The link is created. It is fully functional in Linux, in a command box in Windows (XP... I know), in Windows Explorer, but it does not even appear in the directory tree or the file list in Directory Opus. The attached image shows how it is seen in Windows Explorer and in DO.
Important note: the symbolic link trick WORKS on a folder other than the Dropbox folder.
If it's a mapped network drive then the fact there's a link on the other end shouldn't be visible at all on the Windows side, so it's surprising that it's apparently making a difference.
Could the folder be filtered out by other settings?
What happens if you manually type the full path to the Dropbox folder into the location field in Opus?
(Checking the version of Samba on the Linux side is up to date may also be worthwhile, in case it's an old version with bugs in how it enumerates directories in some cases.)
I get access to the Dropbox folder when I type the full path to the Dropbox directory in the DO location box. However, I get an access error when I try to type the full path to the symbolic link that should lead to the Dropbox folder.
Please don't ignore two hints: (1) Windows Explorer is able to see the symbolic link and to follow it; and, (2) a symbolic link to a folder other than the Dropbox folder works in DO.
Assuming Opus is running under the same account/credentials and accessing the same drive, I cannot think of any reason why a Command Prompt would be able to see and access the same folder that Opus can't.
Everything on the Windows side will just see that folder as a normal folder (XP doesn't support symbolic links, and I doubt Samba would map a symlink on the Linux side through to its equivalent NTFS symlink on the network drive even on a newer version of Windows).
Opus just asks for a directory listing and displays the results (subject to filters). So it's very strange, what's happening.
Using a tool like Process Monitor to see what's being requested (relevant to the paths in question) and the results which are coming back may be the only way to debug it.
The involvement with Dropbox could indicate the Dropbox software is involved in some way, e.g. maybe its shell extensions are interfering with Opus, but it seems unlikely that would cause the folder to not show up at all or for a valid path to not work in Opus when it works in a Command Prompt.
