CS3 Cache Export Problems

[MatthewMessmer]

Hello,

I'm a long-time listener, first-time caller. 
For the past few weeks I have been having some trouble with the new Bridge CS3 and it not properly exporting the cache to folders when I do Build Cache for Subfolders. It often will not put a distributed cache file in the folders which I can foresee causing problems for me down the line when I backup and/or move my folders around. I have gone back to using Bridge CS2 since it seems to work how I want it to, but I would really like to find a solution that will allow me to work with CS3. I am on a Windows XP computer using the updated Bridge 2.1, and I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this behavior. In the preferences I have checked to automatically export the cache, but other than that, I'm using the factory preferences. Is there another arcane box somewhere I need to check to make this work like CS2 did?
I have noted that if I manually navigate to a folder in Bridge, it places the correct cache files in the folders, but otherwise they are not there, even after it spends many hours working on building the caches. CS3 seems to use a different cache file than CS2, and I thought that the CS2 caches in the folders might be causing the problem. But even after deleting the CS2 caches, CS3 still will not always distribute the cache correctly. I have also noted that my CS3 central cache has ballooned in size to over 1GB after caching all my folders while the CS2 cache was only around 40MB in size after caching the same folders. I have the preferences set to export the cache when possible, but it still creates a huge central cache. Does anyone know why this is? I tried to purge the cache but that doesn't seem to do anything.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks,



- Matt Messmer

[peterkrogh]

Matt,
How are you checking on the status of the distributed cache?  In CS3,  this document should be invisible.
Peter

[MatthewMessmer]

I have set up my computer so that I can see hidden files in all folders. After caching a group of subfolders, I find that a few of the subfolders that I cached have ".BridgeCache" and ".BridgeCacheT" files and sometimes a ".BridgeSort" file. But the majority of the subfolders do not have these files in them. After I navigate the bridge to those subfolders, I find that they too have the ".BridgeCache" and ".BridgeCacheT" files in them. This leads me to believe that while bridge is storing the information in the central cache (the thumbnails and metadata loads quickly after navigating to the subfolders and it does not seem to be recaching the folders), the cache is not being reliably distributed.

Thanks,



- Matt

[peterkrogh]

Matt,
Bridge does keep a central cache, which is where it first refers.  If there is a distributed cache, it also looks there.  It compares modification dates to see who to believe.

And in any case, it really looks to the files themselves (checking for modification dates) to see the state of the files.  Bridge believes "the truth is in the file."

If Bridge has never shown a folder, there should be no cache.
If Bridge visits a folder on a local drive, it should leave a cache document (if there are files there it understands)
If you browse a drive on a network, but do not tell it to export, it will not leave a cache file in the folder
If you build and export cache, cache should be there.

Are you seeing something different?
Peter

[danaltick]

Matt,

I have experienced this same problem.  I've come to the conclusion that the new cache functionality in 2.1 on Windows is botched up pretty good.  You will be chasing your tail trying to find it.  I would recommend going back to 2.0.  I just put together a new PC and am sticking with 2.0 this time around.  I have yet to go through the workflow on this new PC, but I will report any problems if I find them.  As far as I can remember, 2.0 worked fine.  What they added in 2.1 is something I don't really need for now anyway.  Also, 2.0 works with RapidFixer.

Dan

[andris]

I'm having some similar, unpredictable troubles with the distributed cache in Bridge 2.1.  It's hard to pin down, since it seems to not automatically export the cache for one in about five of the folders I browse with it.  I'm guessing it has something to do with the implementation of the 'attempt to export caches when possible' setting in the bridge cache preferences (which I have checked).  I'm not sure what the 'when possible' condition is, but perhaps something is causing it to not be met.  I noticed also that Adobe stopped using the term 'distributed cache' after the switch to CS3...this may indicate that they've made changes in how the caching system works.  Either way, caching is dismally slow for me in Bridge 2.1.  Very frustrating.

We aren't alone...see http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc41304 on the adobe forums.  I see a lot of similar complaints, and thus far no fixes.  Bah.

Andris

[peterkrogh]

Hmm,
I had some really heinous problems with cache on Bridge 2.1 on one machine.  Ultimately went back to 2.0 and the problems cleared up.
I sure hope Adobe gets this fixed...
Mr.Nack is on the case, I understand.
Peter

[MatthewMessmer]

Thanks everybody for the replies. I hope they can get this cleared up soon. Until then I guess I'll just continue using Bridge CS2.


- Matt

[ralphpaonessa]

I had always used a centralized cache, but then decided it made sense to export the cache to the folders, so I checked the Bridge 2.1 preferences box for "Automatically Export Caches to Folders When Possible." Basically, this created a mess of non-functionality that only went away when I unchecked that box. (Windows XP)

It's very disappointing that Bridge 2.1 still has problems. I updated because 2.0 was crashing all the time; however, 2.1 still crashes far too much of the time. A bit of an embarrassment for Adobe, which is usually top-rate. Hoping for 2.2 or 2.1.1 ...

[dtraughber]

October 17, 2007
Newbie here. Am not sure the best place to post this, as it follows any of the Bridge CS3 problems. However, the cache problem spurred on my question.

The new Mac Pro has arrived (first time Mac user) and I’m just trying to get started on the DAM flow after having spent much time reading/re-reading The DAM Book and regular visits to this forum.

I have been learning about Adobe Bridge in a Photoshop class I’m currently taking, and have begun to add bulk metadata, add ratings and labels into the keywords, and do batch re-naming on current files. I have started doing this on legacy files with the new CS3 Bridge. All files are JPEGs.

After having read about many problems of Bridge CS3, it looks like many folks are going back to the previous Bridge CS2 until the bugs are fixed. I don’t have that option as I don’t own Bridge CS2.

I do have ImageIngester II Pro and Iview Media Pro (also have Expressions Media but not using it). 

Have read in this forum (posted July 29, 2007) RE:  ImageIngester II Pro “The problem with sidecars and JPEGs is that no Adobe apps that I know of will use the sidecar for JPEGs. It appears only iView does it.” -- Marc Rochkind. So my intention now has changed to use ImageIngester II Pro not for the JPEGs as originally intended, but for RAW files that I’m beginning to shoot.

Question: Among Bridge CS3, ImageIngester Pro, and IVMP, which would you suggest would be the best one to append bulk metadata and initial ratings? 

Peter, in one post I read that you had appended bulk metadata and basic ratings in Bridge and that your files did not see Bridge again, right? But if Bridge CS3 is not doing the trick, then what?

Thank you in advance for any recommendations. And thank you all for your ongoing good energy, consideration, and input to make this forum worthy of many returns!

Dadre