Task attachments - Links to online files vs uploading them to Asana

English Forum Tips and Tricks
1

Hi there,

I recently noticed that the way files are attached to tasks changed. Originally you were able to choose whether you wanted to upload a file to Asana or whether you wanted to link an online version of a file to a task - e.g. a Dropbox file.

If you just linked an online version, you were able to click on the link in the task and that link took you to your Dropbox were you were able to work on that file. Which was great, because that way everyone would use the same file to work on and it was always up to date.

Now, if you attach a file (via Dropbox for example) it still creates a link in the task, but once you click on it you download the file. Which leaves you with a copy which might not be the most recent file. And if you work on it, nobody will see your changes unless you upload it to the task again.

This is not ideal for companies that collaborate on files. I would like to know whether this is a bug or an intentional change. And if so, why this was changed. Maybe there is a different way to achieve what we tried to do before now, but currently it creates a lot of extra work.

2

Hi @Alessandra_Morisse :wave: I’m really sorry for the trouble!

This issue was indeed related to a technical connection we recently had between Dropbox and Asana. Unfortunately, this caused Dropbox files attached to Asana tasks to be created with data that we could not use to create thumbnail previews or permanent, sharable links. The good news is that our engineers have now fixed the issue and any new Dropbox attachments should be preview-able and link correctly to your file in Dropbox. You should be able to resolve this issue by taking these steps:

  1. Open the task you made the attachment to
  2. Hover over the name of the attachment you previously added (just below where your task’s description and projects are shown) and click the “x” icon to delete the attachment
  3. Re-attach the file from Dropbox using the paper clip icon in the upper right corner of your task’s details pane.

Sincere apologies for the inconvenience! Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with!

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3

Is this the same process that would be used with Sharepoint? Or is this just specific to DropBox?