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Forum Discussion
Can you use aliases from the Apps folder to another location on the Dropbox account?
We share ebooks and most of the readers now allow Dropbox sync but in the Aps folder.
We share all our ebooks on Dropbox and now cannot add books centrally without regularly copying.
If there was a method by which a folder can be synched to another folder with aliases such that file duplication does not impact storage this would mean apps that use the relative /apps/application fixed access folder could see shared content between users. This would aid collaboration on many applications that now have access only to the apps folder.
- Jay
Dropbox Staff
Hi OutsideBox, thanks for bringing this to our attention.
We appreciate the feedback on this matter. Currently, this feature isn't available with Dropbox.
The Apps folder is special since it is used for third party apps. These apps can restrict access to just that folder, or be given access to the entire Dropbox account, and it sounds like the app you're referring to is limited to the Apps folder. For this reason, the Apps folder can't be shared with any user.
If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.
- Hi
Thanks for your response.
The reduction to Apps for the third party app is great.
As the Apps folder evolves and we need to put content in there from our own store so we can use this within the app can you please feedback to the features committee the ability for us to mirror one if our own folders to a selected App folder.
So we would go to a folder or file on Dropbox, select the file of folder or group of files, select MIRROR, select the place in the APPS folder and ok.
The selected file/files or folder with faithfully appear in the destination location with a little mirror icon and be a duplicate of the original.
Ideally a synchronised one way mirror that update as the master updates. If a folder then a recursive update of its
contents as things are added.
That way the App given permission can not have access to the wider Dropbox but see a mirror of relevant files that are shared across authenticated users and usable with restriction by new apps.
I cite the case of a book reading app with shared books between our family but this call
Also be relevant for shared between CAD users or other files.
1. It really opens up the files able to be shared with collaborators using the same apps in a secure way
2. We don’t mind paying for the loss of storage in our quotas if it is a duplication of files for the advantages of this feature.
3. As Dropbox supported apps evolve, Dropbox surely needs to evolve with the market.
Thanks for listening.
