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Python 3.5 API upload error

I'm using a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ with the a Pi Camera to record surveillance images and occasionally upload them to my Dropbox account. The Python script runs until it's time to upload the images to Dropbox and then this error occurs:

[UPLOAD] Wednesday 12 December 2018 07:43:50AM
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "pi_surveillance.py", line 126, in <module>
client.files_upload(open(t.path, "rb").read(), path)
File "/home/pi/.virtualenvs/cv/lib/python3.5/site-packages/dropbox/base.py", line 2187, in files_upload
f,
File "/home/pi/.virtualenvs/cv/lib/python3.5/site-packages/dropbox/dropbox.py", line 296, in request
user_message_locale)
dropbox.exceptions.ApiError: ApiError('88dea4768f5b9c6b5cfc7e05ce25133d', UploadError('path', UploadWriteFailed

I was previously receiving a "malformed token" error, but it has since been replaced with this new error. Can anyone steer me in the right direction. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

delta1071

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Accepted answers

Greg-DB

Thanks! I see you're referencing a Dropbox web site URL in your path. When identifying files by path on the Dropbox API, you should not use Dropbox web site URLs like this.

You only need to write them relative to "root", so e.g., you might use a value like "/Pi Image Search/123.jpg", to upload a file into a folder named "Pi Image Search", or just "/123.jpg" to upload a file into whatever root your app has.

All comments

Greg-DB

It looks like the output you shared here is cut off. There should be more after "UploadWriteFailed". Can you share the rest of that so we can take a look? Thanks in advance!

delta1071

Sorry Greg, didn't notice that. Here's the entire error message:

[UPLOAD] Thursday 13 December 2018 03:13:03PM
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "pi_surveillance.py", line 126, in <module>
client.files_upload(open(t.path, "rb").read(), path)
File "/home/pi/.virtualenvs/cv/lib/python3.5/site-packages/dropbox/base.py", line 2187, in files_upload
f,
File "/home/pi/.virtualenvs/cv/lib/python3.5/site-packages/dropbox/dropbox.py", line 296, in request
user_message_locale)
dropbox.exceptions.ApiError: ApiError('b61692b65ac6c9567e93b708e5b09354', UploadError('path', UploadWriteFailed(reason=WriteError('malformed_path', None), upload_session_id='AAAAAAAAAFpRjEudLSydjw')))

Thanks,

delta1071

Greg-DB

Thanks! I see you're getting a 'malformed_path' error. That should indicate that the path you're giving for the upload isn't in a valid format. What value are you supplying as the 'path' parameter (i.e., the second parameter on files_upload)?

delta1071

Not sure where to find the files_upload string. The Dropbox upload section of the script is this:

# upload the image to Dropbox and clean up the temporary image
print("[UPLOAD] {}".format(ts))
path = "/{base_path}/{timestamp}.jpg".format(
base_path=conf["dropbox_base_path"], timestamp=ts)
client.files_upload(open(t.path, "rb").read(), path)
t.cleanup()

Greg-DB

Thanks, I am referring to that 'path' variable you're passing in to files_upload.

Can you share the actual value in 'path' after that 'format' call? I.e., "print(path)" just before you call files_upload.

delta1071

Greg,

My conf.json file contains this Dropbox entry:

"use_dropbox": true,
"dropbox_access_token": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"dropbox_base_path": "https://www.dropbox.com/home/Pi%20Image%20Search",

Greg-DB

Thanks! I see you're referencing a Dropbox web site URL in your path. When identifying files by path on the Dropbox API, you should not use Dropbox web site URLs like this.

delta1071

The files are uploading now. It seems like it takes a while before the files appear in my Dropbox folder, because even after changing the upload path, the images were showing up in the local folder folder that I was running the script from, but not in the Dropbox folder. But when I checked the Dropbox folder today, the images from Friday morning were there. So, I assume it's working now. Thanks for your help.

Regards,

delta1071

Greg-DB

I'm glad to hear you have this working now.

For reference though, note that the files uploaded via the Dropbox API should be available on the Dropbox API/web site as soon as the upload API call returns.

If you weren't seeing the file immediately on the Dropbox web site or a mobile client, it's possible you just needed to refresh, or if you were looking on a desktop client, you may have some general desktop syncing issues.

randysandy209

Hi there,

I am receiving a WriteError for a malformed path:

UploadError('path', UploadWriteFailed(reason=WriteError('malformed_path', None), ))

"dropbox_base_path": "/HomeSec",

Any ideas where I am going wrong?

delta1071

This question has already been answered at https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Discuss-Developer-API/Python-3-5-API-upload-error/m-p/317699#M345.

In my conf.json file, the dropbox_base_path reads: "Apps/Pi Image Search/Pi/Surveillance", because my Dropbox home account contains a folder named "Apps", which contains a folder named "Pi Image Search", which contains a folder named "Pi", which contains a folder named "Surveillance", which is where my images are uploaded to. Note that there is no leading "/" and that paths that contain folder/filenames with spaces in them must be surrounded by quote marks. Hope this info makes the "dropbox_base_path" variable a little easier to understand.

delta1071

Greg-DB

@randysandy209 I see you also posted another thread for this:

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Discuss-Developer-API/malformed-path-issue/m-p/330481#M491

Please feel free to follow up there if you have any remaining questions after the help that delta1071 gave.