Dropbox permissions

Discussions about the smartphone versions
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mike
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 18:00

Dropbox permissions

Post by mike »

Hi,

I just installed DL for Android, and when I tried to link the app with my Dropbox for synchronization purposes, it asked for full access to my folders. And well, the question is I don't feel comfortable with that, and nobody should be.

I make use of some other apps which need access to my Dropbox, but only access to their own folders is granted. So when these apps access Dropbox for the first time, they create his own subfolder inside an "apps" folder. I guess Diving Log for Android should work the same way. I tried DL4A long time ago, and this fact alone let me down from using it.

Now I just upgraded from DL5 to DL6, and I wonder if the permissions bug in Dropbox will be fixed some day.
divinglog
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Re: Dropbox permissions

Post by divinglog »

Hi Mike

The full access permission has two reasons: first, it his historical. When Diving Log started using Dropbox syncing, the app permission system did not exist. At that time, only full access was an option. Back then I decided to use a folder called "Divelog" in the root of the Dropbox folder.

The other reason is, that other apps and app developers are using the same folder to sync their apps with Diving Log. The iOS Dive Log syncs to the same "Divelog" folder and also "DiveMate" for Android and iOS. This is not possible with the app folder permission, because this folder can be accessed only by this app, not other apps.

Because of this, it is unfortunately not possible to change the permission, because this would break the syncing not just between Diving Log 5/6 and all Diving Log apps, but also for other 3rd party apps that are using this folder.

Diving Log will only access the "Divelog" folder in the root of your Dropbox, it won't read or write to any other location. But if you feel uncomfortable, you can use the official Dropbox app to upload and download the logbook file and still use Diving Log for Android. Actually I recommend that for large logbooks, because the Diving Log Android app can currently crash when syncing large logbook files to Dropbox. Just make sure to close the Diving Log app using the app menu, then you can upload or download your logbook file from the "Diving Log" folder on Android to the "Divelog" folder in your Dropbox.

Kind regards,
Sven
mike
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 18:00

Re: Dropbox permissions

Post by mike »

Hi Sven,

Thank you for such a comprehensive explanation, and for the tip about syncing large logbooks with Dropbox. I will use it that way.

Cheers,
Miguel
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