You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.
What strategies do users employ to effectively manage version control for collaborative projects?
What strategies do Dropbox users employ to effectively manage version control for collaborative projects, especially when working with non-technical team members who might accidentally overwrite or delete important files? 🙂
'Don't Sync' to drop box - very useful
All, Just wanted to promote the 'don't sync' to drobox option that has appeared with a recent update (seems to coincide with the File Provider releases?) as I have seen some users confused as to what it does/can do so i thought I'd share how i use it (rightly or wrongly). I work in several apps that save/store files in one or more of the following: - Databases - External references (files referenced into other files such as Cubase, AutoCAD etc) - apps that temporarily generate massive amounts of files and then delete them (renamers, automators etc) - or perhaps it's not always a good idea for the rest of the team to be able to see/read a file that is in flux/revision and should only be 'issued' once all the checks and balances required have been completed. The 'don't sync to drobox' command which i first saw appear in the right click menu does exactly what it suggests. If you select this option on a folder which contains many subfolders and files, then wait a few minutes (depending on how big it is of course) and check the same folder on the web app, you'll see it gone. not renamed to '.'folder, actually gone. Think of this as the opposite of selective sync. You're kind of saying, here's my dropbox, in fact here is everything on my machine. i'm going to put it allllllll in the dropbox folder. Oh - but don't sync that particular folder from our trip to Vegas last year. You with me? I love this, truth is, i don't really like 'syncing' at all. I've got a fundamental issue with something co-existing in two places at once. they can't both be identical, one has to be newer than the other, who is responsible for this file is there is two of them? i could go on (yep, I'm that sort of guy). If you don't see the 'don't sync to drobox' option in the right click menu (current version) that's because you've moved the standard DB location haven't you? Yes you have, naughty - but good on you. I pay for this app, you work for me not the other way around, I'll put the folder wherever i like thank you, im an adult and i have been one for some time now. Good used for this i;ve found are: - a kind of check in and out system. I check a whole folder out, do what i need, check it't correct then put it back up by selecting the 'sync to dropbox' command that appears on any fodler thats previously selected as 'dont sync'. - an easy way to not sync anything you want in a hurry. In the extreme example, you could have two folders at the root of your machine. Dropbox->Folder A and Folder B. Folder A is synced in real time like usual, Folder B is set to 'don't sync to dropbox' and they're both blank. As you go along your way creating files all over the place in your standard folder A, you come across some old stuff, you can't remember their purpose or if they're current nor do you have the time to investigate it right at that moment. Well, just cut or move than folder into Folder B. It's a graveyard folder for anything you're not sure on or will probably be eventually thrown out. If you can't use the right click or want to automate it you can run powershell commands on PC and most likely something similar for mac (don't quote me on that, haven;'t tried on the mac yet). See below: Get-ChildItem "C:\Users\myname\Dropbox\Folder B" -Recurse -File | ForEach-Object { try { Set-Content -Path $_.FullName -Stream com.dropbox.ignored -Value 1 } catch { Write-Host "Failed to process $($_.FullName)" } }
Remove "available offline" in finder under folders and files
Hello, Does anyone know a way to remove the “available offline” phrase in Finder under files and folders? First of all, the phrase seems completely useless considering it can be there along with the cloud icon that indicates that a file/folder is not actually offline but needs to be downloaded to be opened. Second, this useless phrase takes away the ability to show item info in Finder. I used to be able to see the number of files in a folder, the resolution of a photo, or the file size (if it’s an archive), but for some reason, Dropbox thinks that “available offline” is more useful than that. I am surprised I could not find anything on this. It seems like I am the only one concerned with this issue. Maybe there is a simple toggle somewhere in the settings that I am missing. Unfortunately, today I found out that your files can be marked “available offline” but still be in the cloud, and that is a deal-breaker for me. However, my annual subscription just renewed, so I’d like to find out how to remove this annoying “available offline” phrase and see my file/folder info until I find a replacement.
iPad Files app not showing Dropbox folders and how I managed to solve this.
In working with a new iPad, I discovered that the Files app was not correctly connecting with Dropbox. No Dropbox folders showed up either in the Files app or in any other app with an open feature that would normally have been able to access Dropbox files. Oddly, when I clicked “Dropbox” in the list, there were no folders but I could add a folder and that new folder showed up in Dropbox on other devices (and in the Dropbox app on the iPad)! So there was some connection but not much… This is not an issue I’m experiencing on any of my other Apple devices (Mac or iOS). In talking with Apple support they had me delete the Files app, reboot the iPad, then reinstall “Files.” I did that, but to no effect. They escalated me to a higher level of support but while I was waiting, I also deleted Dropbox and reinstalled it. That solved the problem! So, if you can’t access your Dropbox folders and files in Files or in any of your other iPad apps, just delete and reinstall Dropbox—problem solved (at least for me, this time!)
How to upload very large files using the command-line client
I was searching for how best to upload very large files (particularly without having to store them on the Dropbox main folder). I found this answer, which indicates that there's no way to do it without storing in the Dropbox folder. However, I also subsequently found that was incorrect. It appears to be possible to use the command-line client. I would have replied to the other thread, but it appears to be locked, so I'm opening this thread to share the information. After installing the client, I ran a command and it appears to be working: ``` dbxcli put /tmp/large-file ```What you need to know about storing and backing up your photos with Dropbox
We see a lot of questions about storing, sharing and backing up your photos on Dropbox so here are some tips to make that as easy as possible! Back up photos automatically to your Dropbox account You know we love an automatic process, so whether it’s your camera roll photos, your screenshots or your document scans, your cloud photos are some of the most important files you have. In fact our own Emmet told us about a time when he almost lost his photos due to a tech malfunction - “One of my old hard drives of photos got corrupted several years ago. This was almost a year of photos. Thankfully, lot of these had been saved to my Dropbox account automatically, and this was important as a couple who I was friends with wanted a high definition photo of them from the first night they went out together, and I was only able to share it on their wedding day because it was saved on Dropbox.“ Keeping full-resolution copies backed up with online photo storage means you can access them anytime, and you know there is a safe and secure copy in the cloud. Here are just a few ways Dropbox can keep your photos safe: Camera uploads: Once you turn this on, photos from your phone or tablet will be automatically backed up to Dropbox. Or in our desktop app, photos will be copied from cameras, memory cards, or mobile devices whenever you connect one to your computer. Screenshot backups: You can set up our desktop app to automatically move screenshot images to your Dropbox, or have mobile device screenshots backed up using camera uploads. Document scanning: The native/built-in scan functionality in the Dropbox mobile app lets you use your phone’s camera to scan and make digital backups of receipts, whiteboards, and paper documents. Share your photos with links, shared folders and control access Storing your photos is great, but chances are you will want to share some - whether it’s with family members, teammates or the expense team at work. There are a few ways you can do that, and you can manage the access with a few clicks as well. Shared links: You can easily create a link to share any file or folder in your Dropbox. Copy and paste your link into an email, text message, or chat, to share with anyone—even if they don’t have a Dropbox account. Access control: Keep your photos in the right hands by adding password protection, expiration dates, and sign-in requirements to your shared links. Shared folders: Want to collect your photos and someone else’s in the same place? Share files back and forth by inviting other people to sync a folder between your account and theirs. Organize your photos: Saving and sharing your photos can be great but it’s no use if you can’t find the one your looking for, so organizing and viewing your photos is essential too! Here are some tips on how to do that, and if that’s not enough you can see how our own Eliene organizes her photos. Photo browsing: View and browse all of your photos and videos from the Photos tab in our mobile app or on the web. Image previews: View over 35 image file types from dropbox.com or our mobile app. You can preview common files like JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and GIF; app-specific types like Photoshop and Illustrator; raw formats like CR2, DCR, and DNG; and even iOS HEIC photos. Best of all, there’s no need for special photo software. Image tagging: Find your photos fast by adding searchable hashtags to individual photos or an entire folder. How do you manage your photos with Dropbox? Share your tips in the comments below, or if you have any questions you, we can answer those too!
Sync ETA and incoming syncs feature removed by Dropbox - Any workarounds to make the app usable?
Keen to hear any tips/tricks/workarounds to make Dropbox usable again after all the recent downgrades: Someone at Dropbox finally confrimed that the ETA on sync files has been intentionally removed from the service. Incoming syncs also disappeared entirely last year. So the desktop app is now just an events list of outgoing files and only live info is a vague visual progeress bar. What a downgrade! The app was always a bit quirky and vague but with these core features removed, I'm trying to figure out how to actually share anything in an active work environment. Made feature requests of course, but since support tickets only get cut-n-paste responses and the core features were apparentlyremoved intentionally, I'm guessing Dropbox isn't planning to bring back full service any time soon. Wondered if anyone in the community has any workarounds to make Dropbox usable again: Maybe plugins, 3rd party tools, or ways to get the previous UI+features back? Alternatively, curious to hear: How do you use Dropbox without being able to see incoming syncs and ETAs? Naturally, now looking into moving to another platform but some clients will innevitably stick with Dropbox out of familiarity so I hope to find a way to keep it as a workable option. Thanks kindly!How to free up space with online and offline file options
Storing and saving your files is important, and making sure your files are available where you need them can help with that. So, let’s figure out if you need to have your files available online or offline. Why should I make my Dropbox files available offline? Whatever device you’re using with Dropbox, whether it’s a computer, tablet, or phone, you can make your files and folders available offline. This is similar to downloading your files, except it also keeps them in Dropbox. This way, your files are saved offline on your device as well as online in your Dropbox account. So, whether you’re on the move, or you have wifi that drops, you can make your files available offline and keep on working. While you’re offline, changes made to your offline files won’t “sync”. This means that the changes you make offline won’t sync between your offline device and everywhere else you access your files in Dropbox. Once you are back online, Dropbox will sync the changes you made to your offline files everywhere you access them in Dropbox. How do I make files available offline? The short version of it is, within your Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac), find the file you’re looking for and right-click on it, and then simply choose Make available offline. Easy! For more info, you can head over here. What are Dropbox online-only files? As the name suggests, these files are available only when you’re online. Since this frees up space on your computer or your hard drive, it is the perfect option if your laptop is at capacity, but you still want to access your files. If you set a file or folder to online-only, you’ll still see the file or folder in the Dropbox folder on your computer, but it’s just a placeholder. You can only open it if you’re connected to internet. Dropbox removes it from your computer’s hard drive, so that it only takes up space in your Dropbox account online. How to make a file or folder online-only: To set a file or folder to online-only manually: Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac). Open the Dropbox folder. Right-click the file or folder you’d like to set to online-only. Under Quick Actions, click Make online-only. If you’d like to save your file or folder back to your computer’s hard drive, repeat this step and click Make available offline. So, now you know the difference between online-only and offline files and when each one might suit better. So, why not look at your files and folders and see if you can free up some space? Do you separate your files depending on where and when you need them?
