Dropbox Is Adding Folders That Will Automatically Organize For You (theverge.com) 23
Dropbox is adding a feature that will let you add automation to folders so new files are automatically renamed, grouped into subfolders, or more. The Verge reports: The feature is called, perhaps unsurprisingly, Automated Folders, and Dropbox says it can help you (and any co-workers you share files with) stay organized with standardized names and tags. The automation you add to folders can be configured with various rules, so you can tell the system to rename any files you add to the folder following a certain pattern or to sort them into subfolders based on the date the file was uploaded to Dropbox. The rules are currently predefined, but Dropbox says it's working to make the system more customizable.
Dropbox has also added a new tagging system, letting you add words to files and folders (either manually or automatically) that you can search for later. In addition to the automatic actions, Dropbox is also adding what it calls Naming Conventions and Multi-file organize actions. Naming Conventions will let you batch renamed files in a folder following a pattern that you choose -- for example, you could rename photos to have the date the picture was taken in the file name itself. The Multi-file organize feature will let you have Dropbox sort files into subfolders based on how often people make changes to them, the date they were created, and more. Dropbox says you'll be able to preview the changes before they're made, so you don't end up with files placed somewhere you won't be able to find them.
According to Dropbox, there's also a dashboard to help you manage automated folders, which could be handy if you can't remember everything that happens in your system. File automation, along with Naming Conventions and Multi-file organization, is coming first to Dropbox for Teams users starting today and will be available for people with individual or family plans "soon," according to the company.
Dropbox has also added a new tagging system, letting you add words to files and folders (either manually or automatically) that you can search for later. In addition to the automatic actions, Dropbox is also adding what it calls Naming Conventions and Multi-file organize actions. Naming Conventions will let you batch renamed files in a folder following a pattern that you choose -- for example, you could rename photos to have the date the picture was taken in the file name itself. The Multi-file organize feature will let you have Dropbox sort files into subfolders based on how often people make changes to them, the date they were created, and more. Dropbox says you'll be able to preview the changes before they're made, so you don't end up with files placed somewhere you won't be able to find them.
According to Dropbox, there's also a dashboard to help you manage automated folders, which could be handy if you can't remember everything that happens in your system. File automation, along with Naming Conventions and Multi-file organization, is coming first to Dropbox for Teams users starting today and will be available for people with individual or family plans "soon," according to the company.
Going backwards? (Score:2)
Isn't the advent of freeform long filenames supposed to liberate the user from restricted 8.3 or other rigid naming conventions.
I used to work with some old timers, and they were in the habit of referring to code or algorithms by three digit decimal numbers. One gets the sense they used to name all their files with numerical designations and kept a paper ledger of what was what.
This seems like it moves the needle back in that direction. If the new tags and naming schemes are only accessible via cli and not
Re: (Score:1)
Where does TFA mention 8.3, or say that it will impose something stupid like Microsoft's idea that all docs should be stored in Documents and all pics in Pictures, even when any somewhat organized user might want to store all files related to a certain product or event in one folder, doc or pic be damned?
As long as the owner of the folder can freely decide to impose whatever rule (s)he wants to be applicable to that folder, I'm all for it. If I want, for instance, to store minutes of a weekly meeting all
Like Libraries? (Score:5, Insightful)
Windows tried to solve the problem of users not knowing where their files are using Libraries. It just makes the problem worse. This looks a lot like libraries: organization is hard, make it opaque, now it's hard AND unpredictable AND confusing.
Fix what's broken first (Score:3)
They can't ever fix the core issues, can they? (Score:1)
How about the LONG suggested but always ignored idea to check free disk space on a PC before allowing users to sync enough content to almost completely fill the drive and stop the OS from functioning properly anymore? Is it SO hard to support disk quotas?
And how about a migration tool for corporate customers who want to migrate data, wholesale, off Dropbox for Teams to another location? (Yeah, I know... DropBox doesn't care because they've love to make your life hell if you ever decide to stop paying them
Re: (Score:2)
On-demand syncing fixes it (which is a mechanism built in to Windows now). You don't need disk quotas, because you don't need to store it all locally.
re: on-demand syncing (Score:2)
Except it really doesn't.... Imagine someone in your department shares a whole folder of media content with you, because "You'll need all of this to edit it and work with it during your business trip you're about to go on." You accept the shared folder and double-click on the big 4K res main video clip you need to look at. Turns out it's huge and now you're out of disk space.
If DropBox was tracking your free space and knew to throw an error box about being too low on storage if you accepted the share, yo
Re: re: on-demand syncing (Score:2)
Ideally, it would offload other files to make room. It would definitely only download the one file. But the even better move is to log in on the web for that. You can stream the huge file without downloading at all. And you can play instantly.
Dropbox is just not a good solution for large media files anyway. Bad tool for that job. Not even sure if it only transfers changed blocks if you edit just part of a huge file.
Rules? No thanks! (Score:2)
As a longtime GMail user, I've gotten to the point that I hate filing my emails (or files). Just let my archive a message (or file) when I've received it, and then search for it when I want it.
Sometimes managing the rules is harder than just manually filing things.
Re: (Score:2)
I flag emails for followup as they come in. Very little ever gets deleted or archived or moved. Available storage space has grown far faster than my inbox size. Search is still perfectly fast.
Not "for" you. Instead of you. (Score:1)
Current thinking: is Dropbox secure? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
It depends on your threat model. If you mean general website security to protect you from random people accessing your stuff: they probably keep their stuff patched and they're generally okay lately, but they've had password leaks, excess retention, and other problems.
If you're concerned about keeping your data private from Dropbox employees, nosy governments, data spills, etc: no, they don't have end-to-end encryption. They are not secure at all in this regard.
Re: (Score:2)
Stop! (Score:2)
Just stop trying to think you know more than the user. It's bad enough we have to put up with shitty automatic gearing in cars because the programmers who wrote the code have never driven a car in their life, the last thing we want is scatter-brained cockwarts thinking they know better than user how things should be organized.
Stop doing things! You know how we tell kids to sit and be quiet, the same here. Do nothing unless the user tells you to do it. Stay out of the user's way.
Re: (Score:2)
Stick it up, Dropbox (Score:3)
Of course they will auto organize themselves (Score:2)
Sound familiar?
Can't wait! (Score:2)
What, no AI? (Score:2)
Surely this application just cries out for some bot to crawl all through your files and sort them by quality ...
(That's sarcasm, in case you missed it.)
Wow, that's a "feature" I'll never want. (Score:2)
Files that move around when my back is turned. That sounds like a recipe for making sure I'll never be able to find anything ever again.
Re: (Score:2)
If these were treated like database "views" it might be ok. As in, the file never moves but a virtual folder structure will show them in organized form. Some of my stuff is extremely organized, but a lot isn't at all.