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Best practices for using symlinks (symbolic links)
Hi there,
I use dropbox on linux with symlinks, but am not sure which is the best/preferred way to use them. Is there a best practice for using this type of configuration?
Currently I use symlinks in my home directory that point to the actual folders in my Dropbox folder, but I have heard of doing the inverse: placing symlinks in the dropbox folder pointing out into the home directory. Are there pros and cons to symlinking from the Dropbox folder to the home directory vs. placing a symlink in the home folder linking to inside the Dropbox folder?
What happens during a catastrophic failure triggering a need for data restoration, which method is preferred? Is there a way to dynamically create links for new entries (like .* folders)? Is there an advantage/disadvantage to using soft vs. hard linking?
Any links/posts with regards to the above would be most appreciated. I acknowledge that Dropbox does not fully support symbolic links, but find them so useful I am committed to using them.
Thanks in advance!
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Thanks niazy would like some guidance on how you removed the existing desktop folder from the Mac Catalina home directory. I don't seem able to. Did you create a new desktop folder in Dropbox folder and move that locked symlink to the Mac home folder? After a restart would that delete the original desktop folder in the home folder? I'm nervous to experiment too much!
Terminal didn’t allow me to create a symlink from the newly created Desktop folder in Dropbox to the home folder saying Desktop exists. So I created a link to my desktop and tried to drag it to home folder. It didn't allow me saying - “Desktop” can’t be modified or deleted because it’s required by macOS.
Dear Niazy,
I am trying to implement your suggestion, but I find that upon creating Desktop as a symbolic link, when I bring up "Get Info" the "Locked" box, as well as everything else, is greyed out and not modofieable. Have you experienced that? I have Catalina too.
Thank you,
Marcelo
Why is this marked solved? It is still broken.
yes no joy, really need to be able to link Mac OS Catalina desktop folder to Dropbox to be able to retrieve files from iOS as before
Dear Marcelo4,
I had the same issue with the greyed check box. I solved it by locking the folder where the symlink is inside. In my case, I locked my user folder. So far it's working. After restarting the system it stoped deleting my symlink and messing things up. I just hope I won't have problems by locking my own user folder on Mac. lol
Hope it works for you too.
This sounds like an edge case, as plenty of users used symlinks the old way without the high CPU or missing file issue. Using ~/Dropbox as the working directory does not fit all use cases. Dropbox as a backup solution has been completely broken with the decision not to support symlinks. Dropbox could fix this by having a selective backup option in the mac app (not selective sync, selective backup), but as it stands now, Dropbox is now useless for me and all those that used it as a backup solution. This was a bad move on Dropbox's part and has forced me and others to seek out other providers.
- Agree, am in exact same boat - I have several things I want to keep backed up / off site, where the actual data directory can't be under my user profile / dropbox folder. Symlinks allowed this to work perfectly until blocked.
I'm currently doing an initial sync with Backblaze. Will post here how my experience is after I have a chance to kick the tires a bit. No symlink support, but it backs up everything with unlimited storage and allows you to create links to send other people to download. I suspect that will be enough to satisfy what I mostly need it for.
Reality check here. a) I use a symlink to include my Desktop accross multiple devices. b) I'm NOT moving my Desktop in the 'Dropbox' folder. Th systems require it to be right where it belongs.
So I guess it's Good Bye after many years of what was a great service.
