Hi,

I'm wondering if there is a workflow for webapps to approve a token that doesn't require the website to request the users password. Currently my understanding is the current SharpBox workflow involves the application handling the users password which shouldn't be required for a webapp. I should in theory be able to pass the user back to an authorisation page for the user to "approve" dropbox rather then my app handling passwords. Hopefully there is a workflow around this but my current thoughts are around trying the following workflow: (sorry it's ironpython, I find it easier)

token = OAuthService.GetRequestToken(svcContext, conContext)
dropboxCredentials = DropBoxCredentialsToken('xxx', 'xxx', token.TokenKey, token.TokenSecret)
tokenstream = storage.SerializeSecurityToken(dropboxCredentials.AccessToken)
tokenfile = FileStream(username+'.dtok', FileMode.Create)
tokenstream.CopyTo(tokenfile)
authorizationurl = OAuthService.GetAuthorizationUrl(svcContext, token)
print authorizationurl

All of this seems to work except for the SerializeSecurityToken fails with a {"Object reference not set to an instance of an object."} in {AppLimit.CloudComputing.SharpBox.Net40, Version=1.0.3.261, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null}. Have I misunderstood the workflow? I couldn't find any SharpBox documentation around this. Thanks!

I think my problem is I need to create an instance of DropBoxToken(OAuthToken token) but DropBoxToken is an internal class :(. So the case I mention above "sending to user to dropbox to approve token" is not supported? If this is the case I am more then happy to add this workflow if someone wants to discuss the most appropriate methods for this.

From: BabyGGyt

I think my problem is I need to create an instance of DropBoxToken(OAuthToken token) but DropBoxToken is an internal class :(. So the case I mention above "sending to user to dropbox to approve token" is not supported? If this is the case I am more then happy to add this workflow if someone wants to discuss the most appropriate methods for this.

Hello,

I've been reading the source code and specially the code related with http://sharpbox.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=Authorization%20via%20web%20based%20url&referringTitle=Documentation.

I think I'm missing something obvious.  If someone could bring some light into this, it will be very much appreciated.

Once you have the Web Application authorized on the user's "My Apps" tab (https://www.dropbox.com/account#applications), let's say, a week later, how do I (the web app) reuse the authorization already granted by the user?

// 5. Opent the storage with the generated access token            
CloudStorage storageNew = new CloudStorage();
storageNew.Open(config, accessToken);

How do I know (and build)  the "accessToken"?

Many thanks,

H.-

Hello Dirk,

Many thanks for your reply.

Yes, it does help, and now the code at the beginning of this thread makes more sense to me (where it does " tokenfile = FileStream(username+'.dtok', FileMode.Create) / tokenstream.CopyTo(tokenfile) "

My problem now is that SerializeSecurityToken throws a Null reference exception. I still couldn't figure out what to change to make this work.

After "// 3. Redirect the user to the website of dropbox", I'm doing: 

// 4. Exchange the request token into access token          

 ICloudStorageAccessToken accessTokenFromOAuth = DropBoxStorageProviderTools.ExchangeDropBoxRequestTokenIntoAccessToken(config, ConsumerKey, ComsumerSecret, requestToken);

Note that accessTokenFromOAuth is not null and looks fine (on the debugger).

Then I do: 

// Creates the dropBoxStorage                   

 CloudStorage dropBoxStorage = new CloudStorage();

// Store the token in a stream            

System.IO.Stream tokenStreamSaved = dropBoxStorage.SerializeSecurityToken(accessTokenFromOAuth);

At this point, "SerializeSecurityToken()" throws the null reference exception.

Unhandled Exception: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set toan instance of an object.   at AppLimit.CloudComputing.SharpBox.CloudStorage.StoreToken(Dictionary`2 tokendata, ICloudStorageAccessToken token)   at AppLimit.CloudComputing.SharpBox.CloudStorage.SerializeSecurityToken(ICloudStorageAccessToken token, Dictionary`2 additionalMetaData)   at AppLimit.CloudComputing.SharpBox.CloudStorage.SerializeSecurityToken(IClou     

the problem is here ("_configuration" is null)

  internal void StoreToken(Dictionary<String, String> tokendata, ICloudStorageAccessToken token)
        {            
            // add the configuration information into the 
            tokendata.Add(TokenProviderConfigurationType, _configuration.GetType().FullName);
            tokendata.Add(TokenCredentialType, token.GetType().FullName);

            // store all the other information to tokendata
            _provider.StoreToken(tokendata, token);
        }

Many thanks,

Horacio.-

Hi Dirk,

>open the connection before calling serialize

Many thanks! Now it works like a charm!

Best,

Horacio.-

Hello,

I'm now implementing 'the real life' case.

This is a two stages process.

- 1. Get the authorize url (and wait for the user to browse to dropbox.com and authorize the app)

- 2. Exchange the request token into access token, and save it (the access token) to be utilized in all future calls to dropbox.

The problem is that both steps needs to use the same requestToken. In other words, step "2" needs exactly the requestToken generated on step "1".

Object requestToken = DropBoxStorageProviderTools.GetDropBoxRequestToken(config, ConsumerKey, ComsumerSecret);

If you do this again, you get a different token.

Between 1 and 2 there is a postback.

My problem is, how can I save/remember the "requestToken" contents?

It's not serializable, and I cannot create a new one from its original contents (the TokenSecret and TokenKey values), because all related classes are internal (not public).

Thanks,

Horacio.-

dei79 wrote:
I personally think we should make it serializable to handle this usecase! You can do this earliest in after this week (I'm on the road)!

Yes, make it serializable will solve the problem.

Thanks!

Hi Dirk,

Thanks for implementing this.

The problem is that I still have to do a CloudStorage.Open() before trying any Serialize/Deserialize operation, right? (because otherwise I get a null reference exception)

At this stage, no "DropBoxCredentials" or "ICloudStorageAccessToken" already exists. How can an do the Serialize/Deserialize? Should I create a fake DropBoxCredentials()? I don't have the values yet (and I will never have the user's username and password).

Many thanks,

Horacio.-

From: horacioj

Hi Dirk,

Thanks for implementing this.

The problem is that I still have to do a CloudStorage.Open() before trying any Serialize/Deserialize operation, right? (because otherwise I get a null reference exception)

At this stage, no "DropBoxCredentials" or "ICloudStorageAccessToken" already exists. How can an do the Serialize/Deserialize? Should I create a fake DropBoxCredentials()? I don't have the values yet (and I will never have the user's username and password).

Many thanks,

Horacio.-

>For serialize you need an open connection

OK. How can I open the connection? (When generating the DropBoxRequestToken, I still do not have any 'valid' connection information)

in the [Test()] public·void·DropBoxSerializeRequestToken(), you are using  "cloudStorage.DeserializeSecurityToken"

You have "cloudStorage" already open (using some credentials information), but in a real life, do you not have yet this createntials, beacause you are starting the proceess of getting them (you do not have it yet)

Am I missing something?

Thanks!

From: horacioj

>For serialize you need an open connection

OK. How can I open the connection? (When generating the DropBoxRequestToken, I still do not have any 'valid' connection information)

in the [Test()] public·void·DropBoxSerializeRequestToken(), you are using "cloudStorage.DeserializeSecurityToken"

You have "cloudStorage" already open (using some credentials information), but in a real life, do you not have yet this createntials, beacause you are starting the proceess of getting them (you do not have it yet)

Am I missing something?

Thanks!

Hi Dirk,

Many thanks for the quick turnaround.

Now the problem is that this fails:

String url = DropBoxStorageProviderTools.GetDropBoxAuthorizationUrl(config, requestToken);

becasue on OAuthUrlGenerator.cs at static public String GenerateAuthorizationUrl(), requestToken.TokenKey is null (line 29) 

inside the "requestToken" [{AppLimit.CloudComputing.SharpBox.StorageProvider.DropBox.DropBoxRequestToken}] there is just a non-public member "RealToken" [{AppLimit.CloudComputing.SharpBox.Common.Net.oAuth.Token.OAuthToken}] which has a 'TokenKey' and 'TokenSecret'

the problem could be that it's a non-public member?

btw, serialization looks like:

<ArrayOfKeyValueOfstringstring xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/2003/10/Serialization/Arrays" xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><KeyValueOfstringstring><Key>TokenProvConfigType</Key><Value>AppLimit.CloudComputing.SharpBox.StorageProvider.DropBox.DropBoxConfiguration</Value></KeyValueOfstringstring><KeyValueOfstringstring><Key>TokenCredType</Key><Value>AppLimit.CloudComputing.SharpBox.StorageProvider.DropBox.DropBoxRequestToken</Value></KeyValueOfstringstring><KeyValueOfstringstring><Key>TokenDropBoxAppKey</Key><Value>a1a1a1a1a1a1a1a</Value></KeyValueOfstringstring><KeyValueOfstringstring><Key>TokenDropBoxAppSecret</Key><Value>b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b</Value></KeyValueOfstringstring></ArrayOfKeyValueOfstringstring>

Is this ok? (there is no 'TokenKey' there) 

Best regards,

Horacio.-

It works, thanks!

Now I'm trying to figure out if the overall slowness is related with the DropBox API itself, or the SharpBox library (e.g. downloading a tiny file takes more time than what it could be expected).

Best regards,

Horacio.-