Server-side alphabetical sorting for filesListFolder API - Any updates or workarounds?

simonscmap

Hi Dropbox Developer Community,

I'm working with the filesListFolder API and need to retrieve files in alphabetical order for a large-scale application. I've seen previous discussions indicating that server-side sorting isn't currently supported, but I wanted to check if there have been any updates or if there are any undocumented parameters that might enable this functionality.

Current Situation:

• Using filesListFolder + filesListFolderContinue (pagination) to retrieve large directories
• Need alphabetical sorting to maintain consistent UX across sessions
• Client-side sorting becomes inefficient with large datasets due to pagination

Questions:

1. Are there any plans to add server-side sorting parameters to filesListFolder?
2. Has any beta or experimental sorting functionality been released?
3. Are there any recommended patterns for efficiently handling alphabetical sorting with pagination?

I understand the current recommendation is client-side sorting, but for directories with thousands of files, this creates performance challenges when combined with pagination.

Any insights or updates would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Howard

iNeil

Hello @simonscmap,

The filesListFolder functionality does not guarantee a specific ordering, and there is no parameter available to sort the list. This has been raised as a feature request. However, I can't promise if or when it might be implemented. Any specific sorting logic would need to be handled within your integration to meet your requirements.

I'm unable to recommend specific patterns for efficiently handling alphabetical sorting with pagination, but someone in the Dropbox community forum may be able to provide more insight on this topic.