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I can't delete files from the camera uploads folder when using XnView

denniscmerritt

I use Dropbox for all my photos, I take a lot and frequently upload new ones, which I then organize. I use XnView (an excellent photo management application) to organize my photos. Dropbox automatically populates my Camera Uploads folder. I see it and all my other folders on XnView. I go through Camera Uploads, move around the photos I want, and delete the ones I don't. This has worked fine up until the last few weeks, when "delete" from XnView failed to work. The other functions still work, and I can "delete" from other folders. Just not the Camera Uploads folder. What's more bizarre, is some days it works, other it doesn't. It does not seem related to background activity on Dropbox, it happens when all files are up to date. I'm running on a MacBook Pro Tahoe 26.6.2, and using the latest, and now a test version from XnView. Note I can delete the files just fine from Finder, but something is tripping up XnView when it tries to delete, and only from the folder, and only sometimes. ( I suspect the underlying Apple file handling system. ) Thanks if anyone can shed light on this, I am in touch with XnView who are trying to puzzle it out.

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Mark

Is XnView a program that works locally (i.e. its deleting from Camera Uploads in Finder) or is it an App?

denniscmerritt

Yes, XnView is a program running local on my Mac. The Cameral Uploads and my other folders are all local, synced with Dropbox. It's only Camera Uploads that I can't delete from. This is a relatively new problem, it used to work fine. And some days it works (this is interesting as well, when it doesn't work, it doesn't work no matter how often I try, but then some days, it just works every time. It's like some bit somewhere is set that blocks the deletes for a day or so, sometimes.)

Mark

Thanks @denniscmerritt

I am really clutching at straws here, but, wondering if Dropbox is locking the directory while some sort of sync is taking place OR if the files are not actually downloaded. I have my Camera Uploads directory also set to have everything offline but often find, in this directory in particular, it often doesnt work.

denniscmerritt

Thanks, seems something like that. Other thought, I think this started to happen when I bought a second camera, so I'm now putting the SD cards in from two different cameras. They both work fine, the latest photos uploaded from both just fine (and when synced with my cell phone). But wondering if somehow keeping track of the two cameras?… I have checked to see the Dropbox status when this happens, which is most of the time, but the status is always "all files up to date." Also, the other functions in XnView work fine, like copying and moving the photos to different folders. It's strange. Why just delete? Why does it sometimes start to work again, and then stop? Why just with the Camera Uploads folder? mysteries… The XnView guy (small company, you get to talk to the developers) is working on some ideas. But it's this dual vendor problem… is it XnView? or Dropbox? or Apple? S

Mark

Why just delete?

Could it be due to that really really irritating pop up asking you to confirm deletion maybe?

denniscmerritt

Nah, but good try. As I say delete used to work; delete works now in other folders (with the pop up message); it just fails in Camera Uploads. (except for some days, not today, it's in a better mood). The XnView developer sent me a debug version which I just ran and sent the debug logs back to him. I'll let you know if he figures anything out. It's too bad I can't reach someone at Dropbox, but not with my "basic" membership I guess.

Mark

It's too bad I can't reach someone at Dropbox, but not with my "basic" membership I guess.

Even if you could I actually suspect they'd send you back to the developer I'm afraid - as the issue isnt with Dropbox per-se it is a third party product.

Jay

Hi @denniscmerritt, thanks for messaging the Community.

Could you try quitting the Dropbox desktop application to see if the behavior occurs again when attempting to delete files via XnView?

Also, when you attempt to delete files, do you receive any kind of error message, either from XnView or Mac OS itself?

If you can share any error details, logs or Dropbox specs, that'll help me narrow this down much faster.

denniscmerritt

Good idea! Did that, and, nope, still can't delete from XnView. What's maybe more mysterious is why, sometimes for a day at a time, I can delete with no problem. Most of the time I can't, like today. There is no error message. I select a photo and either hit the "delete" key or select "delete" from the menu. It gives a prompt asking if I really want to. I say yes. Then it goes back to the way it was before I did that, in other words, the photo is still selected, and undeleted. Other functions, such as moving the photo work fine. (I can move it to a different folder, and then delete it from there. It's only in the Camera Uploads folder that this happens.) What other information from Dropbox might I provide to you? Are there logs? Ways to turn logging on for Dropbox? Is there some special handshake going on between Apple and Dropbox that lets Dropbox know how and when to populate Camera Uploads?

Jay

There isn't anything special about the camera uploads folder, as it's just like the other folders in your Dropbox account.

The only two minor differences are that it's the default folder used when you have the camera uploads feature enabled, so your mobile or desktop device will upload photos there automatically.

The other difference is that the folder icon is that of a camera, to indicate to users where their photos are uploaded to.

As I mentioned, these two features don't really make much of a difference. Seeing as you're able to move photos from the folder, it does mean that the files are being accessed normally, and a 'deletion' from the folder (aka, when moving it across) is possible.

There aren't any Dropbox logs that you can access, however, there might be some info in the XnView logs could help to see where the 'deletion' is failing. As you've sent those logs to the developer, they should be able to understand what is happening there exactly.

denniscmerritt

More information from XnView logs — it's failing to delete the file with a 513 error. Googling about suggests this can be fixed by granting XnView and Dropbox full file access in systems settings. So I did that, and restarted. Still doesn't allow the delete. There are notes about not being able to delete from home directories or the like, could it be Dropbox considers Camera Uploads to be some sort of home directory now? Not even sure what that means.

Walter

Thanks for the additional info there @denniscmerritt - much appreciated.

Just to make sure we're on the same page, could you clarify if you're running the Dropbox desktop app on your computer when this happens lately?

If that's so, does the behavior persist if you quit the Dropbox desktop app?

Any other information or even screenshots are more than welcome!

denniscmerritt

Yes it persists even if I quit the desktop app. Screenshots would simply show the photo interface of XnView unchanged after a delete operation. The only interaction is a standard "do you really want to delete" dialog box. The Dropbox status is always that the files are up to date. I've given Dropbox and XnView full file access. There must be some special status, some flag somewhere on the Camera Uploads folder that's tripping up XnView. And, as I've mentioned before, there are times when delete works, but not often and I can't narrow down when it happens.

Walter

In that case, the issue doesn't seem to come from Dropbox, since the behavior persists with the Dropbox app closed @denniscmerritt.

At this point, I'd suggest reaching out to XnView for further assistance while you might want to consider reinstalling the apps and ensuring that this is not caused by any other 3rd party apps that you might be running such as antivirus programs and/or backup and syncing solutions.

Let us know if anything else comes up in the meantime.