File Modification Dates
This issue has been troubling me for some time.
I have many directories each containing multiple .dwg files, i.e:
Vendor A
01.dwg, 02.dwg
Vendor B
01.dwg, 02.dwg
If I open Vendor A / 02.dwg dated 11/11/2016, view it and close WITHOUT any editing, the 'Vendor A' date will change to current date, time.
It’s messing up my directory structure.
Any system variables I should be looking at?
Comments
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Dear Robt,
is it the "created time" or the "modified time" or the "last access time", which changes for the folder ?
If it is "last access time", then it is OK, as the folder is effe3ctively accessed ... but "created time" or "modified time" should not change, indeed.many greetings !
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Hi Torsten
Changed / updated is the Modified date / time.
To clarify, I have directory:
Project A (within this directory are files):
project-a.doc
project-a.xls
project-a.pdf
project-a.dwgOpening (without editing) of .doc, .xls, .pdf files does not affect directory Project A’s modified date.
Opening (without editing) of .dwg file DOES update directory’s modified date / time to current.
It does NOT, however modify the date of the individual .dwg file, only the directory.
Most odd.
Messing up my directories’ hierarchy when I open a .dwg within a directory from 1997, and the directory indicates it was modified today...0 -
Dear Robt,
indeed, that looks strange, potentially a bug as we handle files & folders :-(
Can you please send us a support request (just to have this problem documented & kept in our database, and tracking system) ?I will try to verify here as well ...
many greetings !0 -
Whenever you open a drawing in BricsCAD, temporary files (*.dwl and *.dwl2) are created in the drawing file's folder. This means that the folder is modified.
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Both AutoCAD and BricsCAD (at least up to v14) will be a new version if you save it, even if there is no editing.
Note that view changes, such as zooms and pans, count as changes of the drawing database as well. So, as a practical matter, almost any time you close a drawing, you will be prompted with a window asking if you want to save the changes.
It is worth perhaps also adding that the process of saving a DWG file involves three steps. The old .bak file is removed, the last .dwg file is renamed to be a .bak file, and then the new dwg version is saved as a dwg.
In the above process, the "Date created" stays the same in my Windows 7, Both the new save and the backup shows the original created date, and the "date edited" shows the new date.
-joe
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@Roy Klein Gebbinck said:
Whenever you open a drawing in BricsCAD, temporary files (*.dwl and *.dwl2) are created in the drawing file's folder. This means that the folder is modified.Ahh, that must to be it (even though they are immediately deleted from the directory immediately after dwg close, and yes, the temp files reflect creation date),
Directory date changes, but the opened .dwg file date does not.Which brings me back to a question asked some time ago:
Is there a way to avoid creation of these .dwl, dwl2 files? Simultaneous use of the same file is not an issue here.Regards
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Dear Robt,
I came to same conclusion as Roy :-)
It is indeed the creation of the *.dwl/dwl2 file(s) which cause the folder to be modified, hence the "modified time" changes.Same happens with any software, which i.e. creates a temp. copy/backup in that folder - for me, MS Word 2003 also creates a temp. copy, just with opening a *.doc file. For some applications you might be able to define a folder where such temp. copy/backup is created.
But for AutoCAD + BricsCAD, those .dwl/dwl2 files *must be created along the dwg file, in same folder, to allow proper detection of already-opened dwg file, across network(s) etc.
many greetings !
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First, I should comment that my message above was being typed over a fairly long period, and other replies came up before I finished. So, I had not realized that it was the directory date that was the issue.
In regards to the .dwl files. I believe those are "Lock" files used to indicate that a drawing is open, so that other people with AutoCAD or BricsCAD don't try to edit the same drawing. It has been a very long time, but I do recall that in AutoCAD ver 12, it was possible to turn off the creation of .dwl files. We always did this, because when AutoCAD crashed, it would leave behind the lock file, and so we would have to manually delete the lock file to be able to edit the drawing. I have no idea what BricsCAD is able to do in regard to turning off the lock files.
-Joe
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Dear Robt,
I found no setting related to dwl/dwl2 file creation ...
but I tried to set the folder as "read-only", then no dwl/dwl2 files are created, and no folder "modified time" change ...
likely, that is not suitable as a solution/workaround ?many greetings !
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@Joe Dunfee said:
We always did this, because when AutoCAD crashed, it would leave behind the lock file, and so we would have to manually delete the lock file to be able to edit the drawing. I have no idea what BricsCAD is able to do in regard to turning off the lock files.-Joe
As I collaborate with myself only,
I also experience DWL issues only when the File is definitely not in use
but because of crashing.
Opposed to your ACAD experience, in Bricscad for me there is no need
to manually delete these DWLs as Bricscad asks what to do and I can choose
the first option : open with write access.0
