Don’t forget some people who would like to work with a database – as soon as it is close to reliable instead being a way of trying to hurt nobody, going for sidecars, editing sidecars and a weak database on top of it. I think, DxO should just cancel the options for projects, they cause more anger and troubles than they ease up life.
I have created a VC for the specific file we are dealing with, and I’ve done some deleting. Maybe I can simply ignore this for now. I made a VC from the original file, and if I need to, I can re-edit it, using what I’ve learned here.
I have no interest or curiosity as to what “Projects” is, or was, or does. I plan to just use PL5 for editing, and also for discussions in the PL Forums. I think I can just forget this whole incident, pretending it was all just a bad dream. I eventually plan to use Photo Mechanic to keep track of my files, but I haven’t even started to investigate that yet. I don’t do much with Albums in Apple Photos either.
I’ve got another potential issue or problem - when I travel, I take my laptop. My current plans are to copy those photos to my Mac Mini.
I’ve re-considered. I have a better idea. Make the database optional, so a user can either make use of it, or ignore it. That would simplify things for those who “swear at it”, without hurting those who “swear by it”.
Someone here said he created a batch file that deleted the database every time before opening PL.
George
Mike, I owe you an excuse …
After downloading your file + dop-file
I also couldn’t see your edits – but the result of DxO’s Standard preset.
What happened … you named everything with this [ | ] “pipe” character, incompatible to Windows’ filename convention ( → see some time ago ), and the files were automatically saved as
“MM2_0291 2022-04-15.nef” and “MM2_0291 2022-04-15.nef.dop”
While I could open the renamed raw-file, the dop-file was not recognized
– and your pic appeared with DxO’s Standard preset, which is my setting for new files.
the renamed raw-file // your uploaded JPEG
I could work on your pic and tried all sort of stuff to bring the shady landscape out.
VC1 → MM2_0291 2022-04-15.nef.dop (319,1 KB)
It was a bit of a challenge, as the sunlight only touched the distant mountain.
Master (DxO Standard) // VC1 = my edit + export // Mike’s JPEG (Forum)
I used several global and local adjustments ( also some dodge & burn ) and the HSL tool
to better differentiate the grassland ( → the already brightened yellowish parts ).
BTW, downloading the beautiful pic 0295, I was also ‘excluded’ to see the edits. 
Wolfgang
I’m not sure what to do about this. For perhaps 8 years or so, the person who explained how to get the most out of the PhotoMechanic program suggested using the tools to rename my folders and files to make it more obvious when I view my files in Finder. I had long since given up on Windows, and only used macOS. So, on all my computers, all my files look like this, and the “pipe” character becomes a nice separator when I view a long list of files - such as:
I don’t want to change this convention now, but I don’t want to cause you any grief either. I’ll have to think about this some more, and perhaps find a better character that both Mac and Windows recognize. Any suggestions?
EDIT !!
Hi Mike,
while I’m no IT-specialist, I looked for some ‘resources’
- a (black)list by IBM
- explanations and listing by MS
- article by Michigan Tech
…
All of them note, not to use the [ | ], known as “pipe” or “vertical bar”, in the filename.
Hopefully explained well enough …
What happened … you named everything with this [ | ] “pipe” character, incompatible to Windows’ filename convention ( → see some time ago ), and the files were automatically saved as
“MM2_0291 2022-04-15.nef” and “MM2_0291 2022-04-15.nef.dop”→ your “blank - pipe - blank” automatically got replaced by “blank”
While I could open the renamed raw-file, the dop-file was not recognized … …
Typically, I use “hyphen” and “underscore” to structure my files
( and sometimes I also use “blank”, but if ever only ‘within’ the filename )
I would say that, visually, the pipe character is an excellent choice. I don’t think it is a good idea to revise your whole Mac workflow just to accommodate posting a few images here.
The easiest solution would be to copy any RAW file, that you want to show here, to a dedicated folder and rename it from within PL. This will ensure that the original filename, the DOP filename and the reference to the RAW file in the DOP all get written correctly.
So…
- Edit original image in PL
- Copy RAW file and DOP to dedicated “posting” folder using Finder
- Open copied file in PL
- Rename file in PL
Then you can post the file and the DOP from the “posting” folder to here and it shouldn’t upset those poor souls who still use Windows 
… using the lowest common denominator is the price for to communicate – with the ‘poorer ones’.
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Talking of photographing wildlife, why go out looking for it when it passes through your garden looking for you?
Lovely photo. I hope you used a long lens. I’ve read too many stories of foxes biting people in the USA, with the end result being a series of rabies shots.
I like the way you got the focus perfectly on the eyes! I hope you didn’t let it get close to you. Instead of looking at you, I’m surprised it didn’t instantly run off.
Lovely photo!!!
400mm and here is the uncropped version…
Rabies doesn’t exist in France.
I had to open our verandah door a bit at a time, very slowly, whilst keeping an eye on when the fox was looking away. It looked at me as soon as I pressed the shutter and I just managed to get three shots off before he disappeared under the hedge.
Curious, did you get a good shot just as the fox decided to leave?
You “did good!” …as always!
Just thinking out loud… in what way is the “pipe character” not a valid character in Windows? Can Windows be configured to see it as just another character?
I think @Wolfgang can edit my images with no problem. The “pipe character” apparently doesn’t exist in Windows. Apparently after he edits my images, and posts the results, the problem is at my end, because I’m not sure where to save these pipe-character-less files.
Maybe a better solution is for Wolfgang to just do what he’s used to doing already, and I will save his files in a new folder at my end, where everything will be the same but for the slightly different file names. Wolfgang can do just what he is already doing, but I will then download both his “.dop” file, and the image file into a new “Wolfgang folder” on my computer.
I seem to spend a huge amount of time figuring out what Wolfgang did, and why, so a separate folder at my end is no problem, and probably even better for me.
Is this acceptable?
There are several characters that are not recognised in a Windows file name and that includes the pip character. Your idea of running a separate folder. I would have thought very acceptable.
It’s a done-deal. I’ll upload files like I have done. When anyone with Windows works on them, the pipe character will vanish, and when I download the edits, I will have one separate folder maybe named “Windows-Edits”.
What are the other characters that Windows does not recognize? Does Windows just “not see” the character, as if it didn’t exist?
I do still have one Windows computer, my old Lenovo W530 laptop. I guess I should install one of my older versions of PhotoLab on it, just for the heck of it. I used to think I knew Windows fairly well, but I’ve forgotten almost all of it…
Read the posts and don’t keep asking or finding a different solution.
Post 315 from @Wolfgang. It’s not a matter that windows doesn’t recognize them, but they are reserved characters.
George
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Sorry, my mistake. I will ask correctly now: In addition to the “pipe character”, what other characters does windows “reserve”?