Setting directories and app packages to be ignored by Dropbox from within the Xojo IDE

When I’m working with Xojo I (of course) want the project (and support files) constantly uploaded by Dropbox whenever they are modified.

But I don’t want the builds folder uploaded (at least, not all the time – maybe just at the end of the project when I’m done, or at the most at major milestones) and I definitely don’t want the my-app-name.debug.app package constantly chundering away in the background every time I hit Run in the IDE.

It’s possible to set the Builds directory to be ignored by Dropbox from within the Dropbox app itself, but with even this simple thing I’ve sometimes encountered problems. It’s also possible to set the debug app package to be ignored, but that's really too much like hard work ...

The sample project contains two build steps, one a script that runs on Build, the other a script that executes on Run. Both execute after the build step itself, and both do the same thing: set Dropbox to ignore whatever is being built via the command line xattr command.

(Find out more about xattr here and here.)

The debug/run script sets just the app package to be ignored:

    var path as String = CurrentBuildLocationNative + "/" + CurrentBuildAppName + ".app"

    var result as String = DoShellCommand( "xattr -w com.dropbox.ignored 1 """ + path + """" )

    if result <> "" then print( result )

The build script sets the entire build products directory to be ignored:

    var bits() as String = CurrentBuildLocationNative.Split( "/" )

    var path as String

    for i as Integer = 0 to bits.LastRowIndex - 1
  
      path = path + bits( i )
  
      if i < bits.LastRowIndex - 1 then path = path + "/"
  
    next

    var result as String = DoShellCommand( "xattr -w com.dropbox.ignored 1 """ + path + """" )

    if result <> "" then print( result )

I only tend to work on relatively simple stuff, so the two scenarios above are adequate for me ... your own mileage may vary.

But for me, the end result is a work folder with just the project (and other stuff uploading), and all the transient crud from the endless run-debug-sometimes-build-to-see-what-happens cycle not polluting my Dropbox account.

This was all last checked in Xojo 2019 r3.1, but I see no reason why it shouldn’t be good for a lot of other versions spanning the years.

The original Dropbox help page about ignoring folders is here.

(The Dropbox help page outlines how this can also be done on Windows and Linux, but I’m a Mac person, so sorry! ... You only get the OSX version on a plate. The other platform you’ll have to adapt for yourself.)

(A Very Small) Bonus Round - Hidden Git directories

If I am working with a Git repository then Dropbox will also keep backing up the entire (hidden) .git directory, which is frequently not what I want.

The ScriptIgnoreDotGit step also sets the Dropbox ignore attribute on that:

var result as String = DoShellCommand( “xattr -w com.dropbox.ignored 1 “”$PROJECT_PATH/.git””” )

if result <> “” then print( result )

I have set to run on both debugs and release builds, which is silly, as once set it doesn’t need to be done again (unless the .git directory is recreated from scratch). But it seems to do no harm, and it’s easy to have it as part of the build process, where it can then be forgotten about.

Note

Paths in all the scripts are native, ie: unescaped, but are encapsulated in quotes when run, and therefore do not require escaping.