Share Folders Using MATLAB Drive

You can collaborate with others by sharing folders from MATLAB^® and MATLAB Drive™ online. When sharing, you can control whether others can view or edit your files.

There are two ways to share a folder:

• Invite individual members: Send a personal invitation so they can preview the folder, add it to their files, and (if allowed) edit its contents.

• Share a link: Send a view-only link so people can preview and add the folder to their files, but not edit it.

To share a folder from MATLAB, you must be running MATLAB R2019b or later with MATLAB Connector enabled, and the folder must be located in your MATLAB Drive. If you are using MATLAB Online™, MATLAB Connector is not required because sharing is always enabled.

Note

Security Considerations: If a folder contains symbolic links to other folders on your system, sharing that folder may grant recipients of the shared folder access to other locations on your system. MATLAB Drive does not create symbolic links, but it does follow existing symbolic links.

Share Folder by Personal Invitation

You can share a folder by sending a personal invitation. Sharing a folder by personal invitation lets you give others permission to either view or edit your files.

To send an invitation:

1. In the MATLAB Files panel or in MATLAB Drive online, right-click the folder that you want to share and select Share > Invite Members. If you have already shared the folder, right-click the shared folder or any subfolder within the shared folder and select Manage Members.

   Alternatively, in MATLAB Drive online, you can click the Share link at the top of the page. In the MATLAB Files panel, you also can click the Preview button to the right of the folder and select from the available sharing options.

2. In the invitation window, enter the email addresses of the people that you want to share the folder with. To invite multiple people at once, separate their email addresses with semicolons or commas.

   If you have shared folders before, you also can select from a list of people that you have recently or frequently shared with. This list only includes people who have accepted your invitations. To find someone in the list, type their first name, last name, or email address.

3. Choose the permission level for each invitee:

   • Can View (read-only)

   • Can Edit (edit access)

   To give different permissions to different people, send separate invitations.

4. Optionally, enter a message to include with the invitation.

5. Click Send. MATLAB Drive sends an email to the people you have selected.

Change Permissions and Revoke Access

After you have personally invite someone, you can change their access at anytime.

1. Right-click the shared folder or any subfolder within the shared folder and select Share > Manage Members.

   Alternatively, in MATLAB Drive online, you can click the Share link at the top of the page. In the MATLAB Files panel, you also can click the Preview button to the right of the folder and select Manage Members.

2. Adjust the permissions next to the person's name.

3. Click Save to confirm.

To revoke someone's access, click the X next to the name of the person to revoke shared access.

Share Folder With View-Only Link

You can let others view (but not edit) your folder by creating a view-only link. You can create a link to open the folder in MATLAB Drive or in MATLAB Online.

To create a view-only link:

1. In the MATLAB Files panel or in MATLAB Drive online, right-click the folder and select Share > Create Link. If a link already exists, select Manage Link instead.

   Alternatively, in MATLAB Drive online, you can click the Share link at the top of the page. In the MATLAB Files panel, you also can click the Preview button to the right of the folder and select from the available sharing options.

2. Click Continue to create the link.

3. Click the Copy Link button to copy the link to the clipboard.

4. Share the link with others, for example, by sending it in an email.

Remove Shared Link

To stop sharing a folder via a view-only link:

1. Right-click the shared folder or any subfolder within the shared folder and select Share > Manage Link.

   Alternatively, in MATLAB Drive online, you can click the Share link at the top of the page. In the MATLAB Files panel, you also can click the Preview button to the right of the folder and select from the available sharing options.

2. Click Delete Link and confirm the deletion by clicking Delete.

Once you delete the link, anyone who has the link will lose access to the folder. Deleting the link does not affect people who have access using a personal invitation. To change their permissions, see Change Permissions and Revoke Access.

Access Folders Shared with You

A folder in MATLAB Drive can be shared with you in two ways, by personal invitation or by a view-only link.

Access by Personal Invitation

To access a folder shared by personal invitation:

1. Click the link in the email to open the invitation.

2. Click View Folder in the invitation to open the pending invitation in MATLAB Drive online. MATLAB Drive online displays a preview of the shared folder. You can navigate the structure of the shared folder and preview individual files.

3. To access the contents of the folder, add the folder to your files. If the owner has granted you edit permissions, you can also edit the contents of the folder.

Previewing and adding shared files or folders to your files can only be done in MATLAB Drive online and requires a MathWorks Account.

To view all of your pending invitations in MATLAB Drive online, click Shared Content on the left side of the page.

View-Only Link

To access a folder shared by view only link:

1. Open the link to preview the folder in MATLAB Drive online. You can navigate the structure of the folder and preview individual files. Previewing a folder shared by link does not require a MathWorks^® account.

2. To access the contents of the folder, add it to your files. Adding the folder to your files only gives you view (read-only) permission.

You can also forward the link to others. To get a new copy of the link, click Share Link. In the Share by Link dialog box, click the Copy Link button to copy the link to the clipboard.

Add Shared Folder to Your Files

To work with the contents of a shared folder, add the folder to your files. In the MATLAB Drive online folder preview, click the Add to my Files link at the top of the page and select from the two options:

• Add Shortcut – Create a shortcut to the shared folder

• Copy Folder – Create your own copy of the shared folder, which only you can access.

MATLAB Drive adds the folder to your files and opens the Files view. You must be logged in with your MathWorks account to add a shared folder to your files. If you have MATLAB Connector installed, the Connector syncs the contents of the added shared folder to your local drive.

Manage Shared Folder

If you have edit permissions to a shared folder, you can edit its contents, as well as move, rename, and delete the folder itself.

MATLAB and MATLAB Drive online indicate shared folders using a shared folder icon ( or ). If you have MATLAB Connector installed, the Connector indicates shared files in the Activity section by displaying SHARED below the file name. If you do not have edit permissions for the shared file, the Connector displays a padlock icon .

Edit Shared Folder

If you have edit permissions to a shared folder, you can edit the contents of the files and folders within that folder. You can edit the files in MATLAB Online, or, if you have MATLAB Connector installed, you can edit the files on your local drive. As you and other members of the folder make changes, the Connector keeps the shared folder on your local drive up-to-date.

Warning

It is possible that other participants with edit permissions are also editing the same files as you are. If this occurs, the most recently saved copy overwrites any other saved copies.

You cannot edit a shared file if you do not have edit permissions for the shared folder. If you do not have edit permissions for a shared file, MATLAB Connector displays a padlock icon below the file name in the Activity section.

Move or Rename Shared Folder

You can move a shared folder to a new location within your MATLAB Drive. If you have edit permissions to a shared folder, you also can move or rename its contents. You can move or rename the folder in MATLAB Drive online and, if you have edit permissions to the folder, from MATLAB.

If you move or rename a shared folder:

• The folder is moved or renamed only for you.

• Others with access to the shared folder do not see the changes. This is true even if you are the owner of the shared folder.

If you have edit permissions for a shared folder, you can move or rename content inside it. When you move or rename content inside a shared folder, the moved or renamed content is moved or renamed for all members of the folder.

Note

If you move one shared folder into another, the one that you move takes on the permissions of its new parent. For example, if a member can edit the parent folder, they can now edit the folder that you move into it.

Delete Shared Folder

You can delete a shared folder in your MATLAB Drive. If you have edit permissions to a shared folder, you can also can delete its contents. You can delete the folder from MATLAB Drive online and, if you have edit permissions to the folder, from MATLAB.

If you delete a shared folder:

• MATLAB Drive deletes the folder and its contents only from your MATLAB Drive.

• All others with access to the folder, whether by personal invitation or view-only link, continue to have access to it.

• The folder no longer counts towards your storage quota.

If you have edit permissions for a shared folder, you can delete content inside it. When you delete content inside a shared folder:

• MATLAB Drive deletes the content from your MATLAB Drive and for all other members of the folder.

• The content no longer counts towards your storage quota.

Permanently Delete Shared Folder

When you delete a shared folder or its contents, MATLAB Drive moves the deleted items to your Deleted Files folder. You then can choose to permanently delete those items from your MATLAB Drive.

Note

MATLAB Drive permanently deletes content (including shared folders) in your Deleted Files folder after 30 days or if your Deleted Files folder is over the deleted files storage quota.

If you permanently delete a shared folder from your Deleted Files folder:

• The folder and its contents are permanently deleted only from your MATLAB Drive.

• All others with access to the folder continue to have access to it.

• If you are the owner of the shared folder, then the folder becomes ownerless. When a folder is ownerless, no new members can gain access to the folder, whether by personal invitation or view-only link. In addition, MATLAB Drive deletes all pending invitations to access the folder.

If you permanently delete content from a shared folder:

• The content is permanently deleted from your MATLAB Drive and for all members of the folder.

You cannot permanently delete content from a shared folder that has active members with edit permissions to the folder.

Sharing Limitations

There are limits on how many folders you can share, how many people you can share each folder with, and how much data your MATLAB Drive can hold.

User Sharing Limitations

You can have up to 100 shared folders in your MATLAB Drive. This total includes folders shared by you (regardless of whether others have accepted your invitation) and folders shared by others that you have added to your files. Sub-folders in shared folders are not included in this limit.

If you reach the limit of 100 shared folders:

• You cannot share additional folders.

• You cannot add additional shared folders to your files.

• If you receive an invitation to access a shared folder, you can preview the files but you cannot add a shortcut to the folder to your files. You can, however, create an unshared copy of the folder and add it to your files. To create an unshared copy of the folder, in MATLAB Drive online, select the folder, click the Add to my Files button, and select Copy Folder.

Folder Sharing Limitations

The number of people that you can share a folder with depends on whether you have an eligible MATLAB license that is current on Software Maintenance Service.

If you have an eligible MATLAB license:

• You can share a folder with 1,000 people using a view-only link and with an additional 100 people using a personal invitation.

If you do not have an eligible MATLAB license:

• You can share a folder with 10 people using a view-only link and with an additional 10 people using a personal invitation.

After you have reached your limit for personal invitations you cannot invite others to share that folder. If a member leaves the shared folder or declines the invitation to access the shared folder, then you can send additional invitations.

When sharing a folder using a view-only link, when the number of people accessing the link reaches the folder maximum, others who try to use that link cannot access the folder.

Storage Quota Limitations

When you add a shared folder to your files, the content of that shared folder is included as part of your total storage allotment, regardless of whether you have edit or read-only permissions to the folder. If a member of the folder adds or deletes content, your storage allotment updates accordingly.

If you exceed your maximum storage allotment:

• Others with edit permissions can add content to your shared folders, but you cannot.

• You cannot add additional folders to your files or create new invitations or shared links to a folder.

For more information, see Storage Quota.