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Forum Discussion
Does DeletedMetadata expire?
Hi,
I'm using the Python Dropbox SDK, and wondered about the lifetime of deleted metadata.
Does this metadata expire, e.g. after 30 days as with deleted Dropbox files?
Many thanks.
- DeletedMetadata objects don't "expire" exactly, but whether or not old ones would still be returned (e.g., when calling files_list_folder/files_list_folder_continue again) after a significant period of time depends on a few specifics, based on the particular account's features, file activity, and some specifics of how the Dropbox backend works.
The guarantee that the API provides is that as long as you implement files_list_folder and files_list_folder_continue as documented, you'll end up with the correct state matching what's on the server:
https://dropbox-sdk-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/moduledoc.html?highlight=download_to#dropbox.dropbox.Dropbox.files_list_folder
(You can even store cursors for long periods of time and call back to files_list_folder_continue later to retrieve just what changed in the interim.)
- Greg-DB
Dropbox Staff
DeletedMetadata objects don't "expire" exactly, but whether or not old ones would still be returned (e.g., when calling files_list_folder/files_list_folder_continue again) after a significant period of time depends on a few specifics, based on the particular account's features, file activity, and some specifics of how the Dropbox backend works.
The guarantee that the API provides is that as long as you implement files_list_folder and files_list_folder_continue as documented, you'll end up with the correct state matching what's on the server:
https://dropbox-sdk-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/moduledoc.html?highlight=download_to#dropbox.dropbox.Dropbox.files_list_folder
(You can even store cursors for long periods of time and call back to files_list_folder_continue later to retrieve just what changed in the interim.)Thanks Greg.
But I guess that because state matching depends on DeletedMetadata, it is only guaranteed so long as the sync is performed regularly, right?
Otherwise, if old deleted files are not registered when calling files_list_folder (as DeletedMetadata), one cannot maintain the same state as on the server.
Final thoughts?
Thanks again
- Greg-DBThe amount of time between your calls to /list_folder[/continue] doesn't matter. The server will always return the entries necessary to make sure you get an accurate state based on the cursor you provide, as long as you process the entries as documented.
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