Add .dropboxignore directory to exclude folders without using selective sync

[Tom_M]

Please please please can you add a feature that allows folders to be excluded from the Dropbox account (on windows and mac). For sure I'm not the first person to request this, but I'm yet to find a good explanation of why it's not there. A quick google search reveals loads of people also looking for the same feature. I really like the workflow I have with dropbox, but it's getting to the point where I might switch providers in order to allow better selective sync.

I've seen hackish solutions using selective sync, but it would be great if this could be done in one of the following ways:
- global pattern matching eg "node_modules"
- a marker file in the directory like .dropboxignore
- a simple right click context menu "Ignore this folder"

Other than that, keep up the good work. Cheers.
Tom

[Emma]

Hi folks, 

Thanks for your feedback on this.
While ignored files delivers for some of the use cases here, I appreciate it does not for all. 
We'll be taking another review of this thread to isolate use cases for a .dropboxignore file feature in particular.

I've updated the status and we'll take this to the product team.
As a side note, it would be helpful for us if you could outline the gap between what ignored files offers, and what a .dropboxignore file feature would add to your workflows.

Thank you.

[Guido Walter P.]

For all those with the .node_module issue: read my comment of the 15/09, which I report below.

This workaround prevents Dropbox to synchronise the content of any folder. It does use selective sync as a first step, but it does not have its biggest limitation.

I am using it myself for a slightly different application, and it works.

> Hi guys,
>
> I found a workaround to have Dropbox ignore the content of a folder; credits go to Raymond of the Unofficial Dropbox Wiki:
>
> These steps will help you exclude a folder from syncing:
>
> Lets say you have a folder that you want to exclude called NON_CLOUD.
> We first create an empty folder that is renamed to NON_CLOUD and place it into Dropbox.
> Then, we use selective sync to unsync that folder: https://help.dropbox.com/syncing-uploads/selective-sync-overview
> Next, move your actual NON_CLOUD folder into the previous location of the empty NON_CLOUD folder.
> That folder will have a grey circle with a “minus” sign and will not be synced to Dropbox.
> It is not ideal but it does work for me.
>
> Cheers,
> Guido

[Jeremy B.]

I already have grey "minus" signs on my node_modules folders using normal selective sync. What's the difference between this, and your method?

[luciano c.1]

@Jeremy:

what we need is the ability to crate a pattern that will apply to the sync other than manually going through all the directory tree and excluding those items since it's too low and frustrating.

just lik e a .gitignore file for example

[Guido Walter P.]

@Jeremy B.

If you use selective sync on a folder, Dropbox removes it straight away from your hard drive. (At least it does so on my Mac.)

This workaround will make Dropbox ignore the folder while keeping it in your hard drive.

[Johnny W.2]

@Guido Using Selective Sync doesn't delete anything from your HD, it just decouples it from the server version. 

Edit: I was wrong.

[Guido Walter P.]

@Johnny W.

My Dropbox client (v3.8.8 on Mac Os X 10.10.5) does delete from the HD the folders unchecked with Selective Sync. It actually warns me about this with a message:

http://www.guidowalterpettinari.eu/external_access/dropbox_selective_sync_msg.png 

I thought this was the major limitations of using Selective Synch, together with being unable to specify RegEx or glob patterns. 

[Johnny W.2]

@Guido I just deselected a folder via selective sync (DB 3.8.8 on OSX 10.10.5) and this is the only message I got:

[luciano c.1]

dear @Johnny and @Guido

I'm not sure this is the right thread for you to discuss other the minute details of that functionality.

People upping this post are talking about another way to filter things out since the selective sync is not meeting their needs.

cheers

[Johnny W.2]

Sorry, Luciano, you're right.

Guido, you are also right. I'll attempt your workaround in the meantime.

I wish Ed could find time in his hectic schedule to respond to us further.

[Jeremy B.]

@luciano c: I know, that's not what I was clarifying.

@Guido: Ah I see. I usually just copy/move the folder somewhere, remove using selective sync, then copy back at which point Dropbox adds the grey minus. I'd say many people here have done something similar.