Dropbox Broken or Dead

Getting Started
1

If you are on the latest Sonoma MacOS I think Dropbox is now pointless. I have used Dropbox for years without issue but Apple have forced it’s location to their cloud storage

Screenshot 2024-01-17 at 11.33.22 am
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/Users/User/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox

So I think your Dropbox cloud storage is now also being stored on Apple Cloudstorage every time you make your folders for use offline.

It also mean you will have an issue with AppWrapper if you don’t move the project you are working on to a non cloud location (I think)

Good trick for Apple to double everyones cloud storage :frowning:

2

I could be wrong (I often am), but I think on newer Macs, the iCloud folder and files are located in /Users/User/Library/Mobile Documents.

When I look under /Users/User/Library/CloudStorage I just see the root of my OneDrive folders and nothing else (I don’t use DropBox).

So, maybe iCloud is not also storing 3rd party cloud folders?

3

That’s correct, Library/CloudStorage is not synced to iCloud. That’s just where Apple has dictated their File Provider API store the files. Dropbox has a note about it at Expected changes with Dropbox for macOS on File Provider - Dropbox Help but it doesn’t really add any new info.

4

This is the location Apple auto moved it to
/Users/User/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox
Apple M1
Ok that’s good. It did stop App Wrapper working from there

5

And you never had troubles saving and working with your Xojo project(s) located @Dropbox (instead of locally) ?

6

No trouble, so long as the Dropbox data was all located locally. Now that Apple have moved it to a Library folder its broken

7

I use Xojo with Dropbox now and then. Examples only - if they get borked it’s not a big deal. But for sure Dropbox is not broken.

8

Were you doing an IOS project on Apple M1?

9

Apple didn’t move it just for giggles. Rather than having every cloud storage provider reinvent the wheel with varying degrees of quality, a new API was introduced that Apple requires these providers to use. Modern versions of Dropbox use this system level API, so the files get stored in the user library folder.

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10

Wasn’t suggesting they moved it for giggles… as usual I needed more research :slight_smile:
After some more testing it could just be MBS
I can compile all my projects with 2023R3.1 with MBS V22/08 on the M1 with latest Sonoma from Dropbox (in its new location) BUT can’t do the same with 2023R4 all the errors come up complaining about MBS.
Christian says I need the latest MBS and need to upgrade?

11

Yes. If you want to use Xojo 2023r4 with MBS in several cases you need to update MBS plugins too.

See MBS Xojo Plugins and Xojo 2023r4

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12

I’m having a simlar problem, latest Xojo, latest MBS and latest macOS Sonoma.

If I compile an ARM executable and copy it to a Dropbox synced folder, it is broken as soon as the sync is done. The version NOT synced remain fine.

Only noticed it since latest Xojo and MBS installed a couple of days ago.

Time to install the older Xojo and MBS and see what happens …

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13

Yes I had to wind back to previous Xojo to get my app updates working.

14

Winding back versions didn’t work for me.

Christian says that Dropbox isn’t syncing properly, and that seems to be the case. I’m going to zip my builds as he suggested I think.

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