Avoid same shortcut name for different Nextcloud accounts on Windows

[master-fuggi]

When adding several Nextcloud accounts to the Nextcloud client on Windows 11, the shortcuts/favorites created on Desktop with Windows Explorer are all named "Nextcloud" regardless of how the local folder for synchronization has been named — making it impossible for the user to distinguish between the different accounts.

It would be more intuitive if either the name of the local sync folder was used or if the name was set in the settings.

[luddinho]

I also noticed this when I have upgraded from Win 10 to Win 11. With Win 10 everything worked fine, and it is possible to distinguish between several Nextcloud accounts/instances.
But with Win 11 it is exactly as you have described.

However, I believe that this is more of an issue with the desktop client instead the server application.

Environment:
OS: Win 11
Nextcloud Client: 3.8.1
Nextcloud Server: 24.0.12 AND 25.0.6

[allan2]

I noticed this when I added multiple accounts and they were all named "Nextcloud" in Windows Explorer quick access.

A feature to customize the quick access text would be nice.

Current behaviour

1. the shortcut text for an account with VFS is Nextcloud
2. the shortcut text for an account without VFS is Nextcloud - [email protected]

Since #5714 has been marked as not planned, I am writing suggestions below.

The issue

The current behaviour is inconsistent and breaks user expectations. For myself, I added two accounts and could not tell them apart easily in Windows Explorer. I saw screenshots online with Nextcloud - [email protected] but could not find how to rename my shortcuts, until I read #5714 and learned that the text changes depending on whether VFS is on or off.

Some users use an email address as their username, so an account without VFS would have a shortcut text of Nextcloud - [email protected]@nchost.com. In addition to being unsightly, the imposed length could interfere with filesystem path limits (FAT 255 char limit).

ownCloud behaviour

I want to mention how ownCloud handles it because users may have similar expectations when adding accounts.

1. The shortcut text is the same as the folder name, with or without VFS

The default folder name is C:\Users\windowsuser\ownCloud - [email protected]. If the folder path was changed to C:\Users\windowsuser\oc_customname, the quick access shortcut would read oc_customname.

Suggested behaviour

1. The shortcut text defaults to the folder name, but there is an option to customize it in the add account options.

This is similar to ownCloud, with an additional option to customize the quick access shortcut if the user would like to do so.

[jpbourgeon]

Workaround for Sync Folders Display Issue

I've found a manual workaround for the issue with sync folders not displaying correctly in the file explorer navigation pane. Here are the steps:

1. Go to the Nextcloud settings and uncheck the option "Display sync folders in file explorer navigation pane". The display is currently not functioning properly, so this will clean up the view in the file explorer.
2. In the Windows File Explorer, navigate to the Libraries section.
3. Create a new library by right-clicking in the Libraries area and selecting "New -> Library". Point this new library to the desired Nextcloud folder.
4. You can now give any meaningful name to your new library, which helps with organization and recognition.
5. To make the library look more integrated with Nextcloud, you can change its icon to the Nextcloud icon found at C:\Program Files\Nextcloud\nextcloud.ico.
6. Finally, pin this library to the Quick Access section for easy reach.

Alternative Approach:

Alternatively, if you want a more centralized view, you can create a single "Nextcloud" library and attach multiple Nextcloud folders to it. This way, all relevant folders are under one roof, and you still benefit from the custom naming and icon.

I hope this helps as a temporary solution until the issue is resolved!

[sebastiaanveld]

I silently install my msi file and then start the nextcloud.exe the first time for the user with:
--overrideserverurl "https://mynextcloudserver" --overridelocaldir "${USERPROFILE}\Nextcloud ${USERNAME}"
(which could be %username% and %userprofile% pending your deployment solution)
This prevents the default folder be named Nextcloud, so now it would be nice if the Explorer shortcut would also default to that name.

Main reason why I need to know the foldername with the Nextcloud files for the logged on user is that I want to redirect Windows folders (Document, Pictures, etc) to the users Nextcloud folder. Case the user would manually ceate it's first account that probably would het "Nextcloud" as a foldername while additional profiles created would get "Netxcloud2" etc and redirection would take place to the wrong folder.