OT: My Dropbox links will soon be invalid

terrypin wrote on 8/22/2017, 1:00 PM

Over the last nine years (including the lifetime of this 'new' forum) I've included roughly 1,400 links in my posts about MEP. Almost entirely images, with some videos, PDFs, etc. The earlier ones (about MEP 17) are at best now of only curiosity value. But some of the more recent stuff, particularly those of a tutorial nature, may still be useful to others. So I was dismayed to learn recently that Dropbox will no longer support these from 1st September.

I'd known since last year that they were dropping support for the Public folder facility, and was reconciled to jumping through extra hoops from that date when posting new links. But, like thousands of other DB users (the complaint thread is now 61 pages long), I'm very unhappy that the old links (millions across the web) will all die at the end of this month.

It's clearly an impossible task for me to edit previous posts, assigning new links. So I can only hope that anyone encountering a 404 error or whatever will query it and I'll end up aware of that and create a new link.

(Altogether I have about 4,700 Dropbox links in the no-brainer Public Forum - the prime motivator for my $99/year account 😢 )

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 8/22/2017, 5:08 PM

Hi Terry

I must have been psychic, when I first started using Dropbox many years ago I used the Public folder, however, back in 2014, I created a new Shared folder and put all my current uploads into this folder.

There is a way round this - I have tested this and it works for me.

Create a new folder outside of the Public Folder, I called mine 'Shared' - a very original name 🙃 .

Select one upload and get the shared link, save this, move the upload to the new folder.

Open a new browser tab and paste the URL you copied - it should work.

If everything is OK, move the rest of the uploads to the new shared folder - I would recommend in batches, working backwards in time, and check random links regularly.

HTH

John EB

terrypin wrote on 8/23/2017, 2:18 AM

Hi John,

Thanks for the fast reply. Wish I'd had the same foresight! BTW, I'm happy to go to email after this if you think that's more appropriate.

So, since 2014, you've been posting shared links, which will continue to work, unlike my pubic links.

But your suggestion means my obtaining new shared links and editing all relevant posts. For the MEP forum, confined to 'possibly still useful stuff' that's many hundreds.

All public links for paying users will continue to work right up until 1st September, so any testing before then is of limited value. Also, it's possible that users with DB accounts may still be able to access their old links. Hard to say, as DB are astonishingly uncommunicative.

EDIT an hour or so later:

Just realised (more coffee) that presumably MEP's 'embedded' links mean that there's no issue for images ?

As an example, in my Public folder, I just renamed the first image in my post in the thread 'Audio Help' at https://www.magix.info/uk/forum/audio-help--1194651/

But it still opened OK, as that image is now on a Magix server.

In contrast, I could have posted a URL, as I often did historically because of poor resolution of the Magix embedded images. Here's one of the second image in that thread:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5wlijqm0b8utb2q/MEP-AudioCleaning-2.jpg?dl=0

Now I'll rename that file too, adding the suffix '.bak'.

As expected, that can not be displayed now. (I get a message that .bak files cannot be viewed.)

So the issue will only apply to my posts containing URL links, not embedded images or videos, which is somewhat reassuring.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

johnebaker wrote on 8/23/2017, 7:03 AM

Hi Terry

. . . . But your suggestion means my obtaining new shared links and editing all relevant posts. For the MEP forum, confined to 'possibly still useful stuff' that's many hundreds. . . . .

Dropbox changed the way links were a while ago so that when you move an item from one folder to another the link follows it - see here for more info.

If you follow the steps:

Select one upload and get the shared link, save this, move the upload to the new folder.

Open a new browser tab and paste the URL you copied - it should work.

You will find that the link follows the upload.

. . . . Now I'll rename that file too, adding the suffix '.bak'. As expected, that can not be displayed now. (I get a message that .bak files cannot be viewed.) . . . .

Only change the file name not the extension, eg if the file was called thisimage.jpg and you changed it to thisimage.jpg.bak, the browser gets confused as a bak file is not displayable.

However if you change thisimage.jpg to thatimage.jpg the link will still work.

. . . . I'm happy to go to email after this if you think that's more appropriate. . . .

In this instance I think the topic is relevant to other members here who also use Dropbox.

HTH

John EB

terrypin wrote on 8/23/2017, 8:16 AM

Hi John,

Public links are different to shared links. From that article:

"However, shared links will now remain active even if you perform these actions:" (My emphasis.)

So unfortunately I don't think that will work!

For example, this file ("upload" in your post)
C:\Users\terry\Dropbox\Public\MEP-FrameRatePuzzle-1.jpg

has this DB public link (the type I have been using):
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/MEP-FrameRatePuzzle-1.jpg

If I move or copy it from the Public folder to any shared folder its DB shared link becomes
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oukynb9tduabluk/MEP-FrameRatePuzzle-1.jpg?dl=0

If instead I copy the shared link from the Public folder, I don't see how that helps? Would I not still have to edit every relevant post?

Anyway, as mentioned, we won't be able to test this sort of thing until after the deadline!

johnebaker wrote on 8/23/2017, 11:27 AM

Hi Terry

As I read the info on dropping support for the Public Folder, the changes mean the Public folder which can be shared to anyone is going private and links to individual files in this folder will be removed.

When you uploaded to the Public folder did you post a link for the Public folder or for the individual file(s)?

AFAICS you have been posting individual file links, if the links were to the Public folder I should be able to navigate it and see every single upload you have there.

HTH

John EB

terrypin wrote on 8/23/2017, 11:56 AM

Hi John,

Yes, I've always posted individual links. Like those examples I gave. These will all be inacessible 1st Sep.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

johnebaker wrote on 8/23/2017, 2:46 PM

Hi Terry

. . . . I've always posted individual links. Like those examples I gave. These will all be inacessible 1st Sep . . . .

As I read it, only if they are still inside the Public folder - there is nothing to lose if you move them out of the public folder now - test with one or two uploads first, then if OK move the rest.

I moved all my old, pre 2014, uploads to my 'Shared' folder this morning, and they are still working OK.

HTH

John EB

terrypin wrote on 8/23/2017, 4:17 PM

Hi John,

No point testing until after they are officially planned to stop working, after 1st Sep (That's assuming you have a paid account like me. Free users' Public links died March/April.)

terrypin wrote on 9/1/2017, 4:55 PM

1st September (San Fransisco time) arrived here sometime this afternoon here in UK. As I predicted, all my Public folder links now fail.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK