Creating static links

[filkin]

Hi,

Is it possible to create static links in dropbox so if I keep updating a file the link will always remain as the one I chose?  The reason I ask is because we provide small plugins for download via another application and we have to change the url every time we update a plugin.  This isn't a problem for us, but it is a problem for some other parts of our team who do regression testing on some of the plugins and they don't know when we change the links.

We could of course make updating the other teams every time we update a plugin a part of our process, and they could keep updating their regression tools, but it would obviously be smarter if the links could be customised and remain static.

Thanks

Paul.

[Rich · Accepted solution]

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@filkin wrote:

Is it possible to create static links in dropbox so if I keep updating a file the link will always remain as the one I chose?

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If you overwrite the existing file (without deleting it first) the link will remain the same. Note that some applications, while saving a file, will first delete the original and save the new version with the same name. In such a case, if Dropbox detects the deletion and syncs it, the link will change.

Only when a file is directly overwritten will the link remain the same as it was.

[filkin]

Thanks Rich... I'll go with instructions to always overwrite then.  Appreciate you responding.

I do think it would be a neat feature to be able to set a static link, a bit like a url shortner.

[Rich]

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@filkin wrote:

I do think it would be a neat feature to be able to set a static link, a bit like a url shortner.

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Dropbox used to have a link shortener using the domain db.tt but they eliminated that feature many years ago.

[Barbara D.1]

I always save my updated files from within Adobe. Use the same process every time. And sometimes the link changes, and other times it doesn't. I cannot seem to figure out why. I never delete the original file. Any suggestions?

[Rich]

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@Barbara D.1 wrote:

I always save my updated files from within Adobe. Use the same process every time. And sometimes the link changes, and other times it doesn't. I cannot seem to figure out why. I never delete the original file. Any suggestions?

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When saving a file, some applications will first delete the original file and then save a new copy with the same name. This isn't anything you're doing, but how some applications save files. If Dropbox is fast enough to detect the deletion, the link to the file will change.

Perhaps try pausing the Dropbox sync while you're working on a file and see if the link still changes after the file is saved and you resume syncing.