Pro tips: How to use Dropbox when developing your next app

If you're a freelance developer, you probably know that building the next big thing takes time, testing, and many tries. And while organizing your work internally is one challenge, getting feedback from clients is a whole other ballgame. That's where Dropbox Pro steps in. Getting organized with Dropbox makes collaborating with others a breeze so you can focus on building something amazing. Whether you're getting assets from a designer, sending a build to a client for review, or shooting specs to a colleague for her input, everyone can stay up to speed with Dropbox. Here are some tips to jumpstart your next project:

Set up a shared folder for your project

Get your project off on the right foot by setting up a shared folder for you and your client. In a shared folder, you and other collaborators can add files, make changes, and see the most up-to-date versions of your project files at any time. Dropbox can help you easily present and share files with clients who may be unfamiliar with version control systems such as Git or Mercurial. If you want your collaborators to see what you’ve been working on, but not be able to make changes, give them view only access to your folder.

Comment on files to track edits on design assets

Sending an email to ask about a file you’re working on can be a big time waster when you’re in the zone. Instead, try commenting on the file and tag the person in the comment by putting @ in front of their name or email. That way you don't have to switch to email and get distracted by your inbox, and they’ll get a notification to reply to the comment. Everyone can check on the progress of files just by scanning the comments.

Review your past edits with version history

Sometimes when you’ve been making lots of changes to a project, comparing the current and past versions can help you make sure you’re on the right path. Luckily, with Dropbox Pro you have 30 days of version history (or a year with Extended Version History), which means that you can restore a previous version of your project if you want to compare it to the latest build.

Get an outside perspective with shared links

As your app gets closer to a final product, use a password-protected shared link to send it to friends and testers to see where you need to add the finishing touches. Got some great feedback and want to update the build? No problem! Just make your changes and hit Save — your testers can use the same shared link to download the latest version of the app and take it for a spin. Let Dropbox Pro help get you get a strong head start on your next project. Try using these features to speed up the development process and let us know how you keep your freelance career ahead of the curve!