Requires full home directory permissions

[jakajancar]

Any reason why dropbox requires full home directory permissions instead of just the synced folder?

[wjt]

Perhaps because you can change the synced folder path in the Dropbox UI? That said, you could prepare a patch and see if everything works provided you don't change the default path?

[wjt]

The patch would be:

diff --git a/com.dropbox.Client.json b/com.dropbox.Client.json
index 1fa503a..4a028f1 100644
--- a/com.dropbox.Client.json
+++ b/com.dropbox.Client.json
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
         "--socket=x11",
         "--socket=pulseaudio",
         "--share=network",
-        "--filesystem=home",
+        "--filesystem=~/Dropbox:create",
         "--filesystem=/tmp",
         "--talk-name=org.freedesktop.Notifications",
         "--talk-name=org.kde.StatusNotifierWatcher",

The risk I see is that Dropbox itself will not know that other paths will not persist. So what happens if the user does the following:

1. Starts Dropbox
2. Tells it to store data at ~/ThrowAwayAllMyFiles (note that ~ will be on a tmpfs)
3. Stops Dropbox (causing ~/ThrowAwayAllMyFiles to disappear)
4. Starts Dropbox

I see three possible outcomes:

• Step 2 fails because of the much-publicised requirement that the Dropbox folder be stored on ext4
• All files are redownloaded when Dropbox restarts
• All files are erased from the server on the assumption that the user deliberately deleted them all on purpose

I am loathe to risk my own files and test this. If the first outcome, then I guess one could live with that, though the user on #83 who wants that check to be patched out would be sad. If the second or third, this can't be done.

[A6GibKm]

I am personally using

flatpak override --nofilesystem=home --filesystem=~/Dropbox
--persist=.dropbox com.dropbox.Client

Perhaps because you can change the synced folder path in the Dropbox UI? That said, you could prepare a patch and see if everything works provided you don't change the default path?

What Dropbox UI? Mine just starts syncing (The first time opens the browser to give Dropbox access) and sets all paths to their defaults.

[wjt]

Dropbox assumes you have either a classic X11 systray, or an Ubuntu-style AppIndicators tray.

From here you can get to its preferences dialog, which includes an option to change the folder path.