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I cannot see PDF documents in a folder accessed via Shared link unless I recreate the link
I have a table in Excel where Users enter data and then also enter a Dropbox link (accessible by anyone) to Shared Folders to which we Users all have access. The Shared Folders each contain several i...
Hi, Jay.
Chrome is my default browser. Ad Blocker Plus and Pocket are my only Add-Ins. HTML5 is disabled. None of that should matter, I think.
Same issue in Firefox, with no extensions. I don't have Safari, but it doesn't matter as most of our ultimate client users are on PCs.
The links work properly in Chrome once I reset them within the final application. And they persist. I created and fixed a set a month ago that still work. However, when I overwrite them with new and additional data (but identical links to the Dropbox folders), once again, I cannot see the PDF files until I re-copy and re-paste the links into the table one-by-one. I may eventualy have hundreds or over a thousand links to separate folders with updates added every week, so repeating this process again and again isn't realistic.
Any additional help is appreciated!
Also note...those links that DO work (where I can see the PDF upon following the link) change from what is entered in the link field (and what initially appears in the browser address bar) to a different link path. Those that do not work don't change. See below for the initial and resulting link addresses for one that DOES allow me to see the PDFs.
Initial:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8hyjz7fb2323423324t/AACUsdfsdhddP_9kda?dl=0
Resulting:
https://www.dropbox.com/home/testfiles/20tn/Win
I am sure this is significant. It may have to do with where/on what machine the PDF was created (minve vs someone elses...I didn't create several of the PDFs).
Hope this helps!
Daniel
And finally...following both links above allows YOU to see the PDFs. Me too, from here. Not from Excel or ArcGIS Online...where it matters.
- Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
Jay, I still have not figured out why the links are different. They ARE to the same folder, on my machine and DB web, (which have the same files, as they should) and DB is running, as it MUST be for me to create a Dropbox Link. With regard to syncing icons, they sometimes don't show up. I recall seeing that this is sometimes and issue and think I applied the fix, but it's been a while and I cannot remember.
I did turn off DB and use Incognito mode. That did seem to take me to the folders and show me the PDF...at least with the shorter, "correct" links. But I guess my real question is why the longer ones are being generated in the first place. I get the Home reference idea...that DB will try to save bandwidth...that's clever and makes sense. So at least I understand what is happening. Why is still an open question.
Thanks for the privacy concerns. Those folders are available for several thousand people to view, or whomever is interested really, so it's not a big deal if people see the images. Our understanding is that potential viewers cannot travel "up" the file/folder tree from a folder accessed by a shared link and can only see what we show them in that shared folder and "below". If we are incorrect in that, please let me know!
Hope you're enjoying yoru weekend.
