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We are using complex directory tree, shared via DropBox on Windows and Ubuntu.

Somewhere we need to refer files, placed in other folders (like Invoice_5.doc must be found under Invoices as well as under Clients/SomeName).

Before Ubuntu we were able to use .lnk files. But what is the best solution for now when we are using Ubuntu (Gnome) and Windows?

Pavel Koryagin
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2 Answers2

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It appears that if you create a file and a symbolic link on computer A, on computer B dropbox just creates two separate copies of the file. Probably not what you want.

The closest equivalent to a .lnk file in Linux is a desktop file. An example link-type .desktop file is a text file containing:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Invoice_5.doc
Type=Link
URL=file:///home/username/Dropbox/Clients/SomeName/Invoice_5.doc

All of these fields are mandatory, and the URL must conform to the file URL scheme, so only absolute paths are possible.

To automate creating such links, you'll need to look into adding a custom action to Nautilus.

Nathaniel M. Beaver
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chronitis
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Why don't you create symbolic links?

ln -s Invoices/Invoice_5.doc Client/SomeName/

will create a symbolic link in the directory Client/SomeName/ with the original remaining in Invoices/. Of course, you can do it with a Nautilus (right-click, "Make link").

However, I don't know DropBox and I do not know how DropBox treats symbolic links.

January
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