BoxConnector

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

Output Ports

Parameters

Request

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.

Parameters - Delete Action

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

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

Parameters - Download Action

Box Source

Object

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.

Parameters - List Action

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	The folder 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.

Parameters - Upload Action

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	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

Transformer parameters can be set by directly entering values, using expressions, or referencing other elements in the workspace such as attribute values or user parameters. Various editors and context menus are available to assist. To see what is available, click beside the applicable parameter.

How to Set Parameter Values

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.

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.

Content Types

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

Table Tools

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.

For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.

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, Open Government Licence - British Columbia, and/or Open Government Licence – Canada.