I actually came up with a decent method of opening the Windows File Explorer having the synchronized DropBox files on the client from a website. In this case, the website is running Blazor Server in .NET 7. I create a SignalR Hub to which a small Windows Form application subscribes.
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Client;
//replace localhost:7083 with your production URL
hubConnection1 = await ConnectToHub("https://localhost:7083/messageHub");
The website (using the DBX API) passes via SignalR the folder path and a userID to the Windows Form app.
var hubConnection = new HubConnectionBuilder()
.WithUrl(url)
.WithAutomaticReconnect()
.Build();
hubConnection.On<string, string>("ReceiveMessage", (message, userEmail) =>
// process received data from website....
The Windows Form app checks that the userID matches and then opens the path to the local DBX files:
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("explorer.exe", fullPath);
Because sometimes people install the DBX client in wacky places I also have a textbox in the Windows Form app that allows them to set the path to a Teams root folder (e.g., "C:\Users\userName\DropboxTeam\CompanyShare"
On the Blazor side:
@using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR
// Link a method to a button click that calls:
await HubContext.Clients.All.SendAsync("ReceiveMessage", dbxLocalPath, myUser.EmployeeEmail);
// in Program.cs don't forget:
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR;
builder.Services.AddSignalR();
app.MapHub<MessageHub>("/messageHub");
//Finally, make sure you have a Hub in your Blazor Server:
public class MessageHub : Hub
{
public async Task SendMessage(string message)
{
await Clients.All.SendAsync("ReceiveMessage", message);
}
}
So the overall idea is that you have users with a little WinForm client receiving messages from BlazorServer to open file directories. Blazor sends a userID which you check matches the local WinForm client. Otherwise, all your users have File Explorer open when any one requests it from the website.
