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Question

File object in Python SDK

  • May 21, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 33 views
C
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File objects in the Python Box SDK are populated with different properties depending on how they are created. For example, if I get a file using client.file and request its content_created_at property, I get an error. For example,

aFile = client.file(my_id)

print(aFile.content_created_at)

 

gives me

 

KeyError: 'content_created_at'

However, a search which is verified to retrieve the same document

 

 

aFiles = client.search(my_doc_name,limit=100,offset=0, result_type="file", content_types=["name"])
for aFile in aFiles:
    if(aFile.object_id == str(my_id)):
        print(aFile.content_created_at)

gives me a successful result (which the forum software seems to believe is a phone number, but you get the idea):

  

20***phone number removed for privacy***T10:34:***phone number removed for privacy***:00

Can anyone explain to me

 

  • why these results are different, and
  • how I can get the content_created_at value for a file that I have retrieved based on its ID?

Thanks,

Peter

 

    2 replies

    C
    Forum|alt.badge.img

    Hi,

     

    Many of the Client methods do not make API calls directly. Client.file(), Client.folder(), etc. are examples of this. Instead, they give you an empty object which is configured to make API calls that are rooted at that object. If I wanted to delete a folder, I could call client.file(my_id).delete(). If I wanted to rename it, I'd call client.file(my_id).rename(). In your case, you just want to GET information, so you should do file = client.file(my_id).get(). After that, you should be able to do file.content_created_at.

     

    Whereas Client.search() actually makes the search API call directly, which is why the object you get from there already has the data you want.

    C
    Forum|alt.badge.img

    Thanks. That did the trick. It would be great if the documentation made it a little clearer. Maybe I'm a little thick, but a note or a code sample in the documentation for the file method could make this a lot clearer.

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