Dropbox on Linux (Ubuntu) moving directory: no icon

[Stephen B.25]

On Ubuntu 18.04. Dropbox has been purged and  *re-installed* because I want to put the Dropbox folder to an external drive.  ( I have read the documentation and I understand the issues. I will work with those.)

The instructions on this site say that to change the target directory, I must  click on the dropbox icon and follow the trail from there. But there is no icon anywhere on my Ubuntu MATE desktop.

Okay, never mind. In the ~/.dropbox configuration directory, there is a file info.json with an attrribute  for path. I changed that to the directory I want to use, started Dropbox and was told that the directory was not the directory I originally used so Dropbox was going to fix that for me and hey presto it did just that. 

So -- how do I point Dropbox to where I want it to go? 

[Jay]

Hi there, when installing the Dropbox desktop application with a clean installation (i.e. after an advanced reinstall), you should get the following option after signing into your account:

Where it says ‘Add your personal account’, it should say ‘Open your Dropbox folder’.

Here you would put the location of the external drive. The app will then create the Dropbox folder, and sync the files down.

Let me know if you’re not seeing this option.

[Stephen B.25]

Thanks for this Jay, but it doesn't work like that on my system. After the advance re-install I am back where I was. Here is what I did with some notes along the way. 

#https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/advanced-reinstall
# dropbox stop responds with Dropbox isn't responding!
pkill dropbox 
dropbox status 

# not running

rm -rf ~/.dropbox-dist
rm -rf /var/lib/dropbox
rm -rf ~/.dropbox*
sudo apt-get purge nautilus-dropbox
sudo apt-get purge dropbox
rm /etc/apt/source.d/dropbox
sudo chown "$USER" "$HOME"
sudo chown -R "$USER" ~/Dropbox
sudo chattr -R -i ~/Dropbox
sudo chmod -R u+rw ~/Dropbox

#Unble to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cMap
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/X11/util
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-cns1
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-gb1
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-japan1
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-japan2
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-korea1
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/X11/encodings/large

exit
reboot
==================

#Selecting previously unselected package dropbox.
#(Reading database ... 222588 files and directories currently installed.)
#Preparing to unpack dropbox_2015.10.28_amd64.deb ...
#Unpacking dropbox (2015.10.28) ...
#Setting up dropbox (2015.10.28) ...
#Please restart all running instances of Nautilus, or you will experience problems. i.e. nautilus --quit
#
# ***No filesystem browser whatsoever is running
#
#Dropbox installation successfully completed! You can start Dropbox from your applications menu.
#Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.23-1ubuntu3.18.04.1) ...
#Processing triggers for bamfdaemon (0.5.3+18.04.20180207.2-0ubuntu1) ...
#Rebuilding /usr/share/applications/bamf-2.index...
#Processing triggers for mime-support (3.60ubuntu1) ...
#Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ...
#Processing triggers for man-db (2.8.3-2) ...

dropbox start -i
# <Dialog offering opt-out from daemon download, warning about absence of python-gpgme>
# apt install python-gpgme
# Package 'python-gpgme' has no installation candidate
# chrome launches dropbox web page
#
#Stephen Boston,
#
#Would you like to connect the computer acer to your Dropbox account ([email removed])? If you didn’t request this, please click cancel.
#
#Connect Cancel
#or connect a different account
#
# *** I choose Connect ***

#Your computer was successfully linked to your account
#
# *** Caja (MATE file browser) opens to the Dropbox folder. ***
#
# Webpage with link to "Continue to Dropbox" -- I accept
#

And that is all. Installation Done.

[Stephen B.25]

Thanks Jay. It doesn't go like that on my system. I replied earlier but my message has disappeared. Forgive me if this is a repost.  Attachment doesn't work.

#https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/advanced-reinstall
# dropbox stop responds with Dropbox isn't responding!
pkill dropbox
dropbox status
# not running

rm -rf ~/.dropbox-dist
rm -rf /var/lib/dropbox
rm -rf ~/.dropbox*
sudo apt-get purge nautilus-dropbox
sudo apt-get purge dropbox
rm /etc/apt/source.d/dropbox
sudo chown "$USER" "$HOME"
sudo chown -R "$USER" ~/Dropbox
sudo chattr -R -i ~/Dropbox
sudo chmod -R u+rw ~/Dropbox

#Unble to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cMap
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/X11/util
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-cns1
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-gb1
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-japan1
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-japan2
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-korea1
#Unable to revert mtime: /usr/share/fonts/X11/encodings/large

exit
reboot
==================

sudo dpkg -i dropbox_2015.10.28_amd64.deb
#Selecting previously unselected package dropbox.
#(Reading database ... 222588 files and directories currently installed.)
#Preparing to unpack dropbox_2015.10.28_amd64.deb ...
#Unpacking dropbox (2015.10.28) ...
#Setting up dropbox (2015.10.28) ...
#Please restart all running instances of Nautilus, or you will experience problems. i.e. nautilus --quit
#
# ***No filesystem browser whatsoever is running
#
#Dropbox installation successfully completed! You can start Dropbox from your applications menu.
#Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.23-1ubuntu3.18.04.1) ...
#Processing triggers for bamfdaemon (0.5.3+18.04.20180207.2-0ubuntu1) ...
#Rebuilding /usr/share/applications/bamf-2.index...
#Processing triggers for mime-support (3.60ubuntu1) ...
#Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ...
#Processing triggers for man-db (2.8.3-2) ...

dropbox start -i
# <Dialog offering opt-out from daemon download, warning about absence of python-gpgme>
# apt install python-gpgme
# Package 'python-gpgme' has no installation candidate
# chrome launches dropbox web page
#
#Stephen Boston,
#
#Would you like to connect the computer acer to your Dropbox account ([email removed as per Community Guidelines])? If you didn’t request this, please click cancel.
#
#Connect Cancel
#or connect a different account
#
# *** I choose Connect ***

#Your computer was successfully linked to your account
#
# *** Caja (MATE file browser) opens to the Dropbox folder. ***
#
# Webpage with link to "Continue to Dropbox" -- I accept
#

And that is all. Installation Done.

[Stephen B.25]

I have no problem downloading it all again. I have an unlimited data plan and besides I believe that LAN synch is the default?

[Jay · Accepted solution]

I just tested it on our Linux device here, and you’re correct in that it doesn’t allow moving the folder prior to when the files begin to sync.

As that’s the case, the desktop app needs to be used to move the folder.

Since you’re not seeing the icon in the menu bar and have already done an advanced reinstall, there’s little else that can be done from our end. Currently we only officially support Ubuntu and Fedora, so different flavors (like Ubuntu MATE) aren’t supported.

The only thing that comes to mind is that the icon can’t appear in the menu bar due to the desktop environment, of which Unity, GNOME Classic, XFCE (with some Nautilus dependencies) and the GNOME (with an extension TopIcons) are supported.

I’d recommend checking with the developers of Ubuntu MATE to see if they have a solution to this matter.

[Stephen B.25]

As a workaround :   

  dropbox stop
  mv ~/Dropbox /mnt/hd2
  mkdir /home/stephen/Dropbox
  mount --bind /mnt/hd2/Dropbox /home/stephen/Dropbox
  dropbox start

On restarting, Dropbox sent multiple messages to stdout but the Dropbox folder updates up and down just fine. After system reboot the journal shows no alarm so... 

To make this setting persistent add to /etc/fstab

/mnt/hd2/Dropbox /home/stephen/Dropbox  ext4 bind 0 0