Get file path from file ID

[ashirwad]

Is it possible to get file path using the file ID?

[nathancday]

Not today in terms of boxr, in terms of the Box API I don't know. I'm sure that info exists somewhere in the data structure, but not sure if the API makes it accessible. The Box API ref is my go-to, but I didn't see anything on a quick top level scan. If you find something do this in the API or another language, please share it here.

[ashirwad]

@nathancday, here you go: https://developer.box.com/reference/get-files-id/

[ashirwad]

Also, I tried to use the API using the "Try this API" menu and got the following results:

By entering the file ID and running the API I was able to see the file path.

[nathancday]

Cool. What is your use case?

[ashirwad]

Here are my thoughts on how I might use the function that prints the file path when provided with the file ID:

• In the code chunk of an Rmd file where I want to read a file into R using box_read(file_id) I also want to print the file path so that I know where the file is located. This way if later I want to use that file to develop some interactive visualizations using some BI tool such as Tableau , I can quickly locate it.

• Also, one major advantage of using file_id is that the file_id remains the same even if the file is renamed or is reorganized into a different folder. The ability to print the file path will keep me aware of the change that's happening upstream (if I pair it with workflowr).

Do these points sound convincing to you?

[nathancday]

I think for quickly locating files using IDs directly is best even via URLs. You also point out that the file path would be brittle while the ID is durable.

I can see combining this with your current version request in a box_file_info() function. Let me think about it some more.

[ashirwad]

Oh, yes, you are right! Typically, my project advisor tells me that the file lives here::here("Data", "Raw", "File"). I then locate the file on Box Drive , right click on the file and use the option View on Box.com to obtain the file_id for use within *.Rmd using boxr. But just like you said, I can certainly reverse the process! Nevertheless, having the ability to print these information using box_file_info() would be helpful.

[nathancday]

About the current version request, I made box_current_version() yesterday. It's over on this branch for now #159, if you want to check it out. Since the version and file-info APIs are different, combining them doesn't makes sense to me anymore.

Thinking about your use case of navigating to a file later for Tableau, would it be better to include a function that opens a browser tab directly to the file (based on ID). I don't like using paths that we know can break.

[ashirwad]

Thanks, Nate! I will check it out. Also, I like your idea of using a function to open the Box file on click.