Cmdlets for Box

Build 24.0.9060

Establishing a Connection

With the CData Cmdlets users can install a data module, set the connection properties, and start scripting. This section provides examples of using our Box Cmdlets with native PowerShell cmdlets, like the CSV import and export cmdlets.

Installing and Connecting

If you have PSGet, installing the cmdlets can be accomplished from the PowerShell Gallery with the following command. You can also obtain a setup from the CData site. 

Install-Module BoxCmdlets

The following line is then added to your profile, loading the cmdlets on the next session: 

Import-Module BoxCmdlets;

You can then use the Connect-Box cmdlet to create a connection object that can be passed to other cmdlets: 

$conn = Connect-Box

Connecting to Box

The cmdlet enables access to metadata for Box tables and folders. Note that the cmdlet cannot update the contents of files stored on Box or model file content as tables and columns.

Authenticating to Box

The cmdlet uses the OAuth authentication standard to connect to Box from either a User account or a Service account.

Box provides embedded OAuth credentials that simplify connection from a Desktop application or a Headless machine. To connect from a Web application, you must create a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

The following subsections describe how to authenticate to Box from the available OAuth flows. For information about how to create a custom OAuth application, and why you might want to create one even for auth flows that already have embedded OAuth credentials, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

For a complete list of connection string properties available in Box, see Connection.

User Accounts (OAuth)

AuthScheme must be set to OAuth in all user account flows.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies OAuth desktop authentication. You can also create and connect through a custom OAuth application. For further information about custom OAuth applications, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application.

Get and Refresh the OAuth Access Token

After setting the following, you are ready to connect:

  • Custom applications only:
    • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your app.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your app.
    • CallbackURL: The redirect URI defined when you registered your app. For example: https://localhost:3333
When you connect, the cmdlet opens Box's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The cmdlet refreshes the access token automatically when it expires.

Headless Machines

To configure the driver to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you must authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

  1. Choose one of two options:
    • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value, as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
    • Option 2: Install the cmdlet on a machine with an internet browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow, as described in "Transfer OAuth Settings" below.
  2. Then configure the cmdlet to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  1. Choose one of these options:
    • If you are using the Embedded OAuth Application, call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.
    • If you are using a custom OAuth application, set the following properties:
      • InitiateOAuth: OFF.
      • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
      • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
      Then call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.
  2. Log in and grant permissions to the cmdlet. You are redirected to the redirect URI. Notice that a parameter called code is appended to the redirect URI. Note the value of this parameter; it is used to set the OAuthVerifier connection property.

Next, you must exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens.

At the headless machine, to obtain the OAuth authentication values, set these properties:

  • InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
  • OAuthVerifier: The noted verifier code (the value of the code parameter in the redirect URI).
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified location.
  • Custom applications only:
    • OAuthClientId: The client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret in your custom OAuth application settings.

Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file, then re-set the following properties to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: The location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the cmdlet to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • Custom applications only:
    • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you must install and create a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file, then copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

  • InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: The location of the OAuth settings file you copied from the machine with the browser. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the cmdlet to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
  • Custom applications only:
    • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.

Service Account (OAuthJWT)

Service accounts have silent authentication, which does not require user authentication in the browser. You can also use a service account to delegate enterprise-wide access scopes to the cmdlet.

To use a service account, you must create and authorize a custom OAuth application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth Application. You can then connect to whatever Box data the service account is permitted to access.

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

  • AuthScheme: OAuthJWT.
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id noted in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret noted in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: PEMKEY_FILE.
  • OAuthJWTCert: The path to the .pem file you generated.
  • OAuthJWTCertPassword: The password of the .pem file.
  • OAuthJWTCertSubject: The subject of the certificate. If you want to select the first certificate in the Certificate Store, set an * (asterisk).
  • OAuthJWTSubjectType: The same as what you specified in your Application Access Values; either "enterprise" or "user". The default value of this connection property is "enterprise".
  • OAuthJWTSubject: If your subject type is set to enterprise, this should be your enterprise Id. If your subject type is set to user, this should be your application user Id.
  • OAuthJWTPublicKeyId: The Id of your public key in your application settings.

When you connect the cmdlet completes the OAuth flow for a service account.

BOXJSON OAuthJWTCertType

To authenticate using a service account and the BOXJSON OauthJWTCertType, set these properties:

  • AuthScheme: OAuthJWT.
  • InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH.
  • OAuthJWTCertType BOXJSON. OAuthJWTCert: The path to the Box-provided JSON file.

In cases where it may not be feasible to use a file in your system. you can copy the contents of the JSON file directly into the connection string. Set these properties:

  • AuthScheme: OAuthJWT.
  • InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: BOXJSONBLOB.
  • OAuthJWTCert: The contents of the Box-provided JSON file.

Retrieving Data

The Select-Box cmdlet provides a native PowerShell interface for retrieving data: 

$results = Select-Box -Connection $conn -Table "Files" -Columns @("Id, Name") -Where "Id='123'"
The Invoke-Box cmdlet provides an SQL interface. This cmdlet can be used to execute an SQL query via the Query parameter.

Piping Cmdlet Output

The cmdlets return row objects to the pipeline one row at a time. The following line exports results to a CSV file: 

Select-Box -Connection $conn -Table Files -Where "Id = '123'" | Select -Property * -ExcludeProperty Connection,Table,Columns | Export-Csv -Path c:\myFilesData.csv -NoTypeInformation

You will notice that we piped the results from Select-Box into a Select-Object cmdlet and excluded some properties before piping them into an Export-CSV cmdlet. We do this because the CData Cmdlets append Connection, Table, and Columns information onto each row object in the result set, and we do not necessarily want that information in our CSV file.

However, this makes it easy to pipe the output of one cmdlet to another. The following is an example of converting a result set to JSON: 

 
PS C:\> $conn  = Connect-Box
PS C:\> $row = Select-Box -Connection $conn -Table "Files" -Columns (Id, Name) -Where "Id = '123'" | select -first 1
PS C:\> $row | ConvertTo-Json
{
  "Connection":  {

  },
  "Table":  "Files",
  "Columns":  [

  ],
  "Id":  "MyId",
  "Name":  "MyName"
}

Deleting Data

The following line deletes any records that match the criteria: 

Select-Box -Connection $conn -Table Files -Where "Id = '123'" | Remove-Box

Modifying Data

The cmdlets make data transformation easy as well as data cleansing. The following example loads data from a CSV file into Box, checking first whether a record already exists and needs to be updated instead of inserted. 

Import-Csv -Path C:\MyFilesUpdates.csv | %{
  $record = Select-Box -Connection $conn -Table Files -Where ("Id = `'"+$_.Id+"`'")
  if($record){
    Update-Box -Connection $conn -Table Files -Columns @("Id","Name") -Values @($_.Id, $_.Name) -Where "Id  = `'$_.Id`'"
  }else{
    Add-Box -Connection $conn -Table Files -Columns @("Id","Name") -Values @($_.Id, $_.Name)
  }
}

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Build 24.0.9060