.lock file extension

.lock

1. Microsoft Visual Studio lock file.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 uses the file vspdmc.lock. The purpose of this file is unclear, although it is thought to be used as a PkgDef cache lock file.

The file vspdmc.lock is located at: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\10.0

2. ESRI ArcGIS shapefile lock file.

With ArcGIS 10, the ArcGIS tools (ArcEditor, ArcInfo, ArcView or ArcReader) creates a lock file to indicate that a file is locked.

If these lock files are left after a crash then they can be safely deleted. They are normally deleted at runtime by ArcGIS when the lock is no longer required.

The lock file name follows one of the following contentions:

shapefile_name.shp.computername.####.####.sr.lock

when ArcMap or ArcCatalog are accessing the shapefile.

shapefile_name.shp.ed.lock

when ArcMap is editing the data.

cf .shp.

For more information see:

• http://support.esri.com/en/knowledgebase/techarticles/detail/38493 - ESRI Knowledge Base Technical Article dealing with schema locks on shapefiles.

Can you add to this? Do you know of any applications not already listed which will work with .lock files, view .lock files or open .lock files? Are you able to contribute any additional reference information or file format information about .lock files or have you spotted any errors or omissions? If so please let us know by emailing us at feedback@cryer.co.uk - Thank you.