This package provides a seamless way to interact with your Dropbox files directly within Emacs. It aims to offer a simple and efficient user experience by leveraging Dired for file management and employing asynchronous operations with caching for improved responsiveness.

While other clients like pavpanchekha/dropbox.el exist, this package was developed to address my personal needs, anyone else can take it as an alternative approach.

Put the dropbox.el into your load-path. Or using use-package like this:

(use-package dropbox
  :vc (:url "https://github.com/lorniu/dropbox.el"))

(use-package dropbox
  :vc (:url "https://github.com/lorniu/dropbox.el")
  :config
  (setq dropbox-config-file "~/.dropbox")
  (setq dropbox-http-backend (pdd-curl-backend)))

Before you can access your Dropbox files, you need an auth configuration file (dropbox-config-file):

• The ~/.dropbox generated by dropbox_uploader.sh can be reused, it's compatible. Do nothing if it exists
• If you don't have a ~/.dropbox file, run M-x dropbox-gen-config, following the guide to generate one

Once authenticated, you can interact with your Dropbox files.

• Open Remote Path: Use M-x find-file (C-x C-f) with the special /db: prefix to open a remote Dropbox directory or file.
  • Example: C-x C-f /db:/Apps/MyEmacsApp/notes.org
  • Example: C-x C-f /db:/Photos/2023/
• Search and Open: Use M-x dropbox-find to search for a file in your Dropbox and open it directly.

Remote files are opened in local Emacs buffers. Edit the buffer as you normally would. When you save the buffer (C-x C-s), the changes are automatically uploaded and synchronized with the remote file on Dropbox.

When you open a remote Dropbox directory (e.g., /db:/path/to/folder/), it will be displayed in Dired mode. You can perform many standard Dired operations, which will be applied to your remote Dropbox files. e.g.:

• +: Create a new directory on Dropbox
• C-x C-f path-not-exist.txt: Create new file (sync when save)
• RET: Open current file at point
  • With prefix C-u, open and cache to disk. The next time it will be opened from cache directly
  • Some files (according to dropbox-cache-disk-url-regexp) will auto cached into disk when be opened
  • Delete the cache on disk with dropbox-clear-cache-on-disk if necessary (with prefix C-u to clear all)
• C: Copie file or directory between Dropbox and local
  • File copy from remote to local is also called download, from local to remote is also called upload
  • Directory copy from remote to local and named as *.zip, will be auto compressed and downloaded as a single file
• R: Rename or move files/directories. The logic is similar to the C (Copy) command
• D: Delete the marked remote file(s) or directory

• dropbox-browser: Open the current Dropbox directory (or your Dropbox root if not in a Dropbox Dired buffer) in your default web browser.
• dropbox-revisions: In a Dired mode or a remote file buffer, invoke this command will popup a buffer to view and operate the revisions (diff, download, restore and so on).
• dropbox-shared-link/dropbox-shared-link-revoke: Generate/revoke a link for current remote file/dir, which can be shared with others.
• dropbox-download-link: Generate a temporary link for current remote file, which can be used by download tool like curl.

Issues and PRs are welcome. Enjoy.