stop automatic download of smart sync files from dropbox

When I change the path in my Matlab fodlder to a dropbox folder, it automatically tried to dowload files and folders that are online only (on the cloud via smart sync).

This is really annoying, and using explorer to browse the folder does not trigger that. Is there away to have matlab stop trying to acess dropbox smart sync files?

Answer 1

[Yash]

Hi Adi,

When MATLAB changes the current folder or path to a Dropbox folder that is managed by Smart Sync, it may try to access all files within that folder, which can trigger Dropbox to download the files that are set to "Online Only" mode.

MATLAB might not be directly compatible with Dropbox's Smart Sync feature, as it does not distinguish between online-only files and locally available files. However, there are some workarounds that you can try to prevent MATLAB from triggering the download of all files:

1. Selective Sync: Use Dropbox's Selective Sync feature to only sync the folders you need in MATLAB. This way, you can avoid having MATLAB access folders that are set to online-only. You can get more details regarding the selective sync at: https://help.dropbox.com/sync/selective-sync-overview.
2. Manual Management: Manually set the files you need in MATLAB to be "Local" before you start MATLAB. This way, only the files you need will be downloaded.
3. Access Control: If you are able to modify the MATLAB code that is accessing the folders, add checks to ensure that it only accesses files that are required for your work. Avoid running commands that would list or access all files in a directory, such as "ls", "dir", or any file I/O operations over the entire folder's contents.

However, for optimal performance, it is recommended to download the files that you want to access on a local storage. This approach not only avoids unnecessary downloads but also prevents potential permission conflicts that may arise from concurrent file access by different applications.

Hope this helps!