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psehrawat's avatar
psehrawat
New member | Level 2
8 years ago

How to download files from a publicly shared folder?

We developed an app using an endpoint from v1 /1/metadat/link (to list all from a shared link). I couldn't find any endpoint from v2 having same functionality.   My app has a simple a functionality...
API
Greg-DB's avatar
Greg-DB
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
For reference, 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 .NET SDK that's available as `ListFolderAsync`:

https://dropbox.github.io/dropbox-sdk-dotnet/html/M_Dropbox_Api_Files_Routes_FilesUserRoutes_ListFolderAsync_1.htm


In the Java SDK that's available via `listFolderBuilder` to get a `ListFolderBuilder` on which you can call `ListFolderBuilder.withSharedLink`:

https://dropbox.github.io/dropbox-sdk-java/api-docs/v3.0.x/com/dropbox/core/v2/files/DbxUserFilesRequests.html#listFolderBuilder-java.lang.String-

https://dropbox.github.io/dropbox-sdk-java/api-docs/v3.0.x/com/dropbox/core/v2/files/ListFolderBuilder.html

https://dropbox.github.io/dropbox-sdk-java/api-docs/v3.0.x/com/dropbox/core/v2/files/ListFolderBuilder.html#withSharedLink-com.dropbox.core.v2.files.SharedLink-


In the JavaScript SDK that's available as `filesListFolder`:

https://dropbox.github.io/dropbox-sdk-js/Dropbox.html#filesListFolder__anchor


In the Python SDK that's available as `files_list_folder`:

https://dropbox-sdk-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/moduledoc.html#dropbox.dropbox.Dropbox.files_list_folder


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

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


In the Objective-C SDK that's available as `listFolder`:

https://dropbox.github.io/dropbox-sdk-obj-c/api-docs/latest/Classes/DBFILESUserAuthRoutes.html#/c:objc(cs)DBFILESUserAuthRoutes(im)listFolder:
elsigh's avatar
elsigh
Helpful | Level 5
7 years ago

I'm having the same issue. I have a shared_link to a folder and I'd like to enumerate each file in that folder and be able to download each one independently.

 

I'm using the Javascript version of the SDK.

 

So I'm calling 

filesListFolder({url: "", shared_link: {url: myURL}}

and that returns a list of file metadata but I cannot figure out a way to go from that response and the data in each file's metadata to something I can use with the filesDownload (id seems surprisingly not-useful for non-mounted content) or any of the sharing download functions (which all require an URL for each file which is not something in the response).

 

How can I do this?

  • Greg-DB's avatar
    Greg-DB
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago

    To download a file from a shared link for a folder using the JavaScript SDK, use the sharingGetSharedLinkFile method. You should supply the original shared link, i.e., the same URL you passed to filesListFolder, as well as the relative path for the particular file in the folder you want to download.

    • elsigh's avatar
      elsigh
      Helpful | Level 5
      7 years ago

      Ok, I tried this and I can't make it work.

       

      for instance I have the shared link (to a folder full or text files):

      https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pytim78xyjqj3di/AACXk4N35DeQpR14dPxLRFOla?dl=0

       

      Inside that folder, as enumerated by filesListFolder I have items like:

      {
  ".tag": "file",
  "name": "willin.pro",
  "parent_shared_folder_id": "1699528",
  "id": "id:LmyYmvEGCjcAAAAAAAC4TA",
  "client_modified": "2018-03-18T20:35:30Z",
  "server_modified": "2018-03-18T20:37:13Z",
  "rev": "18f2e2f80019eec8",
  "size": 1631,
  "sharing_info": {
    "read_only": true,
    "parent_shared_folder_id": "1699528",
    "modified_by": "dbid:AAAkG7maZxQE1y3-wnhlj6tstjqqo8rqYow"
  },
  "content_hash": "896e0660f614202d880a7010f4f6c55cdf1141cffa0d3c1dcdfcbec3ebbdcc00"
}

       

      So I tried

       

       

      dbxClient.sharingGetSharedLinkFile({
  url: "https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pytim78xyjqj3di/AACXk4N35DeQpR14dPxLRFOla?dl=0", 
  path: "/id:LmyYmvEGCjcAAAAAAAC4TA"
})

      and I tried:

      dbxClient.sharingGetSharedLinkFile({
  url: "https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pytim78xyjqj3di/AACXk4N35DeQpR14dPxLRFOla?dl=0", 
  path: "/willin.pro"
})

      The latter 2 get 409s.

       

      • Greg-DB's avatar
        Greg-DB
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        7 years ago

        elsigh The first one is incorrect because this endpoint doesn't support file IDs in that `path` parameter. (If it did though, you would supply just the "id:..." string, without a leading slash.)

         

        The second one is correct, and it works for me. Can you share the full output you're getting?

         

        (Make sure to use both `then` and `catch`, so you can get the API response or error, respectively.)

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