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Email files to your Dropbox
- jrnkntl 16y agoThis is a great use of the API. Altho I wish the Dropbox team themselves would come with this option due to obvious security/privacy concerns (despite http://sendtodropbox.com/legal http://sendtodropbox.com/legal)
- MikeCapone 16y agoIndeed. I wouldn't use it unless it was an encrypted file, just because of those security concerns.
- telemachos 16y agoNicely designed site, and the ability to modify the file structure is a very nice touch. Thanks. Just thought of a question: how does the app deal if you resend an item of the same name, but with internal changes? Does it reject the upload? Put it copy the new over the old? Rename? (I'm going to test myself, but I'm also curious what you think it should do.) I know that Dropbox can support changes, but I'm not sure how much of the API is available to developers. Final update: revised files are handled perfectly (i.e., the item is updated with the same name and versions are available through Dropbox itself). Lovely.
- pibefision 16y agoWhy dropbox did not implemented something like this? Any idea?
- bruceboughton 16y agoFeatures do not simply exist by virtue of their possibility.
- pibefision 16y agoThanks! :) I need to drink more mvp kool aid asap! :)
- paulgb 16y agoNice quip but it doesn't answer the question. Dropbox has a good-sized engineering team and this is a feature useful enough that a third-party has implemented it for them. I would be very surprised if this was not a feature that Dropbox has discussed internally. So asking why they didn't do it is a reasonable question, even if the real answer is "they didn't get around to it yet".
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- endtime 16y agoI thought the implied answer was, "They didn't think of it." not "they didn't get around to it yet".
- paulgb 16y agoUsually it is, but in this case, I would bet money that Dropbox has floated the idea internally.
- treblig 16y agoThey had to've. In fact, Drew cited the following in his YC app: # What are people forced to do now because what you plan to make doesn't exist yet? Email themselves attachments. http://files.dropbox.com/u/2/app.html http://files.dropbox.com/u/2/app.html
- paulgb 16y agoThanks, good to know my money is safe :-)
- johnswamps 16y agohttps://www.dropbox.com/votebox/20/email-files-to-dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/votebox/20/email-files-to-dropbox It's one of the most requested features on dropbox, but isn't one of the "in progress" features.
- badcarl 16y agoThey have a feature voting system called Votebox under which emailing files to dropbox is highly requested with 19,874 votes. You have to be logged in to dropbox to access it: https://www.dropbox.com/votebox/20/email-files-to-dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/votebox/20/email-files-to-dropbox
- kwamenum86 16y agoIt is a non-trivial problem. Emails can be spoofed pretty easily. Could open up security vulnerabilities.
- faramarz 16y agoCongratulations.. You're Hired!
- 1tw 16y agoSee also: http://gethabilis.com/ http://gethabilis.com/
- edanm 16y agoNice, but sendtodropbox.com one looks more professional (e.g. better design).
- edanm 16y agoMy immediate reaction after using this: "Wow, Dropbox just became even more awesome". Great to have a program which gets such feelings of love from me.
- mcantor 16y agoFor a long time, the only two applications I loved this much were vim and Photoshop. Now there are three.
- euroclydon 16y agohttp://wiki.dropbox.com/DropboxAddons/MailDrop http://wiki.dropbox.com/DropboxAddons/MailDrop
- jfarmer 16y agoMailDrop doesn't work quite the same way. In fact, MailDrop is rather strange. This is my understanding from reading that link -- I hadn't heard about it before. First, I have to download an executable, so it's Windows-only. Second, it needs access to an IMAP account I control. Those are both strange design decisions, IMO. What is it doing? Scanning my mailbox, downloading the attachments, and then placing them in my Dropbox folder to sync? If I only want emails in the "Dropbox" label/folder to get sent to my Dropbox account then I can just configure my mail client to forward all matching emails. That seems easier on several levels. It's easier for the developer, because they don't have to manage downloadable software, versioning, etc. and it's easier for the end user because they don't need to download anything and don't need to grant access to their mail account. The only way these design decisions make sense, IMO, is if this app was written before the Dropbox API, which may very well be the case. But now they should do it the sane way. :)
- clemesha 16y agoDoes dropbox.com take offense (legally or otherwise?) that this app has the exact string "dropbox" in it's name? EDIT: I'm interested in the trademark implications mostly, are there any?
- asmithmd1 16y agoThis is very cool, I just tried it and it works as advertised. But what is going on with the DropBox API? They have changed it around to require pre-approval: "At this time, only mobile apps that run natively on the device are being approved" https://www.dropbox.com/developers/announcements/6 https://www.dropbox.com/developers/announcements/6 The documentation on how to do the OAuth authorization is missing -- just the mobile method is up. And this kind of documentation does not exactly inspire confidence: "Remember, if you ever feel you need to store their password, then you are doing it wrong. Very wrong. Storing passwords is evil, and makes us hate you" Why not explain that if a user changes passwords your app will stop working. Why not respond with a .png of a CAPTCHA when authenticating with a password?