So I wanted to invite someone to a dropbox folder the other day so we could collaborate and share stuff. I figured I would try it via the iOS app, but I'm not getting anywhere and wondering if it's just something that I'm doing wrong, or if that part of the app just isn't VoiceOver-friendly? Let me tell you guys exactly what I'm doing and maybe someone can correct me if I'm doing it wrong.
1. With the dropbox app open, I find the other actions menu and double tap on the create folder button.
2. I give the folder a name and accept that. All is good so far.
3. Now as far as I know, the only way to share the folder is go to the share button, you have to have the folder in question open to see this.
4. After double-tapping on share, I have send link, Invite people to collaborate, and close more actions menu. The most logical choice here is the invite people to collaborate button, so I double-tap on that.
5. so after I double-tap on that, it has an edit box for an email address, which I enter. I always double-check it to make sure the address is correct, which it is. If I swipe to the right, there's an element that says, these people, can edit. Double-tapping on that brings up a foler-permissions screen with 2 choices, either view or edit. So I go back to the previous screen where you have to give an email address. The upshot is that even after providing the proper email address, the invite button is dimmed. I tried pressing enter in the email address area but got a new line which makes sense, since you might want to invite several people at the same time. So, how do I get the folder invite to go through? The invite button remains dimmed even if I enter email addresses in it. Has anyone else experienced this and if so how'd you get past this bug? Thanks for any help!
Comments
inbiting in Dropbox
I haven't done this in the iOS app yet, but it sounds like you are one level too deep. Try simply selecting the folder you want to share instead of opening it. Then look for the share button and proceed.
Hth,
June
tried this, but no go
I gave what you said a try but still no dice. You have to double-tap on the folder in question first before you can share it and see those options i.e. send link invite people to collaborate, etc. So it looks like I'm out of luck with the iOS app. and the windows version of the program has taken a giant leap back in accessibility as far as sharing files and folders too, at least without visiting the dropbox website, and even then I'm not quite sure if that works reliably.
Have you tried the tripple
Have you tried the tripple tap? thats the same as the sighted double tap
Hope that helps.
Use App's Native Keyboard, Not External
Hi,
You must use the Dropbox app's own keyboard and not an external one to type email addresses, as crazy as that may sound! On the Invite People To Collaborate screen, you should see a keyboard displayed even if an external is present--if not, press Eject key or SPACE with DOTS 1-4-6 on a Braille display to show the keyboard. Use the keyboard as you normally would use a built-in touch keyboard; you should see a period and an at-sign to the right of the spacebar on this keyboard, and if you don't, this is not the app's keyboard, and you may have to turn off your external keyboard and back out of and re-enter the Invite screen to make the app's keyboard appear. Anyway, as you type the email address, you will know it's working if you touch above the keyboard and see some indication that Dropbox contacts are being searched (like searching or no Dropbox contacts found or a list of matching contacts). When you finish typing the email address, you should see the Invite button become active.
Hope that helps!
Regards,
Maria
ok, wait, i'm confused
Hi. Ok, lets back things up for a second here guys. I don't own a braille display and do not use braille at all on my iOS device. Are you saying that there's an additional keyboard that I have to use to enter the email address or something?
Are You Using A Bluetooth QWERTY Keyboard?
Hi,
You had written "press enter" in your original mail, which made me think you were using an external keyboard of some sort to interact with the app? I wasn't assuming a Braille display, just a keyboard of some sort; that's why I referenced both the Eject key if you were using a Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard or the Braille display equivalent if you had that. If that assumption is correct (i.e., if you are then using an external Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard?), I am saying not to use the external keyboard to type in the address. If I am wrong on that assumption, apologies! I use a Braille display; if I enter emails with its keyboard, the Invite button stays dimmed, but, regardless of whether my display is connected or not, if I use the touch screen to type, the Invite button becomes active once I've typed in a valid email address...
Hope that clarifies what I am trying to say...sorry for any confusion I caused!
Regards,
Maria
Don't Go Into Editing Mode
Hi,
I forgot to add: on the Invite screen, do not double-tap on the Email Address edit field to go in to editing mode before beginning to type. Even with editing mode not active, you will see the Dropbox keyboard I mentioned in my original comment appearing at the bottom of the screen. Just use that to type; you will get no VoiceOver feedback, but the input is going through. If you enter editing mode, this will not work, as you have found. So once you activate Share -- Invite People To Collaborate within a folder, literally just look for the keyboard at the bottom of the screen, type the email address, then you should see the Invite button as then being active. don't double-tap on the edit field to invoke editing mode at any point on the screen.
Hope that helps!
Regards,
Maria
still confused
Hi. Yes in my original post I mentioned using an external Bluetooth keyboard to enter the address. what's this about the app's native keyboard? Can someone please help me clear this up? Obviously this isn't helping much, I'm sorry to be a pest but I just want this to work.
still no luck
I attempted to add someone to a shared folder using the touchscreen, but still no go. The invite button remains dimmed. This is very frustrating.
maybe will will help
Hit the eject button on your external keyboard but do not double tap any edit fields. Now type in the email address and hit invite if it is not dimmed. Do not use yoru blue tooth keybaord at all or the email keyboard will not show up.
I don't use dropbox to invite people anymore so can't really help much.
eject key?
My Bluetooth keyboard does not have an eject key anywhere on it. Or at least, if it does I sure don't know where it is.
it's just not accessible, I guess
This process simply doesn't seem to be accessible with VoiceOver. It's a real bummer since you would think it's a simple edit box with an invite button. It shouldn't be this hard. I think the Applevis editorial team needs to change the app description to make it very clear that inviting people to a folder is not possible with the use of VoiceOver. To me, this is a major step back in accessibility.
The eject key is on the very
The eject key is on the very right hand corner of every blue tooth keyboard I've owned. If you dont' have one, turn the thign off, and you will see the meail keyboard, or website keyboar as I often call it.
Have you tried this with out
Have you tried this with out the use of your blue tooth keyboard? Try using th eon screen keyboard as stated.
Were you in editing mode when using touch screen?
But it should work! Were you in editing mode when you were using the touchscreen? If so, that is the problem! You need to not be in editing mode! Try this: first turn off your external keyboard to make sure that it does not connect to your iPhone just to be on the safe side. Then unlock your iPhone using the touchscreen. Your iPhone and external Bluetooth keyboard should not be connected. Then, just using the touchscreen, open the Dropbox app, navigate to the folder you want to share, double tap Share, then double tap invite people to collaborate. Now, on this screen, do not worry about the edit field for email address. Do not double tap on that field. On the invite screen, as soon as it opens, just move your fingers to the bottom half of the iPhone screen. You should see a keyboard with a period and an at-sign to the right of the spacebar. Type in the email address. You will not get any feedback from voice over as to what letters or being entered regardless of your keyboard echo setting. When you have finished typing the complete email address, move to the invite button. You should see that it is now active and can be used. I have done this several times in the last few days, and it has always worked! Good luck…
Wow, ok, that did work, thank you!
That actually did work, thank you for finally explaining it that way, that's precisely what I wanted. I do think the dropbox app developers need to set it up so that someone using a Bluetooth keyboard should be able to use that instead of the keyboard on the screen. Not everyone is adept with that sort of thing.
dropbox is starting to suck in terms of accessibility
You can write to them at forum.dropbox.com but they don't even respond to that or emails anymore, or they come up with some lame excuse as to why they will not change accessibility of any of their apps.
This is why I don't use dropbox but use my own linux server as I have way more control over said server.
Take care.
Just a quick note...
I was able to find the key you were mentioning, but keep in mind that not everyone uses an apple Bluetooth keyboard, and not everyone uses a mac. On the keyboard I have, the Amazon basics Bluetooth keyboard, the key that shows and hides the on-screen keyboard is on the right hand side, one key to the left of the one on the far right. so you would need to find the key on the far right hand side, and move your finger one to the left. It's basicly a toggle. If you press the key once it hides the on-screen keyboard, and if you press it again the keyboard will be shown. VoiceOver will say either keyboard hidden, or keyboard visible, depending on the way you have it set. Most times I have the keyboard hidden unless I need to use it and I don't have my Bluetooth keyboard with me. The way this is set up it's not very intuitive. Sorry for taking so long to catch on.
Glad it worked out, keyboard conventions
Hi,
Glad you got it working, and sorry if I caused any confusion. I hear you on universal conventions; I happen to use Windows myself and not Mac and, while I do have an Apple Bluetooth keyboard to use with my iPhone, I know plenty of other keyboards are out there. I'm not familiar with the layout of any of those other keyboards and figured that, because Apple called it the Eject key in both keyboard and Braille display documentation, the term Eject key was more universal, but I guess not. Glad you figured it out, though!
Regards,
Maria
problem inviting people to folders in drop box app
Ok. Maybe I'm just stupid or something, but when I try to share a drop box folder with someone using the iPhone, there is not even a button that says invite people to collaborate. If this has been taken out, I think that they have taken a enormous step backwards in accessibility. This is totally screwed up.