MiniShare Documentation

Visit the MiniShare homepage for up to date info and help.

Quick Start

The simplest way to use MiniShare:

  1. Select a bunch of files with the mouse as you would do when e.g. copying or moving files.
  2. Drag and drop them on MiniShare.
  3. Select the files in the files list in MiniShare.
  4. Right click the list and select Copy URL(s) on Clipboard in the menu.
  5. Paste the URL anywhere you want, the address can be used just like any address.
  6. Close MiniShare when you don't need to share the files anymore.

Basic Use

The basic functionality of MiniShare is simple:

  1. Serve individual files
  2. Display a file listing

Sharing Individual files

See Quick Start.

Sometimes it can be useful to enable the feature that adds random letters to the URL that is generated for files (for example, if you have many files with the exact filename, or just that you can't easily guess the URL), just enter any non-zero value in Number of random letters in path in the Config dialog.

File Listing Page/Index Page

You can enable this by telling MiniShare what is the path to this page. In the Config dialog, enter anything in the edit box titled Index page path. For example, if you enter '/' (slash), the index page can be accessed with url http://your.ip.address/. Or, if you enter '/home' (note the slash before the text, it is needed), the index can be found at http://your.ip.address/home. Pay attention that MiniShare is very strict about the path, so http://your.ip.address/home is not the same as http://your.ip.address/home/ (with an additional slash in the end), as with more advanced servers. The default path is '/', which is easy to access with a web browser, just enter your ip address.

If you don't enter anything in the edit box, the index page simply can't be found and the user trying to access it will get a '404 Not Found' error.

You can always just right click on MiniShare and click Copy Index URL on Clipboard to easily access the URL. If you can't see the option, you have to enable this feature (described above).

File List

You can enable or disable the display of the shared files list with the checkbox titled Show file list on index page. Also, you can control the visibility of individual shared files on the page by right clicking on a shared file and clicking Show/Hide Selected Files (this toggles between visibility and invisibility in the file list).

MOTD

You can change the displayed text by specifying the 'Message of the Day' file (or MOTD file) in the edit box titled MOTD file path.

Advanced Use

Command Line Switches

MiniShare can (as of version 1.3.0) be used from the command line for advanced and experimental usage. This makes it possible to schedule and automatize things. Switches can be used to add and remove files from running MiniShare instance or used to add files immediately when MiniShare is run. Multiple switches can be used (including e.g. multiple -add switches).

Introduced inSwitch Description
--add -a <filename> Add file
--add_and_copy -ac <filename> Add file and copy the URL to clipboard
--remove -r <filename> Remove file by the filename (has to be a full path)
--remove_shared_as -rs <path> Remove file by the shared path (has to be a full path)
--die -d <time> Shutdown after given time (in seconds)
--minimize -m Start minimized
1.4.0-use_old_engine Use the older HTTP server engine
1.4.0-list -l <filename> Load and save shared files from a different file than the default shared.txt (full path recommended)
1.4.0-force_new_instance -f Force the opening of an another MiniShare instance instead of displaying the running instance (experimental)
1.4.0-add_user -au <user:password> Add new user, all connections then require this authorization (experimental)

Examples

minishare.exe -add c:\file.zip

This is the same as if you would drag the file file.zip on MiniShare.

minishare.exe -add_and_copy c:\file.zip -die 300 -minimize

Add the file file.zip, copy the URL for it on clipboard, never show the GUI and shutdown MiniShare after 5 minutes has passed. Useful if you feel like not having the program running for the whole night.

minishare.exe -au matti:maekikotka -add c:\file.zip

Share file.zip as usual, but the specified login (the username 'matti' and the password 'maekikotka') is needed.

User Authentication/Password Protecting Files

As of version 1.4.0, basic HTTP authentication is possible. The support is still minimal and in testing phase, so the functionality is limited. Currently it is possible only to protect all files with one user/password combo, with the command line swich '-add_user <user:password>' (or the short form '-au'). Starting MiniShare with this switch protects all current and added files with the specified login.