiple devices against the same set of images - BUT, you would need to delete the database before each invocation of PL - and use sidecar/.dop files to retain your correction details … (This is my approach, even tho I don’t use multiple devices.)

The answer is no, deletion is not necessary, according to my tests!

@Riverman

I’m trying to find out what is contained in the cache file. Setting up my photo files and database on an external ssd so I can switch editing between desktop and laptop. Do I also need to move the cache file to the external drive? Photolab 5.

The @Riverman proposal is to carry the database and photos etc. from system to system, not reach across a LAN or copy files etc.

So I carried out a lot of tests for “How to use PhotoLab on multiple Apple computers”, wrote a procedure for synchronising between computers based on ideas others use about deleting and replacing images documented at Synchronise PhotoLab - #26 by BHAYT.

From the tests I have carried out (standard Disclaimer at this point)

1. Copy files and DOPs etc. from one PL5 system to another where the directory/file combination is unknown - O.K.

2. Copy files and DOPs etc. from one PL5 system to another where the directory/file combination is known - Virtual Copies

3. Open a database and files across the LAN and attempt to edit different sets of directory/file combinations on each machine accessing separate combinations but never simultaneously on more than one machine - O.K. (I surmise but haven’t tested)

4. Open a database and files across the LAN and attempt to edit the same sets of directory/file combinations on each machine accessing the combination but never simultaneously on more than one machine - Virtual copies (Tested above and in the multiple machine Topic)

5. Accessing a database and files on a NAS - failed with PL5 permissions issues with my DS220J NAS

6. Accessing a database and files on a third machine from two other machines i.e. the third machine is acting as a NAS but without the permissions issue - O.K but following my results from the test above in this topic I need to check under what exact circumstances that appeared to be the case!

7. Using a delete before add strategy used by other forum user posting to the multiple machine topic and then a related strategy using directory name changing and documented by me (reference above in this post) - O.K.

8. Carrying the database and files from machine to machine on an external drive (e.g. a Sata SSD) - O.K. in my tests above in a post in this topic but with each machine mapping the external SSD to the same drive letter - need a bit more investigation i.e. check the database to make sure that the test is not “faking good”, what happens if the drive letters on the two machines are not the same etc. I can guess at the outcome but I have been caught out before!!)

PS please be aware of a bug reported by others and recently retested by me where the ‘Tag’ (accept/reject/untagged - green/red/grey) which is metadata unique to DxPL is not being read back from PL5 DOPs documented here PL5 Tag Field not read from .dop file - #93 by BHAYT.