BoxConnector

Categories

Integrations

Web

Workflows

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S3Connector

Accesses the Box file storage service to upload, download, or delete files and folders or list file/folder information from a Box account.

Jump to Configuration

Typical Uses

  • Manage datasets on Box by uploading, downloading, and deleting files and folders
  • Transfer a file's contents (such as XML or raster) into or out of an attribute in FME
  • Read downloaded Box data using the FeatureReader, or upload data written by the FeatureWriter to Box
  • Retrieve file and folder names, paths, links and other information from Box to use elsewhere in a workspace.

How does it work?

The BoxConnector uses your Box account credentials (either via a previously defined FME web connection, or by setting up a new FME web connection right from the transformer) to access the file storage service.

Depending on your choice of actions, it will upload or download files, folders, and attributes; list information from the service; or delete items from the service. On uploads, link attributes can be added to the output features. On List actions, links and file/folder information are added as attributes.

Usage Notes

  • This transformer cannot be used to directly move or copy files between different Box locations. However, multiple BoxConnectors can be used to accomplish these tasks.
  • The FeatureReader can access Box directly (without using the BoxConnector), however, a local copy of the dataset will not be created.

Configuration

Input Ports

This transformer accepts any feature.

Output Ports

The output of this transformer will vary depending on the Box Action performed.

  • After an Upload action, URLs to the file may be saved to the Sharable Link and Direct Download Link attributes, and the ID of the file will saved to an attribute.
  • A Download action can save to either a folder or attribute.
  • A Delete action has no output ports.
  • Finally, a List action will output a new feature for each file/folder found in the path specified. Each of these new features will have attributes listing various pieces of information about the object.

Features that cause the operation to fail are output through this port. An fme_rejection_code attribute, having the value ERROR_DURING_PROCESSING, will be added, along with a more descriptive fme_rejection_message attribute which contains more specific details as to the reason for the failure.

Note: If a feature comes in to the BoxConnector already having a value for fme_rejection_code, this value will be removed.

Rejected Feature Handling: can be set to either terminate the translation or continue running when it encounters a rejected feature. This setting is available both as a default FME option and as a workspace parameter.

Parameters

Box Action

The type of operation to perform. Choices include:

  • Delete
  • Download
  • List
  • Upload

Box Account

Performing operations against a Box account requires the use of OAuth2 authentication using a Web Connection. To create a Box connection, click the 'Box Account' drop-down box and select 'Add Web Connection...'.

The connection can then be managed via Tools -> FME Options... -> Web Connections.

The remaining parameters available depend on the value of the Request > Box Action parameter. Parameters for each Box Action are detailed below.

Box Path

Delete as

Select whether to delete a File or Folder.

  • File: The specified object will be deleted from the Box Account.
  • Folder: The specified object, and all of the subfolders and file, will be deleted from the Box Account.

Object ID

The Object ID of a file or folder on Box to delete. If valid credentials have been provided as a web connection, you may browse to a location.

Box Source

Object ID

The Box ID of the file/folder to download. If valid credentials have been provided as a web connection, you may browse to a location.

Destination

Download as

Select whether to store the downloaded data in a File, Folder or Attribute.

  • File: The downloaded object will be stored in the specified folder.
  • Folder: The downloaded folder object will be stored in the specified folder.
  • Attribute: The downloaded object will be stored in the specified attribute. Note that this will always assume system encoding. Use the AttributeEncoder if your contents need to be a specific encoding type.

Download to Folder

Specify the path to the folder that will store the downloaded file. Valid for Download as File or Folder.

Include Subfolders

Choose whether to download subfolders of the Box Source or not. Valid for Download as Folder only.

Download to Attribute

Specify the attribute that will store the contents of the downloaded file. Valid for Download as Attribute only.

Note: FME will attempt to convert the attribute's contents to a UTF-8 string. If this fails, the attribute's contents will be created as raw binary. To ensure that the original bytes are always preserved and never converted to UTF-8, use Download as File instead.

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

The selected attributes will be added to the output feature.

_download_path

Path of the downloaded object on the local file system. This attribute will not be added for Download as Attribute.

Box Path

Generate Sharable Link

Specify this option to retrieve the File or Folder Link attribute. This will allow content to be viewed and/or downloaded by anyone with access to these links.

Folder ID

The folder ID on Box to list the contents of. If valid credentials have been provided as a web connection, you may browse to a location.

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

The selected attributes will be added to the output feature.

_name

Name of an object on Box.

_sharable_link

URL of an object on Box.

_id

ID of an object on Box.

_file_or_folder

Type (file or folder) of an object on Box.

_file_size

Size of a file object on Box.

_file_last_modified

Last modified date of an object on Box.

_relative_path

Relative path to an object on Box.

Source

Upload

The type of data to be uploaded.

  • File: The specified file will be uploaded.
  • Folder: The specified folder and its contents will be uploaded.
  • Attribute: The contents of the specified attribute will be uploaded.

When working with large objects, File is a better choice than Attribute as the data will be streamed directly from disk and not require that the object be stored entirely in memory on a feature.

Box treats file uploads of the same name, in a specific folder, as duplicates, but does not allow multiple instances in a specific folder. You must upload the file to a different folder than the existing one.

When wanting to upload content from a folder, it is better to upload as a folder instead of setting a fixed path and sending multiple features into the connector to upload as a file.

Generate Sharable Links

Specify this option to set the Shared and Direct Download Link Attributes. This will allow uploaded content to be viewed and/or downloaded by anyone with access to these links.

File to Upload

The file to be uploaded to Box if Upload is set to File.

Folder to Upload

The folder to be uploaded to Box if Upload is set to Folder.

Include Subfolders

Choose whether to upload subfolders of the Folder to Upload or not.

Attribute to Upload as File

The data to be uploaded, supplied from an attribute if Upload is set to Attribute.

Box Destination

Folder ID

The path on Box to upload the source file to. To upload to the root directory, enter “/”.

Upload with File Name

The name of the file created from the data supplied in Attribute to Upload as File. The name must include a filename extension (for example, .txt, .jpg, .doc).

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

The selected attributes will be added to the output feature.

_sharable_link

A temporary publicly accessible URL that links to the file on Box.

_direct_download_link

A URL that links to the file on Box. The URL can only be used by authenticated users.

_id

ID of the file/folder that was uploaded.

Editing Transformer Parameters

Using a set of menu options, transformer parameters can be assigned by referencing other elements in the workspace. More advanced functions, such as an advanced editor and an arithmetic editor, are also available in some transformers. To access a menu of these options, click beside the applicable parameter. For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.

Defining Values

There are several ways to define a value for use in a Transformer. The simplest is to simply type in a value or string, which can include functions of various types such as attribute references, math and string functions, and workspace parameters. There are a number of tools and shortcuts that can assist in constructing values, generally available from the drop-down context menu adjacent to the value field.

Using the Text Editor

The Text Editor provides a convenient way to construct text strings (including regular expressions) from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and constants, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Text Editor

Using the Arithmetic Editor

The Arithmetic Editor provides a convenient way to construct math expressions from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and feature functions, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Arithmetic Editor

Conditional Values

Set values depending on one or more test conditions that either pass or fail.

Parameter Condition Definition Dialog

Content

Expressions and strings can include a number of functions, characters, parameters, and more.

When setting values - whether entered directly in a parameter or constructed using one of the editors - strings and expressions containing String, Math, Date/Time or FME Feature Functions will have those functions evaluated. Therefore, the names of these functions (in the form @<function_name>) should not be used as literal string values.

String Functions

These functions manipulate and format strings.

Special Characters

 A set of control characters is available in the Text Editor.

Math Functions

Math functions are available in both editors.
Date/Time Functions Date and time functions are available in the Text Editor.

Math Operators

These operators are available in the Arithmetic Editor.

FME Feature Functions

These return primarily feature-specific values.

FME Parameters

FME and workspace-specific parameters may be used.
Creating and Modifying User Parameters Create your own editable parameters.

Dialog Options - Tables

Transformers with table-style parameters have additional tools for populating and manipulating values.

Row Reordering

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

  • Add a row
  • Remove a row
  • Move current row up one
  • Move current row down one
  • Move current row to top
  • Move current row to bottom

Cut, Copy, and Paste

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

  • Cut a row - delete and copy to clipboard
  • Copy a row to the clipboard
  • Paste a row from the clipboard

Cut, copy, and paste may be used within a transformer, or between transformers.

Filter

Start typing a string, and the matrix will only display rows matching those characters. Searches all columns. This only affects the display of attributes within the transformer - it does not alter which attributes are output.

Import

Import populates the table with a set of new attributes read from a dataset. Specific application varies between transformers.

Reset/Refresh

Generally resets the table to its initial state, and may provide additional options to remove invalid entries. Behavior varies between transformers.

Note: Not all tools are available in all transformers.

Reference

Processing Behavior

Feature-Based

Feature Holding

No
Dependencies Box account
Aliases  
History Released FME 2017.0

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Examples may contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver and/or the Open Government Licence – Canada.