Where's all the links (green ticks) gone?

[Chris R.]

I know that the end of Public folder support is from today, but ALL links from my Dropbox folder have now gone. I can't share a file from ANYWHERE in the folder. There are NO green ticks.

I've quit Dropbox and relaunched - still no ticks. What [removed by moderator] is going on???

(Mac OS X Mavericks)

[Mark · Accepted solution]

I'm not wrong at all. See https://www.dropbox.com/help/9199 'Symlinks' section for at least one page where they say you need the original files in the Dropbox folder and links elsewhere. Just because its 'worked until now' doesnt mean it was supposed to.

And yes. Reinstalling will keep all safe.

[Chris R.]

That article is NOT the article I read years ago, explaining how to set up and use symlinks.

FYI there is various data that MUST NOT be moved from outside its expected location, e.g. Safari folder or Contacts, etc. That is why the whole symlink thing was set up by Dropbox in the first place, so that users could sync stuff to their Dropbox folder without having to move it there.

Also FYI, whenever I've changed data that has a symlink to the Dropbox folder, I've seen the 'activity icon' in the menubar showing that DB is sync'ing. And then there is a message saying it's done it.

So please don't tell your grandmother to suck eggs. You may be a Super User (soi-disant) but you seem to know diddley squat about how users have successfully used their Dropboxes. Now, if you can't actually be useful, please pass this onto a different "Super User" (or better still) a Dropboxer who knows what they're talking about. Thank you.

[Chris R. · Accepted solution]

Ok, I downloaded the new Dropbox (it's always done this automatically - why did it suddenly STOP today?) and now I have my green ticks back.

You did, after all, have a solution that worked for me. For that I thank you.

But why oh why did you have to complicate matters with all that nonsense about symlinks? They work, they've always worked, they continue to work. Let's leave it there.

[Rich]

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Chris R. wrote:
But why oh why did you have to complicate matters with all that nonsense about symlinks? They work, they've always worked, they continue to work. Let's leave it there.

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Because Dropbox does not, never has, and likely never will, officially support them. They have been know to cause many issues for many people, and it would be a disservice to not warn you about that so one day in the future, IF they stop working completely, you'll know why.

[Jane]

Hey Chris R., 

Thanks for your cooperation!

It is my understanding that this is no longer an issue after the re-installation. 

Moreover, As @Mark and @Rich have already pointed out, please note that Symlinks do not work well with Dropbox and we ask that users remove them, in order for the service to function as expected. 

Other than that, if this has not been resolved, please bear in mind that I can see that my colleague has reached back out to you and requested more information. Can you please check your email inbox for their reply and let me know here if you're unable to locate it? 

If you need me to clarify anything else, please feel free to reach out to me here!

Kind regards, 

JaneA

[Chris R.]

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@JaneA wrote:

Hey @Chris R., 

 ............... 

Moreover, As @Mark and @Rich have already pointed out, please note that Symlinks do not work well with Dropbox and we ask that users remove them, in order for the service to function as expected. 

 ...............

Kind regards, 

JaneA

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This baffles me completely. It was through Dropbox's own Knowledge Base that I first found out about symlinks some years ago, and used them in the way your Knowledge Base described.

The reason for the original article still applies : there are items in my computer's system that must not be moved from their proper location, Safari bookmarks and Address Book's database being two. Symlinks in the DB folder are the way I can sync these online if I make any changes to them, as I frequently do. Dropbox has never had any problem doing this (though I don't check the actual data in my online DB account to make sure) so I will continue to do this as it's the ONLY way I can keep certain essential system files backed up in my online DB.