Linking to a file in the drive

Version 10.1 by chaney08 on 2022/01/25 16:26

Avoid sharing links into the Drive that contain /lib/ in the URL (https://drive.ebrains.eu/lib/...). This is done by people who simply copy the URL from their browser page, typically from OnlyOffice. These URLs work most of the time but have a known issue when referenced in a Word document and accessed from Microsoft Word (not OnlyOffice).

To link to a file in the Drive, click on the button as shown below.

image-20220125161720-1.png

Clicking on this "Share" will cause a popup to appear that will allow you to create multiple different types of links.

If you click on "Share" for a file, you will get the following popup:

image-20220125162218-2.png

The "Share Link" generates a public link. A public link makes the file accessible in read-only mode to anyone. Even someone with write permission in the collab will only have read access to the file if it is accessed via this link.

The "Internal Link" generates a smart link. A smart link can be clicked and the file is accessible to those with corresponding read or write permissions in the collab.

If you click on "Share" for a folder and not a file, you will see a third option "Upload link". This link will allow anyone you send the link to upload a document that will be placed in the selected folder.

WARNING: creating a public link to a folder makes all of its content accessible to users who have the link.

When sharing a smart link or public link with users, consider also indicating the URL of the collab's Drive (e.g. https://wiki.ebrains.eu/bin/view/Collabs/mycollab/Drive) because it cannot be determined from the smart link or the public link. That is the URL that the "Drive" entry points to from the collab wiki's navigation panel, and the URL displayed in your browser after having clicked on that Drive link.

wiki_drive_url.png

Avoid sharing the URL displayed in your browser from a Drive window because that URL is specific to your role in the collab and therefore may not be accessible to other users of the same collab.

Links do not follow files when they are renamed or moved. However, if you delete a file called test.docx and upload another document with the name test.docx, the created link will still work and will point to the newer file.