With the new Mojave update 10.14.5, if I create a pdf document from Dorico Pro 2.2.1.20 using the system dialogs OR the graphics exporting feature and save the file to any directory or the desktop, upon quitting Dorico will delete ALL files (including the exported pdf) from whatever I have chosen to be my “Auto-Save folder” via Preferences. WTH?!
“Auto-save every:” is set to 1 minute(s) and is not ticked.
There needs to be some kind of safeguard about which directory one can pick.
Well, I can’t think of any time when a program recommends saving your personal document files in the same folder as any of the working write files (ie- those files created by a program in order for it to function). The auto backup folder is for program write files; save your files in a different place (Documents>Scores for example) and this will be a total non-issue. Typically programs create their own working file folders (which are not infrequently hidden from the user) for this very reason.
I’m sorry you found this out the hard way! I hope you didn’t lose any important files.
The easiest safeguard is don’t pick anything. Just create more directories inside the one that Dorico creates by default to store your projects.
Another user encountered the problem that if they saved all of their project files inside the AutoSave folder, Dorico would delete them, which is indeed exactly how auto-save is designed to work – the assumption is that any file in that folder was put there by Dorico, so it can safely delete it when the program quits cleanly. The reason we chose to expose the location of the auto-save folder was so that users could e.g. specify where it should be, but I confess that it never occurred to me that you would choose to start saving the files you wanted to keep inside this folder.
Consequently we have made a change ahead of the next major version that will remove the choice of where the AutoSave folder will be located, and it will be hidden away out of sight in the hopes that it will prevent you from inadvertently saving projects in that folder yourself.
Daniel, can I request that the AutoSave folder remains somewhere that can still be accessed (somehow) by the user, please? On large, laggy projects it can be helpful to be able to dig up a recent AutoSaved version rather than hitting Cmd+Z a bunch of times…
Well, it’ll still be a folder on your computer’s drive, of course, just not in an obvious location.
Thank you!
So maybe it’d be helpful (for all Mac users) to rename this thread?
Or even for all users, given it’s nothing to do with the OS.
Sure - Yes. I was thinking particularly of those Mac users who might think they had more reason to be worried (perhaps especially after this) than Windows users.
Anyway, I’ve changed the subject to a catchy new one in this my post. Hope that’s OK?
Mark, I don’t understand your link to “this” - it just looks like a typical “minor OS update” page to me (but I don’t use Mac so I don’t understand the background context).
Rob,
I’m sorry: the OP appeared on the same day as 10.14.5 was released.
It seems wiser, to me, not to run the risk of alarming Mac users by suggesting - whether they skim the subjects of new posts here in their emails or pore over every post’s contents in detail - that a major new and unavoidable bug has been discovered which should discourage them from either upgrading to Mojave (which was a little lengthier than is often the case… multiple restarts required - although of course it all runs well!) or turning to and/or running Dorico at all until it is fixed. (Just trying to be helpful 
.)
Ah… I’d forgotten the OP thought Dorico had been zapped by a MacOS update.
The main point, I think, is to make it plain that this is not a bug, it’s not really ‘scary’ and it has nothing to do with the fact that the OP experienced the process on a Mac. Hence the suggested new name - information not something to worry about .
Mark - regardless, you don’t have the power to change the title that appears on the forum homepage - you can only change the title of your individual post(s).
Yes, of course. I can live with that . Hope even that helps!
Please make it still configurable in either a plist or a registry. I always prefer to specify the autosave folder as “~/.Trash”, always.