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Deploying the Slack Integration in your Enterprise

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Box integrates with Slack in two ways:

  • Box for Slack enables you to interact with your Box content from within Slack.
  • Box File Picker enables you to import Box files into Slack from within Slack.

Box for Slack

The Box for Slack integration provides greater visibility and granular control into how Slack accesses and manages Box content and metadata. The Box for Slack integration enables you to access Box content from directly within the Slack client. This integration:

  • displays file thumbnails and the file title for Box links shared in Slack,
  • enables instant permissions – enables your account holders to grant extended permissions if everyone in a Slack channel or group does not have permission in Box to access content,
  • enables creation of default instant permissions - enables your account holders to define the default adjustment of shared link settings for a shared file. With this option enabled and configured, when someone in a Slack conversation or channel doesn't have access to the shared file, Box automatically applies the default permissions your account holder defined,
  • enables slash commands (/box recents, /box favorites, /box search),
  • provides granular control settings for Box admins,
  • allows Box to be the content layer for Slack - you can also use Box as the Custom Files Store in Slack, where Box acts as the single content layer supporting all your conversations. See Box as the Content Layer for Slack to learn more,
  • provides users with the Share with Slack option for files browsed and previewed from Box Web. See this article to learn more,
  • allows users to receive Box event notifications in Slack.

 

Box File Picker

Box File Picker enables you to use Slack to import a file from Box with a Slack shortcut. This integration is owned by Slack, not Box.

Important:
When a Box link is posted in Slack, the default end-user experience is that only basic file metadata (file name, thumbnail) and its textual representation for Slack search index. As an admin, you can choose to opt out of these. Any content sent and viewable within the Slack interface is saved on Slack servers and follows Slack's channel permission model – not Box's file and folder permission model. The admin console enables you to control what content the Box for Slack app shares through Slack.

 

Note:
To require people to store all content shared with Slack in Box, turn off native file uploads and sharing, or consider setting Box as the content layer for Slack. To do this, please contact feedback@slack.com or your designated Slack CSM.

Installing the Box for Slack integration

You must enable this integration in two places:

  1. the Box admin console
  2. the Slack App directory
Note:
This integration is available only to Box enterprise customers and users.

 

Part 1: Enabling Box for Slack in the Box admin console

  1. From your admin console, navigate to the Apps tab. Scroll down to the Individual Application Controls section and search for Slack.
  2. When the entry for Box for Slack displays, change the status to Available or Added by default.

Individual Application Controls in Admin Console

  1. To change additional configuration settings, hover your mouse over the Box for Slack app and click Configure. For the best user experience, follow Steps 4-6.

Configure Box for Slack

  1. To see when a file is shared in a Slack channel, in File Preview in Box, toggle the Enable Box Activity Stream slider to On.
  2. To display a content card (file preview) of the first page of a Box file when shared, toggle the Enable file thumbnails slider to On.
    • If you leave this toggle off, Slack displays the generic file type icon in place of a thumbnail image of the first page of the file.
Note:
Participants who join or are added to Slack channels can view that channel's previously added Box File Thumbnails as part of a Slack channel's history.
  1. To enable your Box account holders to join the Box for Slack integration without manually authorizing the app to access their Box account, under Admin Delegated Authorization select an enablement option.  The Box account of an authorized Slack user is recognized based on either:
    • the user's existing Box webapp session, or
    • the user's allowlisted Slack Org/Workspace profile e-mail address.
  2. To enable Slack to index and store text content from shared Box files, toggle the Enable context indexing for Slack search slider to toggle On. This improves search accuracy when you search within Slack.
    • If you leave this toggle off, Slack only indexes and stores the file name.
  3. To enable the Share with Slack option for files you browsed of previewed in Box Web, toggle the Share with Slack slider to On.
  4. For more robust security settings, enable Steps 10-11 (if applicable).

Configure Box for Slack - higher security configuration

  1. To add an additional layer of security before displaying a content card (file preview) of a Box file when shared, toggle the Enforce additional permissions check before file display slider to On . The file preview will be available only if:
    • everyone in the channel or group are authenticated into Box, and
    • everyone in the channel can view/access the shared file.
  2. Optionally, restrict the integration to work only with specific Slack workspaces (that is, place certain domains on an allow list).
    • To restrict the integration to specific Slack organizations, in the Restrict to specific Slack Enterprise Grid Org ID allowlist box, type your organization’s Slack Enterprise Grid Org IDs. This option is available only to Slack Enterprise Grid customers. Separate multiple IDs with commas.
    • To restrict the integration to specific Slack workspace domains (such as acme.slack.com, acme-marketing.slack.com, and so on), in the Restrict to specific Slack workspaces allowlist box, type in the specific Slack domains. Separate multiple domains with commas.
    • To allow any Box for Slack integration to connect to your Box enterprise, leave clear the Restrict to specific Slack Enterprise Grid Org ID allowlist and Restrict to specific Slack workspaces allowlistoptions above.
      • If you complete this option you connect one Box EID to one or more Slack enterprise organizations.
      • Only people from these Slack enterprises can access your Box enterprise.
      • Only people from these Slack domains can access your Box enterprise.
  3. When you’re done, click Save.

Part 2: Enabling Box for Slack in the Slack App directory

  1. Follow Slack’s standard instructions for enabling a third-party app in Slack for your workspace.
  2. Navigate to the Slack app store and search for “Box.” Then enable the integration.
  3. When you’re done, the option to add Slack becomes available to everyone for whom you’ve enabled the integration. When one person installs the integration in their workspace, the integration becomes available to everyone else in that workspace.
  4. Review Slack’s instructions for individual account holders to add Slack to their respective workspaces.

Keeping Box File Representation Up To Date in Slack

Add a predefined app in your enterprise setup to ensure any changes to a shared file’s name, thumbnail, or text contents are automatically reflected in Slack.

Slack Content Sync

To enable Slack content sync in your Box enterprise, you need to first ensure that your installation of Box for Slack is up to date. To do so:

  1. Log in as a Box Admin.
  2. Open https://account.box.com/app-api/slack-v2/install and complete the authorization process:
    1. Click Allow in the Slack app permission screen,
    2. Click Grant access to Box in the Box app permission screen.
  3. Add the Slack Content Sync Custom App:
    1. Open the Admin console,
    2. Go to Apps > Custom Apps Manager,
    3. Select Add App,
    4. Fill in all the required fields,
    5. Enter the following value in the Client ID field: 8axm246j2h6emlz59yttvv3wlfvoo2z7.
  4. Click Next and review the information. 
  5. Click Authorize if all settings are correct.

Slack Content Sync now appears on the app list.

Next, navigate tohttps://account.box.com/app-api/slack-v2/install and start the authorization process:

  1. Click Allow in the Slack app permission screen.
  2. In the Box app permission screen, you should see the Manage skill rules scope added to your personal authorization. Only the Box admin account you use requires this additional scope.
    Grant access to Box screen
  3. Click Grant access to Box.

You can now see below information in the Box app onboarding message (in the Messages tab of the Box app in Slack):

Slack content sync has been enabled. Box for Slack will keep Box file representation up to date when it changes in your enterprise.
image (1).png

Note:
Box for Slack starts monitoring for shared file updates within an hour. The file representation is kept up to date for 1 year since it is last posted in Slack.

Deactivate Content Sync

To deactivate the Content Sync feature, disable the custom app you authorized, and reauthorize Box for Slack.

Setting Box as Custom File Store for Slack

To learn more, see this article.

Turning on Box File Picker in Slack

To activate this feature, activate Box File Picker for Slack in Box Admin Console and also enable the Box File Picker app from the Slack app directory.

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