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Downloading a file from using the Python Dropbox API

Downloading a file from using the Python Dropbox API

fapb88ve
Explorer | Level 4
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Hello,

 

Sorry for the basic question. I'm updating the code I had for the V1 Python API and I'm having a trouble with the download function. Originally I used the following:

f, metadata = client.get_file_and_metadata('/' + j)
out = open(j)
out.write(f.read())
out.close()

Where 'j' is just a name of a picture from a list of names; this was what was used in the tutorial for the previous answer. Now, it seems that in the newest version of the API that function is gone and there seem to be two replacements: 'files_download()' and 'files_download_to_file()'. I'm confused because both essentially produce the same type of response: 

(dropbox.files.FileMetadata, requests.models.Response)

What would be the correct way to transform the previous methodology to the new one?

 

Thanks,

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
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The files_download method is the closest to what you were using. The files_download_to_file method takes an extra parameter for saving the file locally for you.

 

So either of these should be equivalent to your old code:

 

metadata, f = dbx.files_download('/'+ j)
out = open(j, 'wb')
out.write(f.content)
out.close()

 

or just

 

dbx.files_download_to_file(j, '/'+ j)

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7 Replies 7

Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
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The files_download method is the closest to what you were using. The files_download_to_file method takes an extra parameter for saving the file locally for you.

 

So either of these should be equivalent to your old code:

 

metadata, f = dbx.files_download('/'+ j)
out = open(j, 'wb')
out.write(f.content)
out.close()

 

or just

 

dbx.files_download_to_file(j, '/'+ j)

hilaal_leo
New member | Level 2
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Hi Greg

 

metadata, f = dropbox.file_download_details('/test.pdf')
out = open('test.pdf', 'wb')
out.write(f.content)
out.close()

 

 

I am getting the following error in terminal 

 

metadata, f = dropbox.file_download_details('/test.pdf')

 AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'file_download_details'

 

Thanks in advance

Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
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@hilaal_leo The official Python SDK doesn't have a `file_download_details` method. Please refer to my earlier posts in this thread for examples of how to download files using the SDK. There's also an example included with the SDK here.

JatinSingh2012
New member | Level 2
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Hi Greg,

I am currently reading multiple files by a for loop and I dont want to keep saving these pdfs on my desktop and then reading them. Is there a way around this where I dont need to download the file?

 

 

Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
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@JatinSingh2012 Yes, you can use the files_download method to read the file data without saving it to the local filesystem, like the example here.

hosamsandid
New member | Level 2
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what dose the letter j means??

Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
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@hosamsandid The variable 'j' was used in the original code sample shared in this thread, but the definition of its value wasn't shown. In that context though, it would've just been a file name, like "example.jpg". 

It was used both on the Dropbox API, formatted as "/example.jpg", for instance, and to open a local file.

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