The Desktop App now allows you to set up connected folders. Connected folders are any folders stored on your computer that are kept in sync with specified folders in the cloud. Setting up connected folders is particularly useful for linking library folders such as your Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and Downloads folders with folders in the cloud. Any changes between the folder on the hard drive or the corresponding folders in the cloud are kept in sync in real time.
Learn more about the benefits of connected folders and the top five reasons to set up them up for your users in our Community post.
Set up Connected Folders
Starting from version 3.3 of the Desktop App, you can add or remove connected folders using the command-line tool supplied with the application.
Here's an example of setting up a connected folder connecting C:\Users\%username%\Desktop with a folder called ‘Desktop’ in the user’s private folder using -a and -r to specify the local and cloud paths, respectively (drive label is assumed to be ‘selkirk’ for the example):
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Egnyte Connect\EgnyteClient.exe" -command connect_folder -l selkirk -a "C:\Users\%username%\Desktop" -r "/Private/::egnyte_username::/Desktop"
::egnyte_username:: can be used as a placeholder for the Egnyte username. This is useful when connecting a folder to a location inside the user’s Private folder.
Below is an example of disconnecting a folder using the -rm option:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Egnyte Connect\EgnyteClient.exe" -command connect_folder -l selkirk -rm "C:\Users\%username%\Desktop"
Here's an example of setting up a connected folder connecting a local folder ~/Movies with an Egnyte folder called ‘Movies’ under the Private folder (drive label is assumed to be ‘egnyte’ for the example):
egnytecli connected-folders add egnyte ~/Movies /Private/::egnyte_username::/Movies
In Windows, %username% will resolve in the currently logged in users' space. In Mac, a ~/ will achieve the same thing.
::egnyte_username:: can be used as a placeholder for the Egnyte username. This is useful when connecting a folder to a location inside the user’s Private folder.
View Connected Folders
To see what folders are connected for a specific drive, open the Advanced view.
Then, open the Connected Folders tab.
Recommendations and Supported Configurations
- Connected folders can only be set up through the command-line tool. Any user can set this up on their own, or Admins can set it up through Mass Deployment.
- Only folders in internal hard drives or partitions should be used to set up connected folders. Folders in external hard drives, network shares, USBs, SD cards, or any other storage locations outside of internal hard drives are NOT supported.
- If using connected folders to sync user's library folders (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.), we recommend connecting to a location within the user's Private folder in the cloud to ensure sufficient permissions exist to keep content in sync.
- If you are currently using Desktop Sync to redirect users library folders to the cloud, we recommend uninstalling Desktop Sync before installing and setting up connected folders on the Desktop App. This will prevent any unintended conflicts in two different sync engines synchronizing the same content.
- The automatic locking mechanism will not take effect when accessing content from the connected folder on the hard drive. However, automatic locking will still take place when accessing the same folder from inside the drive added by the Desktop App.
- You can use extension filtering rules and permissions to control what is synchronized from connected folders.
- If you move, rename, or delete a connected folder locally, the corresponding folder in the cloud is not deleted, but the link is broken.
Deleting files or sub-folders inside the connected folder will delete the corresponding files or sub-folders in the cloud.
- If you move, rename, or delete a connected folder in the cloud, the Desktop App will attempt to re-create the folder in the same location. If re-creating the folder is not possible (i.e., due to permissions), the link between the local folder and the cloud folder is broken, and content in the local folder will remain.
- Connected folders are not deleted from the machine when a remote wipe is triggered.
- You can still set up connected folders if the ability to sync content for offline access is turned off.
