[R] Downloading a csv from Dropbox using the shareable link

[Bryan Hanson]

Hi Patrick, here is the set up:

Everyone is already sharing all the files and has full access.  We  
have an Rnw file which generates a report and uses a csv file in a  
"nearby" directory.  Dropbox keeps it all sync'd.  But, if Person A is  
working on the file on their computer the path to the data would be  
(Mac OSX) /Users/PersonA/Dropbox/Project/data.csv  However, to Person  
B the path would be /Users/PersonB/Dropbox/data.csv  I'm looking for a  
way to keep the path to data.csv universal and independent of who is  
actually using the file.  That's why I was looking at the "shareable  
link" feature on Dropbox.

I guess I see two solutions (partially answering my own question now).

1.  Keep the data file in the same directory as the report and I don't  
think there would be any problems.
2. In the Rnw file, use a relative  path.  I know you can do this for  
instance when you specify where the graphics go.  I suppose the same  
approach would allow me to specify the path as going up one level and  
then down into a different directory.  As long as I bury these folders  
deep enough that I don't have to use a relative path that ever hits  
the "PersonX" level I suppose it will work.

I'll try it out.  Further suggestions welcome.  Thanks, Bryan

On May 20, 2011, at 8:24 PM, Patrick Connolly wrote:

> On Fri, 20-May-2011 at 02:05PM -0400, Bryan Hanson wrote:
>
>> Hello Kindred R Spirits...
>>
>> I'm trying to get a file (csv) from Dropbox using their shareable  
>> link
>> concept.  They issue a short URL that goes to a web page where you  
>> see a
>> button that says "Download File".  They don't really give you the  
>> URL of
>> the file itself, just this page.  Is there a way to coax R into  
>> getting
>> such a file?  I don't even really want the file per se, I just want a
>
> Dropbox allows you to share folders with other Dropbox users who would
> then have access to your file/s as a file/s on their individual
> computers.  It would mean that any collaborator would have to have a
> Dropbox account and they'd all end up downloading the file.  If there
> aren't too many for you to individually invite and it's not excessive
> bandwidth for them to download that many copies of the file, it would
> be easily done.  (You might even get yourself some more diskspace on
> Dropbox by inviting other users.)
>
> You'd have to think about whose version has what effect on others but
> without knowing your objectives, it's impossible for me to say what's
> the best approach.
>
> HTH
>
>
>
>> path to the file so I can reference it for Sweave purposes and read  
>> the
>> contents into an object.  Seems like a job for RCurl but I have  
>> little
>> experience and this seems like an odd case anyway.
>>
>> By the way, I want to do this as a way to have several people on
>> different computers run a .Rnw file that needs to access common  
>> data set
>> w/o changing the path to the file each time a different person  
>> opens the
>> file and works on it.  Perhaps there is another way of doing this.
>>
>> Thanks for any suggestions.  Bryan
>> ****************
>> Prof. Bryan Hanson
>> Dept of Chemistry & Biochemistry
>> DePauw University
>> Greencastle IN 46135 USA
>>
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>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>
> -- 
> ~ 
> .~ 
> .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
>   ___    Patrick Connolly
> {~._.~}                   Great minds discuss ideas
> _( Y )_  	         Average minds discuss events
> (:_~*~_:)                  Small minds discuss people
> (_)-(_)  	                      ..... Eleanor Roosevelt
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