Bug: File links broken in 5.6.0

[patnpm 30]

Well I assume its a bug, I'd be very upset if it was a deliberate decision as I have loads of file links in my EN database.

 

Previously you could link to a file on your Mac hard drive - e.g. file:///Users/patnpm/Dropbox/files/work/myfile.docx and I've got loads of links to large image files etc that I didn't want clogging up evernote, links to folders etc.

 

Now if I click on a link, nothing happens. 

 

I've submitted a bug report, but has anybody else noticed this? Am I the only person using file links?

[Wordsgood 526]

Again, I agree. This move seems too Big Brotherish to me. If we, the users, are willing to risk whatever dangers might be involved when linking to files in other programs on our computers, why would EN just take it away? And again with no warning so that those who heavily relied on that ability would at least have a chance to locate the affected notes and come up with a alternate plan.

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

Yes, it has been fixed.

See EN Mac 6.0.5 Update -- RELEASED

[cfibanez 10]

Does anyone have an update on this please?

What's the status of this function in version 6.0.5?

Thanks!

[cfibanez 10]

Ok, 6.x. 

Have the file links been fixed yes or no?

Thanks!

C

[gazumped 12,213]

The latest version is 6.x.

[cfibanez 10]

Has this been fixed in EN 6.0?

[kempster 8]

I'm with you, Leif.  Glad to know there is a growing number of users waiting for those links to work again.

 

Ken

[Leif Hansen 4]

I use Evernote links to open local files and to launch local applications --like a Dashboard.  It's been wonderful.

Now all those links are broken.  I spent dozens of hours creating a system that finally worked for me. Now it's toast.

 

Ahhh, now I read that there will be an upcoming fix.

I hope it's not the "fix" that happens now, where links basically open a finder window to that file...please say no?

 

Thanks,

Leif

 

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

We will re-enable this with a security warning in an upcoming release.

 

Jack, in Ver 5.7.2 the file links are semi-enabled.  Clicking on the link opens the Mac Finder to the file.

This is NOT at all the same as opening the file.

 

Please restore this feature as it was -- open the file.

[kempster 8]

I'm in line with all the above... I've got lots of file://user... links that are currently DEAD.

 

I've also reported my problem dragging and dropping emails (MAC MAIL) into my notes... they are no longer readable in QUICKVIEW... and rather than an ICON, it's a LINK... e.g. message:%3C1144.....

 

I'm loving many of the enhancements, but these oversights have made many of my notes useless.

 

Jack... if you are reading, I'm one more PREMIUM user who will applaud the fix... ASAP.

 

Ken

[cameronreilly 16]

Good call, Jack, thanks. 

[Jackolicious 808]

 

We will re-enable this with a security warning in an upcoming release.

 

Jack, thank you so much.   I know I have been critical of Evernote not listening to and acting on user complaints, but this CLEARLY is a great example of Evernote listening and responding!  

 

Virtual high five!

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

We will re-enable this with a security warning in an upcoming release.

 

Jack, thank you so much.   I know I have been critical of Evernote not listening to and acting on user complaints, but this CLEARLY is a great example of Evernote listening and responding!  

[Jackolicious 808]

We will re-enable this with a security warning in an upcoming release.

[Jiri R. 1]

To Evernote's designers/developers:

 

-----

Put back the feature to open external files via links.

-----

 

Your "security" argument for disabling such a feature is just a lazy answer. Disabling this feature makes Evernote almost useless.

 

 

Regards,

Jiri

 

[hobodrummachine 0]

+1 for this being ridiculous. 

 

I have lots of data files that are way bigger than the single note limit which I link to.  I've really been drumming up a lot of "Business" users at my University Lab and we all rely on dig data and Evernote.  Seriously may be a deal breaker for many of my colleagues.  

 

I've also noticed that if I want to use a link to an EN note it will paste the https://www.evernote.com/shard/ web version of the link instead of the evernote:///view link that it used to.  

 

Also a big pain because I have tons of links to my EN notes.  Now I get a bunch of web pages opening up along with my desktop note . . . . . grrrrrr

[cfibanez 10]

Another very frustrated EN user here adding his voice to this issue. (Posted this separately cause I did know this thread existed.)

 

My workflow totally depends on those links to be alive. I have hundreds of them. Those notes are useless without them.

 

Why was this removed? 

 

It took me a while, but thanks to Time Machine, I got 5.5.2 restored in all my Macs. 

 

This is a big problem for me. So big that I will not upgrade till is fixed.

 

Perhaps never.

 

Thanks!

 

CIB 

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

 

Evernote creates a PDF for each PPT file (attached to a Note) for inline viewing purposes.  These PDFs can be 4X (or larger) than the original PPT file.  This really will chew up your local drive in a hurry.

 

There was such a bug in previous releases, but it has been fixed since 5.6.0.

 

 

@Adjusting:  Are you sure?

 

The bug was that the PDFs were 14-15X the size of the PPT.  The fix reduced this to only 4X. 

Still WAY too big.  We need an option to turn OFF PDF generation of PDF for inline preview.  The PDF is generated regardless of the status of the default setting for showing inline previews.

[Adjusting 276]

Evernote creates a PDF for each PPT file (attached to a Note) for inline viewing purposes.  These PDFs can be 4X (or larger) than the original PPT file.  This really will chew up your local drive in a hurry.

 

There was such a bug in previous releases, but it has been fixed since 5.6.0.

[cameronreilly 16]

Arrrgh. This is so disappointing. I've been trying to work out why file links weren't working for the last week. Never for a second thought they would remove the feature. That screws up my entire workflow. I have links to shared files in Google Drive & Dropbox for project management with clients. If EN can't make it easy for me to link to those files, then it's just taken a massive downgrade as a collaboration tool. 

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

The main reason I liked the embedded links was to save disk space: if, for example, I import a 10 MB powerpoint file into Evernote, it seems to create a new copy every time I make a modification.  These versions pile up in the Evernote subdirectories and, before you know it, you've lost 1 GB of space.  

 

It's worse than that.  Evernote creates a PDF for each PPT file (attached to a Note) for inline viewing purposes.  These PDFs can be 4X (or larger) than the original PPT file.  This really will chew up your local drive in a hurry.

[dirgeprat 0]

+1 for being frustrated about this change.  I just updated to 5.6.1 and got a nasty surprise.

 

The main reason I liked the embedded links was to save disk space: if, for example, I import a 10 MB powerpoint file into Evernote, it seems to create a new copy every time I make a modification.  These versions pile up in the Evernote subdirectories and, before you know it, you've lost 1 GB of space.  Is there a better way around this problem that means I can forget about using links?

 

One positive: I discovered this morning that links in existing notes do still work, but it requires right-clicking on the link, then selecting "Open URL" from the drop-down menu (annoyingly, it's right at the bottom!). 

[NewEnglander 2]

I've been an avid Evernote user for four years and a Premium customer for two years. Like other users, I have file links in many of my notes. This solution breaks all of those links, limits Evernote's usefulness as the one-stop-shop for information and actionable activity, and causes frustration on the part users like myself.

 

Removing this ability seems like a reactionary and heavy-handed approach to what seems to be a very unlikely scenario for causing damage to a user's computer.

 

If it's truly important enough to have some added security around this feature for external links, a more sensible approach would be to simply popup a box when an external link is clicked saying "Opening Abc123.docx" with "Open" and "Cancel" buttons.  

 

This solution adds another layer of protection by alerting the user to what file is being opened. It also doesn't completely break all of our file links in notes as this recent change has done.

[Blugitar 0]

Yes, a big problem for me too. I really need Evernote to fix this asap.

[Wordsgood 526]

Sigh. Another feature on they way out?

[patnpm 30]

Having done a little experimenting. You can still have links to local files and folders in Onenote on Mac. Perhaps this is a lesson not to depend so much on one feature or one app which can be peremptorily removed. 

[patnpm 30]

That's frustrating. Mainly because it seems to be such a farfetched way in which damage could be caused. 

 

I've never really looked into this, but can't you have links to local folders etc in Mail and Outlook, or was EN an outlier in allowing this? 

 

I now have a lot of almost useless links in my EN database. 

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

In the EN Mac 5.6 Beta 10 thread, Jack disclosed that links to internal files would no longer be allowed.

There were a number of strong objections to this unannounced change.

 

 

 

mwoerner: We've blocked links to local files to fix a security vulnerability. A malicious user could otherwise create a note with a file link that points to a local application rather than a document. If they share that with another user and convince the user to click the link, the user may end up unexpectedly running a program on their local machine. We're sorry that this change is negatively affecting you. We realize that some of our users will no longer be able to open local files that aren't directly attached to a note, but feel that protecting our users from this attack vector is important enough to make the change. Any files that you attach directly to the note will not be affected by the change.

 

Jack, you guys need to figure out some other way of protecting against this.  A lot of us use file links because Evernote Cloud is not secure enough for sensitive documents.  Another use case is linking to very large files that you don't want to sync.

 

 

[patnpm 30]

That sounds worrying...

[Metrodon 2,188]

I can't find the thread but I think this has been removed for some security reason.