Ending support of public folder

[ae2rigc]

Just heard from dropbox that support for the public folder is ending.

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As a result, we’ll soon be ending support for the Public folder. Dropbox Pro users will be able to use the Public folder until
September 1, 2017. After that date the files in your Public folder will become private, and links to these files will be deactivated. Your files will remain safe in Dropbox.

If you’d like to keep sharing files in your Public folder, you can create new shared links. Just make sure to send the new URLs to your collaborators.

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It is one of the most useful features of the service for me as I use it to get links to single files that I can send to people without setting up shared folders and requiring them to have dropbox accounts.

(Save file to my public folder locally, syncs, right click, get publick link, paste. Doesn't get any easier than that.)

It's also useful for bb style forum posts where you can link to images with an easy tag.

With the public folder support being removed, is there going to be an alternative solution to allow easy public sharing of single files?

[fearfeasog]

OK, I can't read this entire 23 page thread for an answer here, so I'll just ask:

I assume I will have the same problem with my audio file links as others do with their image links. I used the "create public link" option, usually from the DB file location in my computer's file browser, to create these links. For a few, more recently, I used the "share file" option on the DB website. Not embeds--just straight links. Will all of these links need to be recreated? If so, will I have to wait until the public folder goes private, or can I start doing it now? I don't see how doing it now will halp, so I forsee having to wait until everything goes offline at once, then deal with the mess afterward. WTF Dropbox?

Here are 2 examples of links I created:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5292212/SLOW%20SESSION/O%27Connor%27s%20polka%20fast%20%28Ben%29.mp3

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5292212/SLOW%20SESSION/handsome%20young%20maid.mp3

thanks, ff

[cdgoin]

Maybe instead of killing the links to files in the public folder you ad small ads on them and make money off them ? That way they could pay for your hosting of them and millions of websites don't lose valuable content. 

[Bob J.]

It seems that not all understand the differences between a shared link within and outside the public folder.

They are not the same and in some applications there is an important difference.

You cannot create a link to a folder outside the public folder that allows editing of the file name.

I posted some material on another question on this forum - essentially it goes like this.

I wanted a folder of icons - lots of them.

I did not want to have to create a separate link for each. I am sufficiently long in the tooth DropBox wise to have a public folder (for the moment)

So, in my DropBox Public folder I have some icons

       https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2835140/GE/Images/rat.png

If you change the word rat for stoat or cat or Logo you get that icon directly - brilliant!

But in a non public folder, behaviour is very different!

For example a link created by 'copy public link' of a non public Dropbox file goes to the DropBox website

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/i94pdbuvhwqsp6f/Traps.png?dl=0

Even if you change the end to ?dl=1 or remove the ?dl=... completely it does the same!

BUT if you change the front end a little to:

      https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/i94pdbuvhwqsp6f/Traps.png

it will correctly render the png file in your browser or wherever you need it (eg in a google earth kml file)

However you cannot change the file name to get a different file in that folder. So:

     https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/i94pdbuvhwqsp6f/TrapL.png

will give you the same image as .../Traps.png even though TrapL exists and is different. doooh!

To get that file I need to use this link

      https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/v1h6qd48zyogq3v/TrapL.png

which has a totally different code section, so it seems that the encoded bit points to the specific file!

This is/was a lovely feature of DropBox which I had used extensively for a predator trapping app using Google Earth. Now, to no avail it seems to be that they will withdraw this feature without concern for their huge database of users. 

Yes I know it allows folder contents to be browsed - but that is the function of a public folder - right?

You don't put your tax declarations in there eh?

As my grandmother used to say "Jam and Butter the Muddy Bucket of Pitch"

Bob JordanB

[Simon G.19]

This would be a good idea, but there are many services I use that can't see a shared Dropbox link and can only see files I put in a public folder.

These services include website backup systems, csv table importers for Tablepress etc.

Getting rid of the shared folder will break all of these services, causing me considerable extra work and meaning that I will not be able to use Dropbox for many things I use it for now.

Are there any option to keep the shared folder? If not I will have to look for other options.

[Simon G.19]

No this didn't resolve my issue. There are many services I use that can't see a shared Dropbox link and can only see files I put in a public folder.

These services include website backup systems, csv table importers for Tablepress etc.

Getting rid of the shared folder will break all of these services, causing me considerable extra work and meaning that I will not be able to use Dropbox for many things I use it for now.

Have you any option to keep the shared folder? If not I will have to look for other options.

[Timon]

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@Bob J. wrote:

It seems that not all understand the differences between a shared link within and outside the public folder.

They are not the same and in some applications there is an important difference.

For example a link created by 'copy public link' of a non public Dropbox file goes to the DropBox website

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/i94pdbuvhwqsp6f/Traps.png?dl=0

Even if you change the end to ?dl=1 or remove the ?dl=... completely it does the same!

BUT if you change the front end a little to:

Bob JordanB

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On my Mac, I assume on other systems as well, there is a difference between dl=0 and dl=1. The difference is that dl=0 shows the web site and dl=1 downloads the file.

When used on a forum link dl=0 for an image fails but if you use dl=1 you get the image displayed. So when used for forums dl=1 works just like it did in a public folder.

The one issue is that share is not available inside the public folder so you can't get a like in the new format, only when outside of the public folder. This is where DB screwed up. They should have been suing the new format from the time they created the share format.

[JetWave]

They already have customers paying for their service. Even if it was possible to put ads on public, direct links (it's not) it'd look terrible in every way possible. Not even companies looking to advertise would want it, because with no way of controlling the content or where it's posted, they could end up being associated with literally anything. Ads has no place in this at all.

[ClaraLMattox]

It just occurred to me, Dropbox may be "preparing" its platform to be bought by a competitor in the Cloud data hosting game. Looks like it's definitely time for an enterprising group to develop their own site to give current DB users a place to migrate to.

[ClaraLMattox]

BTW, my husband and I are commercial realtors and we establish public folders for our clients all the time, as a way to provide information on prospective properties. This is a HUGE reason we decided to use pay for the upgraded version. Unless DB recants this decision, we'll definitely be looking for another site.

[Rosa S.4]

As suggested in a previous comment, I did submit a support ticket pleading with DB to leave existing links active. Below is the response which leads me to join the crowd in search of an alternative.  I have a pro account that expires in February and I need a replacement.  Any suggestions?

Hi,

Thank you for contacting the Dropbox Support Team.

The Public folder was the first sharing method that Dropbox introduced and laid the groundwork for us to develop the sharing experience we have today.

We’ve come a long way since then to make the process of sharing your files as easy and secure as possible. Shared folders, shared links, read-only shared links, file requests, albums, and other features have been developed and introduced since that initial sharing experience.

These new sharing methods became core to the Dropbox experience, because they gave users and recipients more options for control and collaboration. As a result, we decided to end support for the Public folder, so we can better focus on building and maintaining our core sharing experience. We understand that this may cause both inconvenience and frustration, and we are committed to making this transition as seamless as possible.

The files in your Public folder will become private on March 15, 2017 for Basic accounts, and on September 1, 2017 for Pro and Business accounts. The files will still be safe in Dropbox, and no action is needed on your part. If you’d like to share them again, we’d be more than happy to help you use any of our available methods to continue sharing and collaborating.

For example, one of the ways to share securely and easily is to create a shared link. To read more about this sharing feature, please follow the instruction in the link below to ‘Create a shared link’:

https://www.dropbox.com/help/167

This was not an easy decision and we want to assist in any way we can while this transition occurs. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns and we’d be more than happy to help.

Regards,