You can easily create a shortcut to another drive or folder shared on your network by mapping that location. When you map a network drive, it will show up as a new drive under This PC in File Explorer, so you can quickly access the shared files you need, just like you would your local hard drive.

This article outlines how to make that network drive shortcut in Windows.

The ShopFactory webserver (for rendering pages in normal mode and preview) does NOT like the network drive set up because it’s reporting an error about a linked folder. The problem is more that Internet Explorer doesn't like executing Javascripts located on a network share.

To ensure ShopFactory projects do not get security errors, your network drive must be mapped to a drive letter, for example, W:\

Everything in that network drive stays the same – it’s just a drive letter that substitutes to that network drive.

Windows 10

Map a network drive to get to it from File Explorer in Windows without having to look for it or type its network address each time.

1. Open File Explorer from the taskbar or the Start  menu, or press the Windows logo key + E.

2. Select This PC from the left pane. Then, on the Computer tab, select Map network drive.

 3. In the Drive list, select a drive letter. (Any available letter will do.)

4. In the Folder box, type the path of the folder or computer, or select Browse to find the folder or computer. To connect every time you log on to your PC, select the Reconnect at sign-in check box.

5. Select Finish.

Note: If you can't connect to a network drive or folder, the computer you're trying to connect to might be turned off, or you might not have the correct permissions. Try contacting your network administrator.

Windows 7

Map a network drive to get to it from Computer or Windows Explorer without having to look for it or type its network address each time.

1. Open Computer by clicking the Start button and then clicking Computer.

2. Click Map Network Drive.

3. In the Drive list, click any available drive letter.

4. In the Folder box, type the path of the folder or computer, or click Browse to find the folder or computer. To connect every time you log on to your computer, select the Reconnect at logon check box.

5. Click Finish.

Note: If you can't connect to a network drive or folder, the computer you're trying to connect to might be turned off, or you might not have the correct permissions. Try contacting your network administrator.

You can easily create a shortcut to another drive or folder shared on your network by mapping that location. When you map a network drive, it will show up as a new drive under This PC in File Explorer, so you can quickly access the shared files you need, just like you would your local hard drive. Here's how to make that network drive shortcut in Windows 10.

1. Open File Explorer and select This PC.

2. Click  the Map network drive button in the ribbon menu at the top, then select "Map network drive." (This is under the Computer tab, which should open automatically when you go to This PC, as above.)

3. Select the drive letter you want to use for the network folder, then hit Browse.

4. Navigate to the folder you want to map and hit OK after selecting it.

5. Confirm your selection and click Finish. You can choose to reconnect to the folder every time you sign in so it's always available to you and, if needed, use a different user account to connect to the folder.

When you're done, you should see the new drive letter under This PC and will be able to access its contents like you would any other folder. If you want to disconnect the network drive, right-click on it and select "Disconnect."

As soon as the network drive has been correctly mapped, when opening/creating a project, you will need to navigate to the correct mapped folder i.e. W:\Online-Shop\Test-Project1

For example, previously a project that was accessed at \\tech01\test

MUST now be accessed as

W:\Online-Shop\Test-Project1

More importantly, when this network share is being accessed by multiple computers and devices, ensure the ShopFactory shop project is only accessed by one PC at a time.

The shop file must only be accessed by one machine at a time – if you open shop in PC then ensure you close it down before accessing from your laptop.