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How-to: Hosting files on MobileMe iDisk
MobileMe users get access to at least 10GB of space on their iDisks which they can use for accessing their files anywhere via the web apps. Along with desktop access to the iDisk, Apple has a website option for users to publish their pictures and movies in MobileMe-hosted webpages, the contents of which are stored in the iDisk. While this website option is convenient, some users may wish to host websites at other locations and still take advantage of the iDisk's storage for hosting files. However, Apple does not provide instructions on how to access files stored on the iDisk via http links.
There are a couple of URL schemes that will work for linking to files on the iDisk, making it easy for users to simply upload a file to a folder on their iDisk and then directly access that file by typing an address into a web browser or email client.
The "idisk" link scheme The first scheme uses the "idisk.me.com" URL to access files on the iDisk. The scheme for this is the following:
- http://idisk.me.com/username/foldername/filename
While users can access any file on their iDisk using this scheme, users will get prompted for authentication in order to view files in any folder besides the "Public" folder. As such, this scheme is only practical for hosting files from the Public folders.
- Example: http://idisk.me.com/sjones/Public/funpic.jpg
Alternately, users can place a dash between the username and "Public" folder name instead of a slash, as follows:
- http://idisk.me.com/sjones-Public/funpic.jpg
NOTE: If users try this "dash" option with folders other than the public folder, MobileMe will give a "not found" error, so accessing files via this scheme is limited to those in the Public folder.
The "homepage" link scheme All the folders on users' iDisks (except for the Public folder) are kept private for the user, and while nobody can freely browse these files, it is possible for users to link to them so no authentication is required to read them. When .Mac was introduced, Apple provided a website service called "HomePage" in which users could create personal websites and link to contents on their iDisks. Apple fortunately still provides this service with the iDisk, which allows users to link to any file in most folders on their iDisks. As such, users can keep files organized in other folders on their iDisks besides the "Public" folder, and still be able to access them. The URL scheme for this is the following:
- http://homepage.mac.com/username/.foldername/filename (note the period before the foldername)
- Example: http://homepage.mac.com/sjones/.Pictures/funpic.jpg
Using either the "idisk" or "homepage" methods, any file on the iDisk can be linked to for direct access from other sites, via email, or any other service without the need to go through the mobileme web interface. Users may be concerned about the accessibility of files on their iDisks by random people using these schemes; however, in order to access the files people would have to know both the filename and the folder in which the file is stored, and even then, they would only be able to access that one file since the iDisk folders are not browsable without authentication.
Resources
The "homepage" system still works in Jan 2010, as mentioned above, with the main advantage to avoid requiring a login and password from any viewer, ...
- however the "dot" before the name of the file doesn`t seem to be required/to work anymore (just the filename, without a dot); acce"ss seems also to be working well for any file in the iDisk/Site/ folder, either old file created with the old "homepage" system, or new files moved there more recently;
- issues: on the page http://www.me.com/idisk/ i.e. the online management page for your idisk within the Apple MobileMe management website (subscription required), there is still a "homepage" folder, but which displays -a bit surprisingly- a list of only a few files from the folder iDisk/Sites/, apparently the (or some of the) files which were created automatically in the folder iDisk/Site/ , at the time, through the "homepage" management page and system, when it still (co)existed, instead of the MobileMe page and sysem (roughly until 2008-2009); it seems that even some files created at the time in particular with a restricted access don't show up in MobileMe (to be confirmed ?); in any case the ones added later and/or added directly in using the iDisk on your desktop or today in using http://idisk.mac.com/username/ (basic file management through a browser instead of the desktop) don't seem to show up within this MobileMe management webpage; the restricted access or not (password or not) seems also to be a bit erratic for old webpages and sites created with "homepage", and above all these access parameters cannot be modified any more; without the old "homepage" management page and system, it has become uncontrollable.
- the main intereste (at least for me) of the use of the iDisk/Site/ file and old homepage.mac.com addresses is to be able to use my very large iDisk/Site/pictures/ file, which still containts all my pictures which I used to post on Internet withe the old homepage system (hundreds or thousands of pictures); I guess that it still is the case for numerous Apple customers around the world; however I am not too sure if this old adressing system of homepage.mac.com/username/etc. is still in line with Apple's policies; it could well disappear one day -just like the old "homepage" system disappeared) ? (and then II would have to reprogram/rebuild countless webpages which were containing hundreds of old pictures, with, the worst potential loss, countless comments attached to these pictures which are embedded in these webpages, etc.)
Besides http://idisk.mac.com/username/foldername/filname still seem an alternative to http://idisk.me.com/username/foldername/filename