SAP Open Connectors

Box Authenticate a Connector Instance

Last Modified on 01/19/2021 12:39 pm EST

On this page

You can authenticate with Box to create your own instance of the Box connector through the UI or through APIs. Once authenticated, you can use the connector instance to access the different functionality offered by the Box platform.

Authenticate Through the UI

Use the UI to authenticate with Box and create a connector instance. Because you authenticate with Box via OAuth 2.0, all you need to do is add a name for the instance. After you create the instance, you'll log in to Box to authorize SAP Open Connectors access to your account. For more information about authenticating a connector instance, see Authenticate a Connector Instance (UI). 

After successfully authenticating, we give you several options for next steps. Make requests using the API docs associated with the instance, map the instance to a common resource, or use it in a formula template.

Authenticate Through API

Authenticating through API is a multi-step process that involves:


1
Redirect URL




2
Authenticate Users




3
Authenticate Instance


Getting a Redirect URL


1
Redirect URL




2
Authenticate Users




3
Authenticate Instance


Use the following API call to request a redirect URL where the user can authenticate with the API provider. Replace {keyOrId} with the connector key, box.

GET /elements/{keyOrId}/oauth/url?apiKey=<api_key>&apiSecret=<api_secret>&callbackUrl=<url>&siteAddress=<url>

Query Parameters

Query ParameterDescription
apiKeyThe key obtained from registering your app with the provider. This is the Consumer Key that you recorded in API Provider Setup.
apiSecretThe secret obtained from registering your app with the provider. This is the Consumer Secret that you recorded in API Provider Setup.
callbackUrlThe URL that will receive the code from the vendor to be used to create a connector instance. This is the Callback URL that you noted at the end of the API Provider Setup.

Example cURL

curl -X GET
-H 'Content-Type: application/json'
'https://api.openconnectors.us2.ext.hana.ondemand.com/elements/api-v2/elements/box/oauth/url?apiKey=fake_api_key&apiSecret=fake_api_secret&callbackUrl=https://httpbin.org/get&state=box'

Example Response

Use the oauthUrl in the response to allow users to authenticate with the vendor.

{
  "oauthUrl": "https://www.box.com/api/oauth2/authorize?response_type=code&client_id=57du4eiw3cseqfrs06bn9hg37ff344hv&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fhttpbin.org%2Fget&state=box",
  "element": "box"
}

Authenticating Users and Receiving the Authorization Grant Code


1
Redirect URL




2
Authenticate Users




3
Authenticate Instance


Provide the response from the previous step to the users. After they authenticate, Box provides the following information in the response:

  • code
  • state
Response ParameterDescription
codeThe Authorization Grant Code required by SAP Open Connectors to retrieve the OAuth access and refresh tokens from the endpoint.
stateA customizable identifier, typically the connector key (box) .
Note: If the user denies authentication and/or authorization, there will be a query string parameter called error instead of the code parameter. In this case, your application can handle the error gracefully.

Authenticating the Connector Instance


1
Redirect URL




2
Authenticate Users




3
Authenticate Instance


Use the /instances endpoint to authenticate with Box and create a connector instance. If you are configuring events, see Box Events.

Note: The endpoint returns a connector token upon successful completion. Retain the token for all subsequent requests involving this connector instance.

To create a connector instance:

  1. Construct a JSON body as shown below (see Parameters):

    {
  "element": {
    "key": "box"
  },
  "providerData": {
    "code": "<AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CODE>"
  },
  "configuration": {
    "oauth.callback.url": "<CALLBACK_URL>",
    "oauth.api.key": "<CONSUMER_KEY>",
    "oauth.api.secret": "<CONSUMER_SECRET>",
    "filter.response.nulls": true
  },
  "tags": [
    "<Add_Your_Tag>"
  ],
  "name": "<INSTANCE_NAME>"
}

  2. Call the following, including the JSON body you constructed in the previous step:

    POST /instances
    Note: Make sure that you include the User and Organization keys in the header. For more information, see Authorization Headers, Organization Secret, and User Secret.

  3. Locate the token and id in the response and save them for all future requests using the connector instance.

Example cURL

curl -X POST \
  https://api.openconnectors.us2.ext.hana.ondemand.com/elements/api-v2/instances \
  -H 'authorization: User <USER_SECRET>, Organization <ORGANIZATION_SECRET>' \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "element": {
    "key": "box"
  },
  "providerData": {
    "code": "xoz8AFqScK2ngM04kSSM"
  },
  "configuration": {
    "oauth.callback.url": "<CALLBACK_URL>",
    "oauth.api.key": "<CONSUMER_KEY>",
    "oauth.api.secret": "<CONSUMER_SECRET>"
  },
  "tags": [
    "MyTag"
  ],
  "name": "My Box Instane"
}'

Parameters

API parameters not shown in SAP Open Connectors are in code formatting.

Note: Event related parameters are described in Events.
ParameterDescriptionData Type
'key'The connector key.
box		string
name:nameA unique name for the connector instance created during authentication.string
oauth.callback.urlThe Redirect URL from Box that you noted in API Provider Setup.string
oauth.api.keyThe Client Id from Box that you noted in API Provider Setup.string
oauth.api.secretThe Client Secret from Box that you noted in API Provider Setup.string
tagsOptional. User-defined tags to further identify the instance.string

Example Response

{
  "id": 427236,
  "name": "FromAPI-tags",
  "createdDate": "2017-06-06T21:29:33Z",
  "token": "s;dkjhsadlkjhfvlkadflvakdfvaqewcs",
  "element": {
    "id": 22,
    "name": "Box",
    "hookName": "Box",
    "key": "box",
    "description": "Add a Box Instance to connect your existing Box account to the Documents Hub, allowing you to manage files and folders. You will need your Box account information to add an instance.",
    "image": "elements/provider_box.png",
    "active": true,
    "deleted": false,
    "typeOauth": true,
    "trialAccount": false,
    "configDescription": "If you do not have an Box.net account, you can create one at <a href=\"http://www.box.com\" target=\"_blank\">Box.Net Signup</a>",
    "resources": [],
    "transformationsEnabled": false,
    "bulkDownloadEnabled": false,
    "bulkUploadEnabled": false,
    "cloneable": true,
    "extendable": true,
    "beta": false,
    "authentication": {
      "type": "oauth2"
    },
    "extended": false,
    "hub": "documents",
    "protocolType": "http",
    "parameters": [],
    "private": false
  },
  "elementId": 22,
  "provisionInteractions": [],
  "valid": true,
  "disabled": false,
  "maxCacheSize": 0,
  "cacheTimeToLive": 0,
  "configuration": {
    "base.url": "",
    "oauth.api.secret": "wvyQdUrNvXbHabxPVcxZV60G0ELMEx3n",
    "event.notification.subscription.id": null,
    "event.metadata": "{\"webhook\": {\"file\": {\"eventTypes\": [\"created\", \"updated\", \"deleted\"]},\n        \"folder\": {\"eventTypes\": [\"created\", \"updated\", \"deleted\"]}}}",
    "oauth.subuser.email": null,
    "oauth.user.token": "KtWxcp0Rz4VYRdHh72g1mBu0yPW8Zbq8",
    "oauth.user.id": "263773421",
    "filter.response.nulls": "true",
    "pagination.type": "offset",
    "event.notification.callback.url": null,
    "oauth.callback.url": "https://httpbin.org/get",
    "event.notification.signature.key": null,
    "oauth.user.refresh_token": "mbqHxMQ0okd24mom1wsj3PMx41JLWpfAtmdtiSN0kWvbYGqpALCc6TldBVZrF92Z",
    "oauth.user.refresh_interval": null,
    "oauth.api.key": "57du4eiw3cseqfrs06bn9hg37ff344hv",
    "document.tagging": null,
    "oauth.user.refresh_time": "1496784574729",
    "event.notification.enabled": "false"
  },
  "eventsEnabled": false,
  "traceLoggingEnabled": false,
  "cachingEnabled": false,
  "externalAuthentication": "none",
  "user": {
    "id": 1234567
  }
}

Related Information

  • None
User Icon

Thank you! Your comment has been submitted for approval.