Ending support of public folder

[ae2rigc]

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

---------

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.

--------

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?

[SolitareLee]

Is there any way to get a direct link that ends in .png etc for website purposes? Basically something you can embed? So far I haven't had much luck figuring out a way to do that. And, of course, it's literally the only reason I had dropbox; this change is deleting about 8 years of work and, unless I can find a good new program that works the way Dropbox USED TO, is going to sink several websites and projects. 

[dw s.]

I can't see where you can get that type of link with G/Drive (that will show the file name) but if you click on my image link above then click on the three dots at top right of screen you get an option for 'Embed'..........maybe try experimenting with that?

[Dave C.]

---

>Chris R. wrote: (to the Web o.)

Im using another account to rfeply back (DfB user)

>But that's the whole point! Using the "dl=0 to dl=1" creates a DIRECT link in another forum, and bypasses interaction with the DB site. >And it works for all Dropbox content, not just the Public folder. I've tried it in another forum, and managed to get images to display (i.e. a >direct links) there - no clicking of url involved.

Yeah thats your point, not mine, and the subject is about EOS of public folders.

Also ?DL=0 means the file is not downloaded, if you have a commercial account that means it appears in a browser if as a image link etc.

?DL=1 will cause it to download. Of course if not paying then dont harp about what comes for free, should be the plain course of action.

(I do not know your account type so am not implying you are doing anything here)

>As for "public folder links ... just ARE!", that's what our beef with DB is all about.

LOL Im against the EOS of public folders, but really DO NOT MISS QUOTE ME, starting the quote halfway through a sentence & missing words in the middle, doesnt improve an arguement.

>Ok, let them end support for the Public folder if they want, after all they have done it for new users for the last few years. But this topic is

>all about getting DB to grandfather existing Public direct links, of which there must be 000,000s if not millions, all over the internet.

I dont think it is, its about the EOS for public folders (please check the subject)

>They could do this quite easily (if they are competent) by making the Public Folder 'read only' and changing their software to issue a

>warning if you try to add something to it locally: "WARNING - any item added to the Public folder will not be uploaded / sync'd.

>Please put it somewhere else inside your Dropbox folder if you want this".

They would need to make the folder read only at their end not mine, otherwise I can still upload to it via the web interface.

> In that way, the Public folder couldn't be added to anymore, but existing links within it would still exist, be readable, and useable.

I do understand your idea, and it would work in some parts, of course fail in others, one being many existing links point to content that is updated continuely, so these links would also become invalid as the folder would be uneditable.

One item I think you miss understood is why I said you dont have to MAKE public folder links.

This accounts public folder link looks like this https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/318???194/ (3 numbers replace the ???)

Once you know that and any file or folder in it, you can create a link instantly from anywhere without access to the account.

public folder\a folder\a file.txt

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/318???194/a%20folder/a%20file.txt

I personally have written softare that generates result files dumped into the public folder as follows,

Public folder\Results\20170127\Detail.txt (date is generated to match the day)

I can be anywhere and knowing the public folder link access any dates details using

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/318???194/Results/yyyymmdd/Detail.txt

The links in a public folder are NOT like the later link system, they do not PRE exist, only the public folder link itself exists, the rest is compared to the content of the folder and a matching file if present is devulged.

It is this ability of the public folder to have files injected into it and accessed without need of any form of creation of link that I am disapointed that is being terminated.

---

[Dave C.]

Sorry about the hard read above, looked good in the editor, and Its not that important to rewrite, so struggle through, or ignore, your choice 🙂

[wayneharropson]

Feel free to read my last attempt to get a response from DB:
Subject line..
"Please don't destroy my property, I'm pleading with you. Don't destroy my years of work. Please."

"I have a property in the permanence of public folder links, thousands of them embedded in years of work product. These are not frivolous transient social media trivia, these are my literary work product.
I provided examples in other communications to you but you have only referred me to a forum.

This is an emergency that I need personal attention paid to.

Search Harropson in forums for an expanded pleading of my case.

Here are more examples:
http://tinyurl.com/SpeedsMustang
http://tinyurl.com/RiderSouvenir

Many hundreds of my UBER customers and others are in possession of souvenirs that become useless to them if you break the links. That only accounts for ones that hare physically printed on paper. The online digital readers are incalculable."

Wayne Harropson

[Chris R.]

I sympathise with you Wayne, but your mistake is to think that any single person employed by Dropbox cares, or has a heart. They don't.

I would blog widely, to give your readers a chance to download or print your work before it's too late. And while you're at it, explain why: tell everyone of the uncaring heartless Dropbox and suggest they never sign up with them.

[Chris R.]

---

@Dave C. wrote:

---

...

>But that's the whole point! Using the "dl=0 to dl=1" creates a DIRECT link in another forum, and bypasses interaction with the DB site. >And it works for all Dropbox content, not just the Public folder. I've tried it in another forum, and managed to get images to display (i.e. a >direct links) there - no clicking of url involved.

Yeah thats your point, not mine, and the subject is about EOS of public folders.

I agree. I am also against that, but I think we've already lost that one. We now need to stop the breaking of public links.

Also ?DL=0 means the file is not downloaded, if you have a commercial account that means it appears in a browser if as a image link etc.

?DL=1 will cause it to download. Of course if not paying then dont harp about what comes for free, should be the plain course of action.

Not in my experience, in two other forums - dl=1 caused the item to display in the forum post. No need to download - it was right there.

>Ok, let them end support for the Public folder if they want, after all they have done it for new users for the last few years. But this topic is

>all about getting DB to grandfather existing Public direct links, of which there must be 000,000s if not millions, all over the internet.

I dont think it is, its about the EOS for public folders (please check the subject)

I do know what the subject is, but the main concern in these 40 pages seems to be the breaking of direct links that exist all over the internet. i would like the Public folder to continue, but as new users haven't got one the past few years, I think we've lost that already .

> In that way, the Public folder couldn't be added to anymore, but existing links within it would still exist, be readable, and useable.

I do understand your idea, and it would work in some parts, of course fail in others, one being many existing links point to content that is updated continuely, so these links would also become invalid as the folder would be uneditable.

Ok, that's where we differ in use of DB - I never change anything in my Public folder, it just sits there with its direct link which I can reuse.

One item I think you miss understood is why I said you dont have to MAKE public folder links.

This accounts public folder link looks like this https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/318???194/ (3 numbers replace the ???)

Once you know that and any file or folder in it, you can create a link instantly from anywhere without access to the account.

public folder\a folder\a file.txt

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/318???194/a%20folder/a%20file.txt

I don't dispute this at all. My concern - and I think it's a valid one - is that DB will discontinue the use of links beginning "dl." after support for the Public folder ends. That's why I believe it's only a temporary fix.

---

[wayneharropson]

Thanks for your reply.
The employees at DB likely care well enough but are being directed by management to act like mind controlled zombies by replying with canned non responses.

If any one of them actually replied like a live human being, they’d likely be fired.

[GuidoDockx]

We have ± 1.000 documents with ± 50.000 internal and external links. All of them will not work anymore when we move the storage location. So, you understand that we, like 100.000’s other Dropbox users, were completely beaten. We went through the classical reaction-cycle (perplex, angry, revolting, vindictive, resignation, figuring out a solution, implementing the solution) in one day. It took almost a full month of non-stop programming but now it’s ready and we are back on track. The new system is even easier to use, working faster, completely fuss-free (no publicity, no unwanted useless sidekicks or pop-ups) and the user doesn’t need any special software. Most important, NO 3^rd party is involved anymore. We use our own website server as the storage location (cloud) and the hyperlinks are now hooked to our domain name. Even if we change provider, “it all just works”.

We would like to thank Dropbox for reminding us of one of the basic laws of life: whenever someone has some kind of power over you, (s)he will (ab)use it one way or another. People or organisations that’re not seduced by this kind of behaviour are the rare birds, which deserve the highest esteem. Dropbox however, they can …

[narikaa]

I think its the anonymity of the blasted internet that empowers these spineless suits.

(Lets face it not one has manned up enough to respond - here or elsewhere).

Face to face an attempt at an affront such as this would leave your annoyance reflecting whether his gambit still held it's novelty with your blade seven inches deep in their liver 😉