Sharing an app folder

1. The Dropbox API doesn't allow an app with the app folder permission to create a shared link for its own app folder. Instead, you could make a subfolder, e.g., "/Recordings" (or whatever you'd like), and then get a shared link for that folder.

 

2. You can download the file from a shared link using the getSharedLinkFile method. Note that if you supply the link to a folder, you'll also need to know the sub-path of the specific file you want, and supply it to the "path" parameter.. 

Thank you for the quick reply.

 

1. Yes, I also thought of the idea of creating a dummy folder

What is the reason that the Dropbox API doesn't allow an app with the app folder permission to create a shared link for its own app folder?

 

2. But don't you still need to authenticate to use the getSharedLinkFile ?

In my app I would like record, login and upload a recording to Dropbox, then mail a shared link to the recording folder to my friend.

My friend would like to initialize Swiftydropbox with the shared link to my folder, not login but just enumerate the files in the folder including metadata rev, and then download any new/changed files using the otherwise very useful and well designed Swiftydropbox framework.

1. The Dropbox API doesn't support creating a shared link for the root path, but I'll be sure to pass this along as a feature request. (In the case of an app folder app, the app folder itself is "root".)

2. Yes, the getSharedLinkFile does require user auth, so it sounds like that won't be a good solution for you.

Alternatively, if you send links for individual files instead of the folder itself, you can modify the links for direct file access, without using the API:

https://www.dropbox.com/help/201

1. Great, thanks

 

2. Do you know if it is at all possible to obtain metadata (rev, clientModified, serverModified, etc.) for a shared link ?

Or to enumerate files in a shared folder ?

If not, then Dropbox might not be the platform for me.

 

The idea is, that my friend would occasionally check the link to my app folder to see if I have made any new recordings or modified one.

 

Using the powerful SwiftyDropbox at my friends side would have been extremely useful to me.

 

I hope you understand the functionality I'm seeking, and you will consider if it is something Dropbox will support

Thanks,

/Lars

 

2. You can use getSharedLinkMetadata to get the metadata, but that also requires user auth, like getSharedLinkFile.

 

The API unfortunately doesn't offer a way enumerate the contents of a folder via a shared link for the folder.

I get the feeling that my suggested scenario in some way violates the business model of Dropbox.

Why isn't it possible for my friend to see the files including metadata in my app folder without auth ?

 

Hi Greg,

thank you for your help and considerations.

I sincerely hope that the functionality I'm seeking is reasonable and that you will support it in the great SwiftyDropbox

Thanks,

/Lars

 

Dropbox API v2 now supports listing the contents of a shared link for a folder. This can be accomplished using the same interface as listing a folder in a connected user's account, via the list_folder functionality. To list the contents of a shared link for a folder, you instead provide the shared link URL in the `shared_link` parameter to list_folder:

https://www.dropbox.com/developers/documentation/http/documentation#files-list_folder

If you're using an official SDK, there will also be a corresponding method for this endpoint:

In the Swift SDK that's available as `listFolder`:

https://dropbox.github.io/SwiftyDropbox/api-docs/latest/Classes/FilesRoutes.html#/s:13SwiftyDropbox11FilesRoutesC10listFolderAA10RpcRequestCyAA0C0C04ListF16ResultSerializerCAH0if5ErrorK0CGSS4path_Sb9recursiveSb16includeMediaInfoSb0O7DeletedSb0O24HasExplicitSharedMembersSb0O14MountedFolderss6UInt32VSg5limittF

Note that this only supports user authentication, not app authentication, so you will need an access token to make this call. Support for app authentication for this is open as a request with the team, but I can't promise if/when that would be implemented.