Dropbox, Inc.

Isaac Goldberg

John Lai

Sujay Jayakar

Robert Ying

Geoffry Song

Nipunn Koorapati

Elmer Charles Jubb, Iv

Gautam Gupta

Benjamin Zeis Newhouse

Joshua Robin Kaplan

Andrew Haven

Arthur Kopatsy

Joshua Warner

Elmer Charles Jubb

An example computer implemented method for updating a first version of a content item on a client device. The example method includes recording an indicator that the first version is going to be updated to a second version of the content item. The computer can then begin updating the first version of the content item to the second version of the content item. Next, the computer can determine that the updating of the content item was interrupted. The computer can then determine if the second version of the content item is the same version as a current version of the content item. The computer can then change a description in a cache and the indicator accordingly.

Interrupted synchronization detection and recovery

A system can selectively synchronize content based on synchronization settings. In some examples, a client stores a local tree representing a local set of content items associated with an account on a content management system, the local tree including respective local nodes corresponding to the local set of content items. The client stores a remote tree representing a remote set of content items associated with the account, the remote set being stored at the content management system and including respective remote nodes corresponding to the remote set of content items. The client receives a synchronization setting disabling local storage of the content item. In response, the client deletes a local copy of the content item, removes a corresponding local node from the local tree, and adds, to a remote node on the remote tree, an attribute indicating that local storage of the content item has been disabled.

Selective synchronization of content items in a content management system

The disclosed technology relates to a system configured to receive a set of operations configured to converge a server state and a file system state, wherein the server state is for content items stored by a content management system and the file system state is for the content items stored on a client device. The system is further to detect a violation of a rule by an operation in the set of operations, identify resolution actions for the violation of the rule, and perform the resolution actions.

Violation resolution in client synchronization

A client can allocate and reassociate unique identifiers to local content items associated with an account at a content management system, and use the unique identifiers to commit operations for the content items on the content management system. For example, a client can create a content item and determine the content item does not have an identifier from the content management system. The client obtains an identifier for the content item and asks the content management system to verify a uniqueness of the identifier. When the identifier is unique, the client adds a node corresponding to the content item to a local tree representing a state at the client of content items associated with the account, and uploads the content item with the identifier to the content management system. When the identifier is not unique, the client obtains a new identifier for the content item.

Allocation and reassignment of unique identifiers for synchronization of content items

A client application of a content management system provides instructions for synchronizing content items and placeholder items using a local file journal and updated file journal. The client application compares entries in the updated file journal to entries in the local file journal to determine modifications to make to content items or placeholder items stored in a shared content storage directory on the client device. Based on the result of the comparison, the client application replaces placeholder items with content items or replaces content items with placeholder items.

Storage constrained synchronization engine

The disclosed technology relates to a system configured to identify a first operation in a first set of operations configured to converge a server state and a file system state, wherein the first operation is not in a second set of operations generated in response to an change to at least one of the server state and the file system state. The system is further configured to cancel the first operation, identify a second operation in both the first set of operations and the second set of operations, and initiate execution of the second operation concurrently with the canceling of the first operation.

Efficient management of client synchronization updates

The disclosed technology relates to a system configured to compute a difference between a remote tree data structure representing a server state for content items associated with an account on a content management system and a sync tree data structure representing a known synchronization state between the content management system and the computing system. The system is configured to generate, based on the difference, a set of operations that when performed on the computing system update the content items stored on the client device to converge a file system state on the computing system and the server state.

Content management client synchronization service

The disclosed technology relates to a system configured to identify a set of modifications based on a set of tree data structures including a sync tree, a remote tree, and a local tree. The sync tree represents a known synced state between a server state and a file system state, the remote tree represents the server state, and the local tree represents the file system state. The system is further configured to select a set of unblocked modifications from the set of modifications based on whether each modification has a dependency and execute, based on the set of unblocked modifications, a set of tasks configured to converge the server state and the file system state.

Incremental client synchronization

In some embodiments, a client generates an operation modifying a local copy of a content item on a user account at a content management system and records an intent to commit the operation to a journal of revisions at the content management system. Based on the operation, the client sends to the content management system a first request to commit the operation at the journal, the first request including a cursor identifying a current position of the client in the journal. The client sends, to the content management system, a second request for a status of the commit and, based on the second request, determines whether the commit of the operation to the journal has succeeded. Based on whether the commit of the operation to the journal has succeeded, the client determines whether to update one or more tree data structures on the client and clear the intent to commit.

Commit protocol for synchronizing content items

The disclosed technology relates to a system configured to generate an initial tree state, wherein the initial tree state includes three tree data structures configured to aid in the synchronization of content items managed by a content management system. The system is configured to provide the initial tree state to a client synchronization service, retrieve a final tree state from the client synchronization service, and determine whether the final tree state is correctly synchronized.

Debugging a client synchronization service

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for re-associating content items of a user account of a content management system on a computing device relinked to the content management system. The systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media can include the content management system receiving a request to relink the computing device with a user account of the content management system. The systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media can also include determining a local content item of the client device corresponds to at least one revision of a plurality of revisions of a content item of the user account, wherein the content item is currently removed from the user account. Finally, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media can cause the client device to delete the local content item.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Isaac Goldberg