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fapb88ve's avatar
fapb88ve
Explorer | Level 4
8 years ago

Downloading a file from using the Python Dropbox API

Hello,

 

Sorry for the basic question. I'm updating the code I had for the V1 Python API and I'm having a trouble with the download function. Originally I used the following:

f, metadata = client.get_file_and_metadata('/' + j)
out = open(j)
out.write(f.read())
out.close()

Where 'j' is just a name of a picture from a list of names; this was what was used in the tutorial for the previous answer. Now, it seems that in the newest version of the API that function is gone and there seem to be two replacements: 'files_download()' and 'files_download_to_file()'. I'm confused because both essentially produce the same type of response: 

(dropbox.files.FileMetadata, requests.models.Response)

What would be the correct way to transform the previous methodology to the new one?

 

Thanks,

  • The files_download method is the closest to what you were using. The files_download_to_file method takes an extra parameter for saving the file locally for you.

     

    So either of these should be equivalent to your old code:

     

    metadata, f = dbx.files_download('/'+ j)
    out = open(j, 'wb')
    out.write(f.content)
    out.close()

     

    or just

     

    dbx.files_download_to_file(j, '/'+ j)
  • Greg-DB's avatar
    Greg-DB
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    The files_download method is the closest to what you were using. The files_download_to_file method takes an extra parameter for saving the file locally for you.

     

    So either of these should be equivalent to your old code:

     

    metadata, f = dbx.files_download('/'+ j)
    out = open(j, 'wb')
    out.write(f.content)
    out.close()

     

    or just

     

    dbx.files_download_to_file(j, '/'+ j)
    • hilaal_leo's avatar
      hilaal_leo
      New member | Level 2

      Hi Greg

       

      metadata, f = dropbox.file_download_details('/test.pdf')
      out = open('test.pdf', 'wb')
      out.write(f.content)
      out.close()

       

       

      I am getting the following error in terminal 

       

      metadata, f = dropbox.file_download_details('/test.pdf')

       AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'file_download_details'

       

      Thanks in advance

    • JatinSingh2012's avatar
      JatinSingh2012
      New member | Level 2

      Hi Greg,

      I am currently reading multiple files by a for loop and I dont want to keep saving these pdfs on my desktop and then reading them. Is there a way around this where I dont need to download the file?

       

       

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

        hosamsandid The variable 'j' was used in the original code sample shared in this thread, but the definition of its value wasn't shown. In that context though, it would've just been a file name, like "example.jpg". 

        It was used both on the Dropbox API, formatted as "/example.jpg", for instance, and to open a local file.

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