Most of you must be familiar with
email filtering rules
Allows your email client to scan all incoming messages and move them to the respective folders. How
simple and organized
does it create your mailboxes and tasks? A lot, right?
I wish there was a Magic Folder on Windows (specifically when right-clicking Send to menu item) so we can define rules for files and folders there. Then if we want to move any file or folder we just send that file or folder to Magic Folder and it will take the file from there i.e it will move the file/folder to the respective destination.
You’ll be happy to know that, if not on Windows, you can at least do this on Dropbox. Yes, this is possible, and Sortbox is a service that works with Dropbox to make this possible. Let us look at the details.
Steps to create a filter rule for Dropbox
Step 1: First and foremost, you will have to register with Sortbox. It’s simple, just browse to its web service and sign in with your Dropbox account.
Step 2: Next, you need to give Sortbox permission so that it can access your Dropbox profile i.e. files and folders. They claim that your credentials are encrypted and they don’t store your files.
Immediately after logging in, you’ll see a note mentioning that a folder named Sortbox has been created in your Dropbox account (actually, this is the Magic Folder we’re talking about).
Step 3: By default, you will see three filter rules created as an example. You can delete them and/or keep them as references and add new ones (as per your requirement).
Again, you can refer to the image below or visit this page (and read What sort options do I have?) to understand the rules and templates you can create.
Step 4: Now, open your Dropbox folder and paste any file or folder into the Sortbox folder. If it matches the rules, it will be migrated accordingly (checked/refreshed every 15 minutes and not customizable). If not, it will still be there.
Make it more efficient
Well, even though you already have a Magic Folder in place, you will always have to open your Dropbox location and find the Sortbox folder to move files/folders. This is as good as finding the desired folder and moving the necessary ones directly. Why go through the pain of doing what was explained then?
We will tell you why. You can simply add a Sortbox location (or rather a shortcut) to the Send To right-click menu. With this, it all becomes so simple and wonderful. Right click on any item and send it to the Sortbox, which in turn handles where to place it.
I’ve tried moving a few items but don’t want to wait 15 minutes just to check what happens. So I navigated to Sortbox’s web interface and ran the rules right away. This is what I was prompted (image below). I navigated back to the directories and the rules worked :).
Conclusion
I like the service and what it has to offer and using it even more effectively is up to you. The right click thing is just one example that happened to me when I was trying it out. I love the simplicity it brings. Let us know what you plan to do with it.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
