I have an enormous number of files in my application directory which I intend to distribute by means of sharing. These files are valuable resources and will be used as references by those in possession of the links; however, I do not want these visitors to be able to edit the file, download the file, or deface the file with comments, annotations, drawings, etc. I merely want them to look at the file -- with that being the extent of their permission.
With some adjustments to the arguments in the _with_settings variant of the shared_ function, I successfully disabled downloading, so a viewer cannot download the file outright in the Dropbox viewer, but I have had no such luck in regards to disabling comments. I have been searching for a way to disable comments altogether for this directory (or any for that matter) via the API, or even via the browser app/GUI. Is this a desktop app-only feature? Is this a feature still unsupported by the API, in 2024?
I've seen some other forum posts regarding this desired functionality before deciding to post my own, but the threads were closed and outdated. Hopefully the answer of "no, we don't" has changed since 2018.
I understand that comments may be useful, beneficial, or even necessary for some use-cases, but for mine it is not; on the contrary, it is actually incredibly burdensome and a great hindrance.
When one is not engaged in a collaborative effort, and you want someone to merely view the file, then why should they be allowed, in all potential use-cases, to comment or annotate a document which could theoretically be seen by any number of other people? Lumping the permission to scribble on the document in with viewing by default and making it almost impossible to undo for more than one file at a time is a colossal pain. This doesn't even account for the inevitable notification bombardment which would ensue across thousands of files simultaneously.
I currently have a pro account and am contemplating elevating to a business account to incorporate the slew of new features it provides for use-case, but given the apparent lack of support to disable this functionality, I might have to look elsewhere. I love Dropbox and would prefer to stay right where I am, but the tediousness of having to disable comments on thousands upon thousands of files, one by one, negates any amenities the platform provides.
