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| It's easy to save and read record based data on Dropbox using AppStudio using Dropbox Datastores. You can then access them on all your devices and on your desktop.
| | '''Important: DropBox [https://blogs.dropbox.com/developers/2015/04/deprecating-the-sync-and-datastore-apis/ announced on April 23, 2015] that this API is deprecated and will be phased out by April, 2016.''' |
| * Apps must be set up in Dropbox before they will run.
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| * Apps need to be deployed. They cannot run locally.
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| * You can only run someone else's app if you have their permission.
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| * Therefore you can only access someone else's files with their permission.
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| * If you want to access files directly, use [[Using Dropbox to save files|Dropbox Files]].
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| * Maximum datastore size is 10 megs.
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| * Maximum records per datastore is 100,000.
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| * Maximum record size is 100k.
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| * The first 5 megs do not subtract from your Dropbox allocation.
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| Here's how:
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| == Get a DropBox account. ==
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| Use your existing account or get a new one. They're free and easy to set up.
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| == Create your app in the Dropbox App Console ==
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| Go to [https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps Dropbox App Console] and create a Dropbox API app, that does "Datastores only".
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| [[File:Dropboxappconsole3.png|600px|none]]
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| === Settings ===
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| [[File:Dropboxappconsole1.png|600px|none]]
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| Settings Fields:
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| * Status: Development allows up to 100 users. To apply for Production, your app will have to approved by Dropbox.
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| * Development users: Who is allowed to use the app?
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| * Permission type: Normally, read and write to its own folder.
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| * App Folder Name: Name the folder you want to use in Dropbox/Apps for your app's files. If it does not exist, it will be created.
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| * App key, App secret: Generated by Dropbox. Use App key in your app to identify the Dropbox app.
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| * OAuth redirect URIs: The complete URL to your deployed app, including index.html.
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| * Drop-ins domains: Not needed.
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| * Datastores: Not needed.
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| === Details ===
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| [[File:Dropboxappconsole2.png|500px|none]]
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| Details Fields:
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| * App name: The name of your app. Don't use "Dropbox" in the name.
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| * Publisher: Your name or the name of your company.
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| * Description: A description of your app.
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| * App website: The main website for your app.
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| * App icons: 64x64 and 256x256 images. You need to save them to your Dropbox before uploading them.
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| == Write your app ==
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| === Add the Dropbox library to your project ===
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| Select Global Code and Project Properties in the Project Explorer, and add the Dropbox library to the project:
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| [[File:Dropboxlibrary.png|600px|none]]
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| === Log into Dropbox ===
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| Security is important to Dropbox apps. Before you can do anything, you need to login. Dropbox uses a security schema call [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OAuth OAuth], which is fairly ease to use.
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| Here is what you do at the start of your app:
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| <pre>
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| Dim APP_KEY = "qx65sf9nruudj73"
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| Dim client = new Dropbox.Client({key: APP_KEY})
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| client.authenticate({interactive:False}, authenticationError)
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| Function authenticationError(err)
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| If err Then MsgBox "DropBox Authentication error: " & err
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| End Function
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| </pre>
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| Once this is done, you can check to see if the user is authorized. If not, you need to authenticate:
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| <pre>
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| client.authenticate()
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| </pre>
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| This will load the Dropbox web page, ask the user to log in if needed and get authorization for the app.
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| === Initialize your Table ===
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| Once authenticated, you need open the datastore for the app.
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| <pre>
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| datastoreManager = client.getDatastoreManager()
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| datastoreManager.openDefaultDatastore(openDataStoreComplete)
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| Function openDataStoreComplete(err, datastore)
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| If err Then
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| MsgBox "Error opening datastore: " & err
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| Else
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| studentTable=datastore.getTable("students")
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| End If
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| End Function
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| </pre>
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| * This app uses only the default datastore.
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| * It has one table called studentTable.
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| * A datastore can have multiple tables.
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| * getTable() returns the table.
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| * A table is created when records are added to it.
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| === Save a record ===
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| Adding records to a table is easy.
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| <pre>
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| data =
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| {name: txtName.value, age: TxtAge.value}
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| ref = studentTable.insert(data)
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| </pre>
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| * The record is simply added.
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| * A reference to the record is returned.
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| * There is no duplicate checking.
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| * The data is formatted as an object.
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| * Since the operation updates a local file, there is no need for an asynchronous callback.
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| * Dropbox will take care of synching the updated datastore to its server later.
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| === Find a record ===
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| The Dropbox query() function is a database style lookup.
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| <pre>
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| results = studentTable.query({name: txtFind.value})
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| If Len(results)>0 Then
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| MsgBox results[0].get("name") & " is " & results[0].get("age")
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| Else
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| MsgBox "Not found"
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| End If
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| </pre>
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| * The query function takes an object as a parameter.
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| * It can use one or more name,value pairs to match up with.
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| * An array is returned with all the matching records.
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| * Each element of the array is a reference to the record.
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| * Use the get() function to get fields in a record.
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| * Use the set() function to change fields in a record.
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| === Delete a record ===
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| Deletes a record from a datastore.
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| <pre>
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| If Len(results)>0 Then
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| results[0].deleteRecord()
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| MsgBox "Deleted"
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| End If
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| </pre>
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| * You need the reference to the record to delete it.
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| * Operation happens immediately to the local copy of the datastore.
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| * Dropbox will synch to its servers later.
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| === Examining a datastore on Dropbox ===
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| You can look at your datastore on Dropbox.com. Go to the [https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps App Console] and choose [https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps/datastores Browse DataStores].
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| You can then choose the app you are interested in and browse its datastore:
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| [[File:Dropboxappconsole4.png|600px|none]]
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| === Other Dropbox Datastore functions ===
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| Here is the full list of calls that can be made to the Dropbox client. Docs are [https://www.dropbox.com/developers/datastore/docs/js here].
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| Class Methods
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| * int64(x)
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| * isInt64(x)
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| * isValidID(datastoreId)
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| Instance Methods
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| * getTable(tableId)
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| * ListTableIds()
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| * close()
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| * getId()
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| * getSyncStatus()
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| Instance Properties
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| * recordsChanged (Dropbox.Util.EventSource<Dropbox.Datastore.RecordsChanged>)
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| * syncStatusChanged (Dropbox.Util.EventSource<?>)
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| Datastore Manager
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| * close()
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| * openDefaultDatastore(callback)
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| * openDatastore(datastoreId, callback)
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| * createDatastore(callback)
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| * deleteDatastore(datastoreId, callback)
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| * listDatastores(callback)
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| Datastore Properties
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| * datastoreListChanged (Dropbox.Util.EventSource<Dropbox.Datastore.DatastoreListChanged>)
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| * getId()
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| * getDatastoreInfos()
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| Table Methods
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| * isValidId(tableId)
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| * getId()
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| * get(recordId)
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| * getOrInsert(recordId, defaultValues)
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| * insert(fieldValues)
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| * query(fieldValues)
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| * setResolutionRule(fieldName, rule)
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| Record Methods
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| * isValidId(recordId)
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| * get(fieldName)
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| * set(fieldName, value)
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| * getOrCreateList(fieldName)
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| * getFields()
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| * update(a)
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| * deleteRecord()
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| * has(fieldName)
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| * getId()
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| * getTable()
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| * isDeleted()
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| * affectedRecordsByTable()
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| * affectedRecordsForTable(tableId)
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| * isLocal()
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| File Stats
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| * parse(metadata)
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| * json()
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| Check [https://www.dropbox.com/developers/datastore/docs/js#Dropbox.Datastore full docs] - lots more stuff!
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