Recommendation for Automation – Box File Share

Hi there!

In Recommendation for Automation – Box File Upload we showed you how to build a system in which files are automatically uploaded to the Box cloud storage. It is well worth it to eliminate the hassle of file uploads. However, there is a limitation in the system we built in this article: the files can only be shared with people in your company.

This article will show you how to build a system that allows you to share files with people outside the company.

No-Code Development Platform Questetra BPM Suite

The cloud-based no-code development platform Questetra BPM Suite is used to automate operations.

In Questetra BPM Suite a business system is constructed through the creation of workflow diagrams. In the constructed system, business data is not only digitized, the system also automates the transfer of business data between people, as well as performing text conversion, numerical calculations, email transmission, etc. Furthermore, data integration to other cloud services can also be automated.

No-Code Development Platform Questetra BPM Suite Overview

Such automation is achieved by placing items in the workflow diagram that will be automatically processed in some way at the desired time. For example, when the sales manager approves a quote, the quote file is uploaded to the Box.

Various automation items available in Questetra BPM Suite will allow you to automate your operations easily.

Box is a cloud storage service for businesses. The Box case studies page lists over 100,000 customers and 67% are Fortune 500 companies (confirmed 2022-02-15).

The automation items provided in the Questetra BPM Suite (v13.3.0) introduced in the previous section are related to Box.

Box: Upload File
Box: Copy File
Box: Move File
Box: Create Shared Link to File
Box: Delete Shared Link of File
Box: Delete File
Box: Download File
Box: Create Folder
Box: Search Folder
Box: Create Shared Link to Folder
Box: Delete Shared Link of Folder
Box: Delete Folder
Box: Add Collaboration
Box: Delete Collaboration

[Box: Upload File] and [Box: Create Shared Link to File] (shown above in bold) will be used for the mechanism to be created in the next section.

Automated Submission of Approved Quotations

In a previous article, Recommendation for Automation – Google Drive: Upload File we showed how approved quote files are automatically uploaded to Google Drive. In Google Drive the share settings for a folder are set to „Anyone with the link“ so that files uploaded to that folder can be shared with people outside the company.

Box does not have a similar setting, but it does allow you to create a shared link to a file. When a shared link is created for a file, anyone who knows the link will be able to access the file. It is also possible to set an expiration date for that link and a password to view the file.

Using [Box: Create Shared Link to File] in Questetra BPM Suite you can build a system that automatically creates a shared link to a file.

This time, the following operations will be systematized using Questetra BPM Suite.

A salesperson creates a quotation file.

The latter three processes (in bold) of this work flow are processed automatically.

First, we will create a workflow diagram of this operation. (Constructed with Questetra BPM Suite below.)

The following three processes in the workflow diagram are handled by users (blue square items)

1. Quotation Preparation (by sales staff)
2. Quotation Approval (by sales manager)
3. Response to returned quotations (by sales staff)

If the quote is approved at [2. Quotation Approval], the approved quote will be automatically uploaded to Box in the gray item [4. Upload Quotation]. [5. Create Shared Link] will automatically create a shared link to the quote file. Finally, [6. Email to Customer] will send an email with the shared link to the customer.

Create a folder in Box in advance where the files will be uploaded. In the „C3: The folder ID that files will be uploaded“ field of [4. Upload quotation] set the URL of the created folder (the blue part below).

https://example.app.box.com/folder/xxxxxxxxxxx

The following figure shows an image of sales staff creating a quotation and finally sending an email to the customer with a URL (shared link) to view the quotation.

Summary

We introduced how to build a system in which files are automatically uploaded to Box cloud storage and a shared link is created for the file.

The following processes have been automated.

An approved quote file is uploaded to Box
A shared link is created for the quote file
An email with the shared link is sent to the customer

This automation reduces the time and effort required to upload files, set up shared links, and send e-mails to customers. In addition, the following errors are also prevented compared to doing these things manually.

Forgotten or delayed file uploads
Incorrect file upload location
Failure to set up shared links
Incorrect settings for shared links (expiration date, password)
Errors in the address or body of an email

By using the automation items provided in Questetra BPM Suite, a no-code development platform used for automation, you can build a system in which files are automatically uploaded to Box and shared links are automatically created, even if you have no knowledge or experience with Box’s API (Application Programming Interface).

Questetra BPM Suite is available for a 60-day free trial. If you are interested, please apply from the following link.