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Third party app not correctly linking to file structure

We are using Bluebeam Revu for iPad which connects with Dropbox. It used to work just fine, but a few years ago Dropbox stopped showing the full file structure within the Bluebeam Revu for iPad app. I've been working with Bluebeam tech support off and on about this issue for this whole time, but they still can't figure out what the cause is. This does not happen with their other users. When in the Bluebeam Revu for iPad app, when we go to the cloud connections, where it connects with Dropbox, the Dropbox listing there only shows three folders and one loose PDF file. We have MANY, MANY more than that which aren't showing. For some reason, Dropbox will not sync the full file structure. It had worked fine from before October 2020, but after that it stopped syncing and showing the full file structure with Bluebeam Revu for iPad.

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Scott B.26

Bluebeam finally figured out the issue. Their API for the app isn't able to handle the size of the Dropbox that we have. They're going to eventually gix that, but it could be some time before they can.

So, we know what the issue is now, and there currently is fix, but one is in the works.

Thanks everyone for your attempts to help me out!

All comments

Hannah

Hey @Scott B.26, thanks for your post.

I'm afraid that since we don't really have an official integration with the specific app, there's not much we can do on our end, but I'll happily help you try to figure this out.

If you haven't already, perhaps you can try to disconnect Dropbox from that app and then to reconnect it.

Also, can you confirm that you're connecting to the same Dropbox account as the one with all your files/folders?

Let me know.

Scott B.26

Yes, I've tried disconnecting the app from Dropbox and readding. Our setup is that we have Dropbox installed on the server, so the server is the computer syncing with Dropbox. And I have confirmed it is the same dropbox account. It shows 3 folders and one file that are all that have been showing since the problem first started, even though there are many, many more folders and files. I have tried adding a new file to one of those folders, and it will show there in one of those three folders that does show. But anything added outside those three folders, will not show up. I have confirmed Dropbox is syncing with the server where we have it installed.

Walter

Hey @Scott B.26, sorry to jump in here, but could you clarify if you're able to see all of your files and folders on the website?

Also, when you say that Dropbox is installed on a server, could you clarify what server this is exactly?

If you could also clarify the version of your devices' OS and the versions of the Dropbox app and the 3rd party app you're using, I'd appreciate it.

Any additional information or screenshots are more than welcome!

Scott B.26

I don't think the server model or Windows server version would be the issue, as we replaced the server this year a few months ago, so it's been with two totally different servers and two different Windows server versions over the 3 years this has been a problem. Though maybe there is a setting somewhere that might have been duplicated when we migrated to the new server. Current is Windows Server 2022 on a Dell PowerEdge R350.

This has been a problem for EVERY version of iPad since 2020, and every iOS during that time span. Dropbox and Bluebeam behaved perfectly good 2015-2020. It was just maybe in the fall of 2020 that it stopped working properly. And Bluebeam says only a few of their customers have this issue, so it is rare. There's just something wonky with our Dropbox. They have actively been working on this to try to figure out why it isn't syncing between their app and Dropbox like it used to.

Dropbox on the web and our server show ALL the folders and files. The Bluebeam app when connected to Dropbox shows only three folders and one file from Dropbox. And if the Bluebeam app creates a folder in Dropbox or moves a folder there, even though it shows in the app as synced, they never show up in Dropbox.

Walter

Thanks for the additional information, Scott - much appreciated.

May I ask if Dropbox is running as a service on your Server or if it was installed as a regular application?

Are there multiple Dropbox desktop applications, users or computers interfacing with the same Dropbox folder in your network perhaps?

Also, can you maybe try this on a regular computer instead of a Server?

Let us know of any updates!

Scott B.26

This was installed on the server as a regular Dropbox application. We did this so that there was only one computer syncing with Dropbox. About a decade ago, we had too many users improperly using the Dropbox app when installed on their computers (they didn't understand to only sync the items they wanted, so it was slowing down the network and using up bandwidth for everyone, and they were downloading the entire Dropbox to their computers, which was using up their hard drive space). So we had them uninstall from their computers, and the only Dropbox app install was the one on the server, which was to do all of the syncing. The Dropbox location on the server locally saves to a mapped drive on the network, so folks wanting to add files to our Dropbox can just drag and drop there, and then the Dropbox app on the server will sync with Dropbox in the cloud.

Здравко

@Scott B.26 wrote:
...
This has been a problem for EVERY version of iPad since 2020, and every iOS during that time span. Dropbox and Bluebeam behaved perfectly good 2015-2020. It was just maybe in the fall of 2020 that it stopped working properly. ...

Hi @Scott B.26,

As seems, something has happened at "fall of 2020". Is there any chance you have changed your account plan at that time? More precisely, before that you have used some individual plan and next moved to some group business plan... 🧐 Or some other change, like you had practice to save your files in users folder of business plan and next moved to team space?... Or you have transformed your business plan from team folders to team spaces?

Why I ask this? As far as can be seen on your application page related to Dropbox integration, access is requested (and after that granted) only to user/member specific places in your account (not to any shared spaces, if any)! In this context, are the folders/files visible from the application are only those residing within your member folder, by any chance?

If so, that's an imperfection (or might be labeled as a bug) related to the application. In such a case, as a workaround, you may use shared folder in your account (between team members) to keep your files accessible and in sync. Forget to access team spaces content (or least till an application fix).

Hope this gives direction.

Scott B.26

The issue started (or at least the first person to complain to me) in October 2020. I just checked our billing history in Dropbox, and it has been the same all the way back to June 2019, when we simply added one more TB of storage. Any other changes were before that, in 2017 when we did upgrade the account from Pro to Plus with extended version history.

I suppose it is possible it broke in June 2019 when we added more storage and no one bothered saying anything until October 2020 ... back then, the Bluebeam app was installed on all our iPads but only a few users actually used the app. This is being used by foremen at construction sites, so they are tech shy, and at the time this issue started, the app was new to them and only a few were using the app, which might be why it may not have been reported to me sooner. But adding more storage, I wouldn't think would be causing this.

When I check this issue myself, when I am connecting Dropbox to the Bluebeam app, I am using the credentials for the account owner. So even the account owner is only seeing the three folders and one file, while there in reality are many more.

Здравко

@Scott B.26, 😀 Probably you did upgrade from Plus to Pro (no opposite), anyway...

Ignore my previous post, neither Plus nor Pro account manages team spaces, so it cannot be related to your issue. That would be the case with least Standard plan.

Good luck with figuring the issue.

Jay

Hi @Scott B.26, what permissions does the Bluebeam app have when you view it on this page? Could you copy and paste them into your next reply?

Scott B.26

Edit content of your Dropbox files and folders, view content of your Dropbox files and folders, and view and edit information about your Dropbox files and folders
View and manage your Dropbox file requests, Dropbox sharing settings and collaborators, and manually added Dropbox contacts
View basic information about your Dropbox account such as your username, email, and country

Jay

Okay, so this means it should have access to your entire Dropbox account, and not just the Apps folder like some other apps.

Do the folders that appear in the app have anything in common? What about the folders that don't appear in the app? Any special characters, symbols (like the : or | symbol), or even folder length?

Scott B.26

No, not really. That was something Bluebeam support thought a possibility. We considered file name length and folder paths being too long, but that can't be the case. Even at top level, it isn't showing some loose files at top level that are simply PDFs that have a file name of 8 characters (only alpha numeric, no special characters). And there's nothing odd or complex about these PDFs (basically just a scanned document). Some of the missing top level folders that are missing are also very basic (reasonable file name length, no special characters, no subfolders, contents are simple PDF or MS Word documents).

Jay

Is it possible to attach an image of what the Bluebeam app shows, and what is visible in the Dropbox folder on the same level, while hiding any personal names or info?

Scott B.26

So, we know what the issue is now, and there currently is fix, but one is in the works.

Thanks everyone for your attempts to help me out!

Jay

Thanks for the update, I'm glad to hear they were able to locate the issue. This should help other users who are experiencing similar issues!

Djwpe

Did they ever come up with a fix for this? I’ve been having the same problem for quite some time.

Walter

Hey @Djwpe - could you let us know some additional information about the issue you're facing?

For instance, what apps are you having issues with? What device(s) are you using?

Are you getting any errors?

Scott B.26

No, not yet. Bluebeam had told me they would add it to their list of things to look into, but said it wasn't going to be a high priority so would probably be a long while before they got their API adjusted to where it could handle Dropbox with a large number of files/folders.