0.93.1: Can't create/update XMP sidecar

[margu]

XnView: MP 0.93.1 64bits (Mar 6 2019)
OS: Windows 10 64bit

Short description of the problem:
When assigning IPTC/XMP properties to a/several images, the XMP sidecar files aren't created nor updated. In place, XnView tries to write the XMP metadata in the RAW files.

Effect:
The RAW files are modified (CR2 files) which
1. Is not expected
2. Takes hours because files are 20MB each
3. Sidecar files are not present so can't be used by other software.

To reproduce:
1. Properly configure metadata options, see attached capture 33

2. In the IPTC/XMP window, require XMP only, see attached capture 34

3. Select one CR2 file, hit Ctrl-I, change some fields and select "Write".

Actual behaviour (bug): metadata are saved in XnView DB but the XMP sidecar file is not created/updated
Expected behaviour: metadata are saved in XnView DB and the XMP sidecar file is created/updated

(Note: the behaviour is the same whether the CR2 file already has a side car before editing properties in XnView or not.)

4. Select at least two CR2 files, hit Ctrl-I, change some fields and select "Write to all files"

Actual behaviour (bug):metadata are saved in XnView DB and in the CR2 files themselves and the sidecar files are not created/updated
Expected behaviour: metadata are saved in XnView DB and the XMP sidecar files are created/updated and CR2 files are left unchanged

For information, here's how look the header of an original CR2 file:

capture-000035.png (15.22 KiB) Viewed 765 times

And this is the same file once modified by XnView

capture-000036.png (35.42 KiB) Viewed 765 times

(I can provide the files themselves but they are quite big.)
TIA.
Mathias.

[margu]

Hello.

Some more information on this.
The bug about XnView writing metadata directly in the CR2 files when hitting "Write to all files" is still there and needs to be corrected because it's not possible to update metadata for several pictures at once without impacting the raw files.
But there is a way to make XnView write these sidecar files, at least when editing pictures one by one. Once metada have been updated, select View->Update files from catalog and the sidecar files are created or updated. I didn't find a setting to have this automatically made.
Note here that only keywords are updated in the sidecar files. Other fields are left unchanged (like e.g. city, state, location, copyright etc.).
This is a feature request - please update all metadata in the XMP sidecar . But I've seen other posts where this is already requested.

[margu]

Hello.

Again some more information after some additional tries.
When using the category panel, and also when rating or setting colors to images, XMP synchronization works well. But only for those items. Which is already cool. IPTC data are missing here and I need them in other contexts.
It sounds like the Metadata edit window is an old and buggy interface with sort of uncontrolled behaviour.
Maybe XnView should get rid of this interface and create a complete metadata panel as for categories?
I agree, this is more than a bug fix, this is more a complete feature request.
Nobody needs other metadata than categories and rating down here?