The Dropbox API for Java offers the following approach for modifying the permissions of an existing file collaboration:
public static void updateFileMember(DbxVlientV2 client, String file, String email, AccessLevel level) throws Exception {
MemberSelector member = MemberSelector.email(email);
MemberAccessResult result = client.sharing().updateFileMember(file, member, level);
}
However, running the above method for changing the access level from VIEWER to EDITOR, results in this error:
Exception in 2/sharing/update_file_member: “no permission” (user message: you don’t have permissions perform this action.)
The same error appears for removing a file collaboration and adding it again (API 2/sharing/add_file_member). Adding a new collaboration without having removed it earlier on, works as expected.
The application via which the API is invoked, has Full Dropbox (as opposed to only App Folder) access.
Is there any other way of authorizing the app to allow programmatic changes to the access level of a file, elevating it to EDITOR?
The file sharing functionality offered by addFileMember and updateFileMember does not support AccessLevel.editor.
If you want to add editors to a file, put the file in a folder and share the folder via shareFolder, addFolderMember, and updateFolderMember.
(Aside: apologies this isn't more clearly documented. This is due to the AccessLevel object itself being shared with other methods which do support AccessLevel.editor. I'll ask the team to clarify this in the documentation.)