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