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Dropbox Link Broken When Overwriting File
Hello
I've been having problems lately when overwriting files on Dropbox. It used to be that when I'd overwrite a PDF exported from Indesign, the file location and link would stay persistent. B...
This is also happening to me and I've been scouring these threads for answers. I work on a Mac and primarily share files created with Adobe programs like Illustrator and Photoshop. My primary reason for using dropbox is that I can email or share a dropbox link, and then can edit the file and save within illustrator or photoshop and the link remains the same for the end user. I constantly use keyboard shortcuts within my software to save while editing, so exporting the file and then uploading to dropbox online is simply not an acceptable solution. I've tried the work-around of exporting and dragging the file with the same name into the folder, but that doesn't work either. Even if it did, it's far too cumbersome to be helpful.
Here's a step by step example of how it happened today...
- I was chatting with my boss and dropped a link for him to view a file "Beast Apparel.pdf"
- After putting the link in the chat, I clicked on it to make sure it was live and review. The link worked fine, but I noticed a small error. I still had the file open in adobe, so I very quickly made the edit and used the shortcut to save the file.
- Minutes later my boss says "dropbox says your file was deleted"
- I copy the dropbox link again and sure enough, it's different
This is a HUGE issue for me. I have hundreds of shared file links across google spreadsheets, Asana (used for project management), in emails, etc, etc, etc...if all of these links break every time I edit and save, I will have to find an alternate solution to dropbox.
Has any solution been found?
Rich
Super User II
Super User II
tmccoy09 wrote:
...I still had the file open in adobe, so I very quickly made the edit and used the shortcut to save the file. ... "dropbox says your file was deleted"
The problem you're having is that Dropbox will delete the link to a file if the file is deleted. From your perspective the file isn't being deleted, but it probably is; you just don't see it. Whether or not that's happening depends on how the application is saving the file.
When saving over an existing file, many applications will first delete the original file and then save the updated file with the same name. Many Adobe products are known to work this way.
If Dropbox is fast enough to see that the original file is deleted, that deletion is synced to your account and the file and link are deleted. Adobe then saves the new file in its place and Dropbox syncs that as though it's a new file.
Try this. Exit the Dropbox application or pause syncing, then make a change to an existing file that has a link established for it and save the file. After the save is done, launch Dropbox or resume syncing. Give it a moment to detect the changes and sync the file, then test the link.
So I knew the deleting files thing was happening...interestingly enough, I did some more testing and it seems NOT to occur when saving .ai files, but does when I save as a .pdf . I primarily use .pdf because it doesn't change the editing experience for me, and is accepted across a wider range of applications. Plus the .ai scares off my co-workers even when it's pdf compatible...
I tested out the "do not sync" button in my right click file dropdown, then saved my pdf file while using illustrator as normal. Interestingly, the file re-syncs right after saving, but the share link STAYS THE SAME. So you're right, it's definitely the speed of the dropbox sync that detects the deleted file...
I can try to remember to always unsync when saving my files...this is better than the online upload alternative, but still pretty annoying. Any idea why this was not happening for years and years and suddenly became an issue? Also I wonder if dropbox could somehow program a short delay in syncing, or delay the deletion of links when a file is deleted to see if one with the exact same path and name pops back up in a millisecond. That's above my pay grade, but I'd love a solution that doesn't rely on my remembering to unsync or whatever before every file edit / save.
Aaaaaand now after messing with this for literally hours today, I am no longer able to replicate the issue. I think my "fix" had something to do with messing with my file finder settings of "show all file extensions". My only guess is somehow the extension was getting written into the name and causing a delete > new file issue? No idea, but no matter how hard I try, I now can't break the links simply by saving alone.
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