New URLs for shared links affecting 3rd party integrations

[BenDBX]

Hi Everybody,

I’ve started this thread so that we can focus the discussion around the recent change in URL structure that has impacted our users’ ability to create shared links. This thread is dedicated to the effects of this change on 3rd party integrations, including apps and websites.

You will notice that I’ve moved comments related to integrations from the original thread (which can be found here) to this thread.

I have no news at this time, but we will update this thread when we have more to share. We encourage everybody to continue the discussion and ask any questions here.

Regards,

Ben

[lisadbx]

Thanks for reporting the issue in Safari. It looks like Safari is treating each dropboxuserconent.com url as a unique URL and not allowing you to whitelist the entire domain. We will investigate this issue. 

[dbwiddis]

Have been fighting with the new links for a few days now and just found this thread.  Read through it and didn't see my particular issue mentioned so will add it here.

I collaborate with others on a website, where we periodically update images on a shared Dropbox folder.  I'm a Pro user, the others are individual users.

Up until a few days ago we could copy the shared URL (the /s/ linked ones), change the dl=0 to raw=1, and have the images appear on our site; any of the three of us could save-as to overwrite the same link and it would remain the same.

We can still each individually edit and save the same file and keep our same link, however, whenever a different person overwrites these shared images, the link changes, making it unusuable (without changing the link as well).

This completely ruins our collaboration workflow. 

I'm hoping this is unintended behavior and will be corrected as part of other issues discussed in this thread.

I'd understand if you wanted to take this sharing feature away from free users, but preventing Pro users from collaborating on shared images is definitely not "pro".  If the ability to collaborate without changing links is not restored I will definitely not renew my Pro subscription.

[Justin P.2]

@lisadbx

The only investigation needed is to undo this terrible new change. Otherwise, you’ve just lost a 15+ year pro/business user.

[laurelridge_edu]

We are experiencing the same thing on our website. We often use Dropbox links for posting public PDF files that are frequently updated.

Here was a previous example under the old link structure that worked fine: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ay786u51b2t4zml/Fauquier%20Campus%20-%20Fauquier%20Trades%20Center%20-%20M...

However now when we create links they include the additional "rlkey" information at the end: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yo7hfqemkiaw86rd9hj8g/23-LAUREL-RIDGE-053-National-Night-Out-Flyer.pd... 

Whenever a file like that is revised and replaced on Dropbox, it completely breaks the previous link that was shown on our website. Under the old link structure it simply displayed the new file. 

Dropbox please fix this!

[lisadbx]

@dbwiddis @laurelridge_edu can you provide more information on how other users are editing the file? If they delete the file and add a new one with the same name, then links will break, since we consider the previous filed deleted at that point. We can't simply assume that you meant for the old link to point to the new file. Imagine if user1 deleted a file, and later user2 added a file with the same name: now it would be unsafe to allow the original link to continue pointing to the new file since it's not clear if user2 meant to share the new file. 

If users are using an editor and doing a simple "Save As", then the link should still work. 

[laurelridge_edu]

Okay apparently I mis-spoke as simply over-writing the file (via Mac Finder) retains the link. We never delete and replace the file...we simply save over it. Thank you for clarifying! 

[Rusty Smokers]

I have also problems with the new links
I host a custom map for rust and with the new links the game server dont starts anymore
It download not the complete file
More rust server owners have this problem after the link changes to the new system

[dbwiddis]

@lisadbx We are using a generated image in Microsoft Excel.

We are using right click - save as.

We each see different share links in our own Dropbox folders. One user is still seeing the old legacy /s/ links, the other two of us are seeing the new links but with different keys.

Each of us can individually save as… and the link stays the same but when we edit an image someone else has edited our own share link takes over.

[Justin P.2]

It's incredible to see how much damage this update that nobody asked for has done.

Dropbox needs to fix this ASAP and by fix it, I mean revert to the way it used to work.

Half-assed workarounds are not a solution. This is a bad idea and it's affecting a lot of people's work, business, and wasting people's time.

Dropbox was once awesome and I never had to visit these forums because it just worked, but year after it just gets worse and worse from bad ideas that people who don't actually use Dropbox to run their businesses.

[lisadbx]

@Rusty Smokers 

Have you tried changing the "dl=0" in the url to "raw=1"? The "dl=0" indicates a non direct download link.