pybinlock
pybinlock is a pypi package for the binlock python library.
binlock is a python library for programmatically locking and unlocking bins in Avid Media Composer projects.
Caution
binlock is an unofficial library created for educational purposes. While the .lck lock file format
is a very simple one, it is officially undocumented. Use this library at your own risk – the developer assumes
no responsibility for any damage to your project, loss of data, or underwhelming box office performance.
About bin locks
“Bin locking” is a mechanism primarily used in multi-user Avid environments to indicate that a particular machine on the network has temporary ownership
over an Avid bin (.avb or .avc files) to potentially write changes. While one machine holds the lock, others are still able to
open the bin, albeit in read-only mode, until the lock is released. In this way, two operators cannot inadvertently make changes to the
same bin at the same time.
About binlock
This here binlock library works by reading and writing (.lck) files, which are the underyling mechanisms used by Avid to mark bins as “locked.”
Interesting uses
binlock allows functionality beyond Avid’s typical lock file implementation, such as:
Permanently locking bins
Temporarily locking bins while programmatically reading/writing to them
Custom lock names for displaying short messages, such as why the bin is locked
Removing “stale” locks
See Usage for examples!
See also
pybinhistory: A python library for reading and writing Avid bin log (
.log) files