Box.net APIv1 migration

Note: This page contains information for site administrators only.

Box API v2

Box.net API v1, which Moodle uses to interact with the Box repository and Box portfolio, expired 14 December 2013. It was replaced by Box API v2. Three important consequences of the new API are:

1. The Moodle site must use HTTPS in order to access Box.
2. Box plugins must be configured with a Box client ID and secret.
3. For Box repository users it will no longer be possible to create a shortcut/alias to a file stored in Box. Existing aliases will need to be converted to file copies by running the Box.net-alias-to-copy-conversion tool.

Obtaining a Box client ID and secret

1. Go to https://app.box.com and create an account or log in
2. Go to https://app.box.com/developers/services and click the link 'Create new application'
3. Enter an application name and click the 'Content API' button
4. Once the application is created, click the 'Edit this application' button
5. On the Edit a Box Application page, scroll down to the section 'OAuth2 parameters' and make a note of the client ID and secret

The client ID and secret can then be used to configure the Box repository and Box portfolio.

Box repository configuration

1. Go to Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Repositories > Manage Repositories
2. Reactivate the Box.net repository by selecting 'Enabled and visible' in the dropdown menu
3. Configure the repository plugin by entering the Box client ID and secret. Make sure you don't include any white space in the text boxes!
4. Save changes

Box portfolio configuration

1. Go to Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Portfolios > Manage Portfolios
2. Reactivate the Box.net portfolio by selecting 'Enabled and visible' in the dropdown menu
3. Configure the portfolio plugin by entering the Box client ID and secret
4. Save changes

The Box-alias-to-copy-conversion tool

IMPORTANT: The Box-alias-to-copy-conversion tool must be used before 14 December 2013 to avoid data loss!

Administrators are advised to run the Box-alias-to-copy-conversion tool immediately after upgrading their site. It may be run

Either from within Moodle:

1. Ensure that the Box repository has been configured according to the instructions above
2. Go to Administration > Site administration > Modules > Repositories > Manage repositories and click the settings link for Box
3. Click the link to run the tool

Or via a CLI script, found at /repository/boxnet/cli/migrationv1.php.

Please be aware that this tool could take several hours to run depending on the number of aliases and their size.

Note: After running the tool, the Box settings page will still display the message 'It appears that you were using Box with the API version 1, have you run the migration tool to convert the old references?' Please just ignore it. ;-)