One of the most common requests/questions on internet forums seems to be "How do I send files directly to Dropbox from my iPad?" to which the answer is either (a) you can't or (b) only if the app directly supports uploading to Dropbox. For iWork users such as myself, this is a real pain, you either have to tether the iPad to a Mac/PC and use iTunes sharing or use one of the work arounds like I have previously mentioned (see my post on setting up Dropbox as WebDAV or how to get files onto my Mac for more information). Now in the last update of IOS/iWork, Apple very kindly added support for WebDAV. Unfortunately, Dropbox doesn't directly give you WebDAV access so until now, if we wanted to send files directly to Dropbox using this protocol, we had to set up a share and where really restricted to being on the same network (unless you are happy to implement port forwarding). I say up until now as last night I discover dropdav. This is a website that offers to work as a WebDAV server for you and route files straight through to Dropbox and, because it's web based, you can use it from anywhere (of course, I work in a school so I have no doubt this site will be blocked for "security" reasons!
Below is a PDF that shows you step by step how to connect and send a file straight to Dropbox.
This really is a neat service, I shall be testing it out over the next few weeks and let you know how reliable it is.
Also, a colleague of mine has managed to get WebDAV/Dropbox connection working using RM Easy Link (a system provided by a large UK school ICT provider) so hopefully I shall be able to post a how to on that quite soon as well.
Needless to say, another argument about closed systems, walled garden and Apple being the evil empire who strictly control what you can do and how you do it is dashed thanks to Apple implementing Open Standards. Now, if only they would allow music apps to save properly to the iPod app rather than just iTunes sharing!
Hope you find this useful.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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