Sharing files with the help of cloud services has never been easier, and recently, Dropbox announced a new feature that makes it even simpler. While the overall process is quite simple, let’s get that clear first so we can then discover how to make the best use of it.
Begin
The process begins by logging into your Dropbox account on the web. On the left, you should now see a new option for File Request. Clicking on it will give you the option to Create a File Request.
When you click that, you’ll be greeted with a dialog box prompting you to enter the name of the file you’re requesting. Dropbox will suggest creating a new folder to put this file in, although you can choose an existing folder to add this file to.
Next, Dropbox will fetch the URL that was generated for this particular request. You can copy-paste the link into any other IM (Instant Messaging) or mail client, or simply enter the email address of the person with said file and Dropbox will notify them.
Note: You can even integrate your own address book to enter email ids here, which is more convenient, especially when you are sending the same request to multiple people.
Copying and pasting the URL is a much simpler process, but entering the email id will email the person with the options shown below.
After the user clicks the Upload File option, it will open the Dropbox website with a prompt to upload the file.
Whether the user has a Dropbox account or not, they can still upload files, however the user still get a prompt to enter their first and last name along with their email id. This seems like an unnecessary step to take, especially considering the next cheeky screen users will get, which will be to sign up for Dropbox if they don’t have an account on it.
That’s it. The person who had to upload the file has now completed its work, and the person requesting the file will receive an email confirmation that the file has been received, with a direct link to the file in question.
But, is it really useful?
Ah, yes, that’s the real question here. I feel that this feature is definitely useful for people who are working on any collaborative project that involves delegated work to many different people. If you do not have all the information for the task assigned to you, simply request the files that you feel will be useful to complete the assigned task. Moreover, it will also help those of you who want to share photos/videos from their device for the party they attend.
Even teachers can collect assignments from all their students using this feature as there is no limit on the number of request recipients.
Helpful tips: If you want to recover accidentally deleted (or modified) files on Dropbox, we’ll assist you there too.
Avoid clutter, arrange neatly
It may happen in the near future when you’ve been using this feature for a while and keep adding folder names to newer tasks. This simply adds more clutter to your Dropbox account, especially considering that files added by default will be in the File Requests folder.
To avoid this, use existing folders you may have on your Dropbox account that are already associated with the projects you’re working on.
If you want images/videos from a group of files to add to your collection, however, it’s best not to add it to the Camera Uploads folder as this won’t help you clearly distinguish between other photos and your photo for a particular item. event. You can sort by datetime, but that’s not the ultimate solution. In such cases, it would be better to specify a new folder and even add your local photos/videos to this collection.
You might as well create a useful IFTTT recipe that not only helps you stay organized but also automates most things for you.
Avoid clutter, stay well organized | shutter
Endgame
Looks like Dropbox added this feature to appeal to more users who might see how easy it is to share files via the cloud with multiple users. However, there is no doubt that it is a useful feature that will greatly improve the lives of people working on collaborative projects with dozens of files that need to be shared.
While email is no longer effective, IM services have limitations, such as backing up shared files. Additionally, there are other services that integrate well with Dropbox, giving you even more options to explore.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
