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Forum Discussion

Justin P.2's avatar
Justin P.2
Collaborator | Level 10
8 years ago
Solved

Is there a way to choose whether .zip files are previewing on the Dropbox website?

I'm a long time Dropbox user and today I went to check if some older links were still active that I had sent to a cleint.  Most of the files are send out are zipped for various reasons.    It ...
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sync
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  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    8 years ago
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts on how this functionality change has impacted your workflow MRMJP, I’d happily follow-up with you on this discussion & I hope my post finds you well! 
     
    You’re absolutely right when it comes to this recent feature implementation, therefore at the moment when previewing an archive file, you can navigate through the archive file structure and preview individual files within the archive. Previously, compressed files (such as .zip & .rar) couldn’t be viewed on the web interface & in case you had received (or sent) a shared link containing this filetype, you’d (or the recipient would) have to download them locally, in order to view the contents. 
     
    That all being said, I appreciate the time you’ve devoted in writing us the specifics of how this alteration has worked for you so far & for that reason I’ve made sure to transfer your comments up the ladder for future reference. 
     
    In any event, please let me know here if you have any more thoughts or questions & I’ll do my best to check back with you. Wishing you a fruitful May & a wonderful rest of the day ahead! 
Matthew J.10's avatar
Matthew J.10
Explorer | Level 4
6 years ago

I guess where I'm super confused is why would you need to preview a zip file?  The whole purpose of a zip file is to contain the data in one package to be unzipped at a later time by you or someone else.  If you want people to see a folder stucture then just share a folder and then offer an option to "download as zip".

pasamio's avatar
pasamio
New member | Level 2
6 years ago

I completely agree with Matthew J, there is already an experience where you navigate inside of something: it's called a folder. If I want to have a folder, I'd create a folder. However I want to share a ZIP archive that should be downloaded. The intent is in uploading the ZIP file to begin with. If I wanted someone to navigate and examine a folder with the option to download the folder, I'd create a folder. Give someone the option to preview a zip archive if that's what they want just as you can download a folder zipped up.

  • James D.1's avatar
    James D.1
    New member | Level 2
    6 years ago

    I just wanted to echo the other users who have explained why this doesn't work for many workflows. As pasamio says, if I want individual files in a folder, there's already functionality for that purpose.

     

    An optional setting to allow file previews inside a zip would be fine, but the whole point of a zip is to have a single, clearly marked file for download. Allowing users to dig around inside a zip is just confusing and defeats the purpose of providing users with a single file.

  • Justin P.2's avatar
    Justin P.2
    Collaborator | Level 10
    6 years ago

    Hi James D.1,

     


    Thanks for the reply. If only the people who design this software and make the decsions felt the same way as everybody in this thread.

    I have completely given up on hope that they'll change it back but I'd love to be wrong!

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