Unable to comment on files through shared links

[CChesnutt]

I have about 100 lengthy templates someone has requested I review. We had hoped to use DropBox the way we always do...the team can review and leave comments within the Dropbox web link for the file owner. I can't even get the file to open because I have only Viewing permissions. Having to download and re-name and re-upload every file is a lengthy process. I think we should be able to view & comment on view-only files as if viewing a PDF or image. No changes are trying to be made, but if viewing permissions are there, I'd hope to be able to view.

[Jay]

Hi @CChesnutt, thanks for messaging the Community!

Just to be certain are you using shared links or files shared directly to another Dropbox account?

This will help me to assist further!

[Hannah C]

Hi @CChesnutt ! In addition to @Jay 's questions, what kind of file type are you trying to view in Dropbox?

Thanks,

Hannah

[AliceDropbox]

Hi @CChesnutt! As a viewer, you should be able to comment on files. You'll need to be logged in in order to comment. As @Hannah C mentioned, if you can share what file type you're using, that'll be helpful too. This works for PDFs and JPEGs! 

Thanks,

Alice

[CChesnutt]

Hi @Jay  @Hannah C  , @AliceDropbox  The files in the folder I have been given are .dotx files. When I try to view it on DropBox web, I get a dimmed/frosted image of the first page but can't scroll or zoom or comment or do anything with it. It will only open in Word as an untitled document. 

[Jay]

Could you attach a screenshot showing what you're describing, while hiding any personal info? Is this a shared link to a folder, or a shared folder on your account?

[Walter]

Hey @CChesnutt - did you get the chance to see Jay's response yet? 

[CChesnutt]

@Walter thanks for the nudge. I hadn't seen it. 

@Jay This is all that I see.  It is actually a 7pg document. I can't scroll or even leave a comment. This document is within our organization's DropBox, in a folder I have complete read/write access to. It is not from someone's account somewhere else.   

[Hannah]

Hey @CChesnutt, so just to confirm, if you click on the "add comment" option above the file, what happens?

Also, if you open the link from a different browser or a private browsing window, do you get a different behavior?

[CChesnutt]

@Hannah Clicking that above the file will only cause the comment window on the right to appear and disappear. I have sent the link to other colleagues on Mac and PC and a variety of browsers, and the result seems to be the same. To be clear, this isn't happening only on this file. It's happening on all of the documents in this folder, and updated versions of these files where they made some corrections for us to review. They are all similar files just different content based on the type of product.