Chunky Comic Reader only shows certain Dropbox folders

[xavdid]

I've used Chunky Comic reader for years because it's got a great Dropbox integration- I can browse my whole Dropbox hierarchy and import comics I've bought.

But, after getting a new iPad recently, Dropbox has stopped working. Nothing's changed on the app side (it hasn't been updated in years). When I load Dropbox on the new device, it only shows me 2 folders when I should see ~20. Those folders work as expected, but they're not the ones I'm trying to access.

The available folders also happen to be the two newest folders in my Dropbox; they were created in May of this year and August of 2023. All my other Dropbox folders were created in 2022 or earlier (and don't show up via the API). I've confirmed that if I create a new folder, it shows up in Chunky as expected.

So, is there a reason old folders wouldn't show up in an API call? I don't have information about which API endpoint is being used (since I'm not the app's developer) but given that new folders show up, it seems like an issue on the Dropbox side.

Thank you!

[xavdid · Accepted solution]

Playing with this a little more, it seems like only folders with a recent enough modified date will show up. I updated the modified date for my comics folder and it showed up in API responses immediately. Definitely doesn't seem like intended behavior, but I'm glad it's working again!

[Mark]

You will need to speak to the developer as it sounds like they need to update the app - there are also changes coming up later this year which, if not updated, could cause the app to stop working completely. 

[Greg-DB]

@xavdid As Mark noted, this may be something that the developer would need to address in the app's code. The Dropbox API should certainly still return old folders, but if it doesn't seem to be working as expected, the developer can share the relevant technical details so we can look into it.

[Karl H.4]

I had this problem a lot -- both folders and individual files on Dropbox missing from Chunky's interface.  I found that renaming a folder would make it and its files visible in Chunky, so that became a routine thing.  This fits with Chunky having problems seeing older Dropbox items.

Unfortunately, yesterday Chunky stopped seeing anything in the root Dropbox folder, which makes no sense as things on Dropbox are constantly being updated.  Renaming doesn't help, creating new folders doesn't help.  Chunky is effectively dead on my ipad now and I am shopping for a different reader.

ETA: I removed Dropbox as an account, uninstalled Chunky, reinstalled Chunky, and added Dropbox.  Now if I rename a folder, I can see it, but I can ONLY see the two most recently renamed folders.  I am really curious about what would cause this.

[Greg-DB]

I'm sorry to hear about the issues you two have been having with that app. I can't say for sure what the cause is based on this description, but for reference the Dropbox API itself does support listing files and folders of any age, and I'm not aware of any current bug or disruption on our side that would cause an issue like that, so it could just be an issue in the third party app's code. In any case, if the developer finds an issue with the Dropbox API, we're here to help. If you haven't already done so, I recommend reaching out to the developer of the app.

[Karl H.4]

I'll give it a shot, although when this started happening a few years ago, I never got a response from the developer.  Thanks!