Internal / private link

[tobiasKaminsky]

• Android @tobiasKaminsky
• Desktop @camilasan
• iOS @marinofaggiana
• Server @nextcloud/server-triage

There is a feature request to have the internal/private link (clipboard on the right) also on android.

I discussed this with Jan and he is not very satisfied about the current situation.
Also Marie mentioned that she by accident copied this link to another person and this one could not open the file (as not shared and not even on server).

So, how could this get improved? Once we have a decision, this can also be done the same on all clients.

@nextcloud/designers
@marinofaggiana
@camilasan: newest 2.5.0 has this in option menu: "copy private link" / "copy public link"

[MorrisJobke]

cc @rullzer @nickvergessen

[jancborchardt]

We need to reduce the confusion and get rid of this link distinction:

• We should get rid of the extra "internal link", especially because the icon is being confused for being an actual link
• The link in "Sharing" could just be enabled when you click "Copy" for the first time or open the 3-dot menu, no distinction needed for the first one you create.
• When you share any link to a file or folder with someone who has an account on that instance, they will see their general logged-in view instead of the share link view.

What do you think?

[jancborchardt]

Also ref issue on Android: nextcloud/android#795

[juliusknorr]

We should get rid of the extra "internal link", especially because the icon is being confused for being an actual link
The link in "Sharing" could just be enabled when you click "Copy" for the first time or open the 3-dot menu, no distinction needed for the first one you create.

There is still a use-case for the internal link. Users want to share a file with a user (not via a share link) and then use the internal link as a reference in emails/chat/any other communication.

When you share any link to a file or folder with someone who has an account on that instance, they will see their general logged-in view instead of the share link view.

👍 That would be a nice improvement. You should not end up on a public page for a file if you are logged in and can access it though the regular files app.

[jancborchardt]

There is still a use-case for the internal link. Users want to share a file with a user (not via a share link) and then use the internal link as a reference in emails/chat/any other communication.

Yes, I get the use-case of the internal link. But doing it via a share link which automatically detects if the user viewing it has an account fulfills the case much more seamlessly, while not messing with the overall UX.

[tobiasKaminsky]

The only downside with this is that you have to create a new share link, explicitly for this user. You cannot "randomly" use the same link for many users:

• I write a mail to whole company and want to show my cool xmas tree
• I now can put it in a company-wide shared folder and link to the file

How would I do this then?

(overall I really like the idea that server is smart and handles sharing for you, like it is now with sharing, where you get one contact and not 3-4x the same contact, but with different sharing methods)

[jancborchardt]

@tobiasKaminsky I'm not sure I understand it –why wouldn't you be able to use the same link for many people, whether they are on the Nextcloud or not?

[juliusknorr]

You might want to share a private link without creating a public share link.

[jancborchardt]

You might want to share a private link without creating a public share link.

Yes, but my point is that a "Share link" is not "Public" as it’s not guessable.

If that’s not the case, then I have another proposal (mockup):

Yes I know it adds yet another entry there, but it’s way better than having the "copy" icon so present on the top as it is right now. Also we have Share menu cleanup #12178 to rework the menu entries.

And the idea is that if you send the link to someone who has an account (or maybe even who via a different link has different permissions), they will be presented with the "highest" view possible to them. So if you paste an internal link on a forum, no one will see anything. But at the same time, if one of the collaborators on a folder opens a "Read-only" link, they will see their logged in view where they have all permissions.

[tobiasKaminsky]

why wouldn't you be able to use the same link for many people, whether they are on the Nextcloud or not?

Hm. This might work, so I can just create a "public share link" and if someone on the same cloud is following the link, then he would not see the "public share page", but instead the regular cloud view with the desired file.

Then I guess, people might get confused. Especially if you create this link as readonly, but users on the same cloud can edit it (as their share is editable).

(maybe I am thinking too complicated)

(( merry xmas ))

[jospoortvliet]

People can essentially already just copy the url in the browser to get the 'private' link, right?

Now we can have multiple links (and hopefully soon name them) it might make sense to have a 'internal' link on top of the list... It is annoying that it takes a spot but it is less confusing for users.

Of course, at the same time, we should let public links work smarter - as in, automatically become interal share links for logged in users if a file is already shared or allow users to make it a share in one click.

[jancborchardt]

Alright, so who is up for working on the implementation? @juliushaertl @skjnldsv @violoncelloCH @kevgathuku maybe? ;) No rush, we could also set it to 17.