Unstructured can connect to several types of sources. In this quickstart, you create a Dropbox source connector that you can add to your Unstructured workflows. This source connector enables your Unstructured workflows to process your files that you store in a Dropbox account. In this quickstart, you will:
  • Create a free Dropbox Basic account.
  • Create a Dropbox app in your Dropbox account. This app will provide the connection between your Dropbox account and your Unstructured account.
  • Get specific information about your Dropbox app that Unstructured needs to connect to the app.
  • Create a Dropbox source connector in your Unstructured account.
  • Add the Dropbox source connector to a workflow in your Unstructured account.
If you are not able to complete the following steps, contact Unstructured Support at support@unstructured.io.

Step 1: Create your Dropbox account

In this step, you create a free Dropbox Basic account. This account is limited to a single user and 2 GB of storage. If you already have a Dropbox account and want to use it instead, then skip ahead to Step 2.
  1. Go to the Dropbox account sign up page, at https://www.dropbox.com/register.
  2. Enter your email address, and then click Continue.
  3. Enter your name and then, for Password, enter some password for your new account. Be sure to save this password to some secure location, as you will need it to access your Dropbox account later.
  4. Click Agree and sign up.
  5. To create a Dropbox Basic account, click the Personal tile.
  6. When you are prompted to install the Dropbox desktop app or mobile app, click Skip step. (You can always install these apps later.)
  7. To create a Dropbox Basic account, click Continue with 2 GB Dropbox Basic plan at the bottom of the account type selectionpage.
  8. You are automatically signed in to your new Dropbox Basic account, and the Dropbox user interface (UI) appears. Dropbox user interface

Step 2: Create a Dropbox app

In this step, you create a Dropbox app in your Dropbox account. Unstructured will use this app to access your Dropbox account.
  1. From a new tab in your web browser, open the Dropbox Developers page, at https://www.dropbox.com/developers.
  2. Click Create apps. Begin creating a Dropbox app
    If Create apps is not visible then, on the top navigation bar, click App Console, and then click Create app.
  3. For Choose an API, select the Scoped access radio button.
  4. For Choose the type of access you need, select the App folder radio button.
  5. For Name your app, enter some name for your Dropbox app.
  6. Check the box labelled I agree to Dropbox API Terms and Conditions, if it appears.
  7. Click Create app. Finish creating the Dropbox app
  8. On the Dropbox app’s Permissions tab, under Files and folders, check the box labelled files.content.read, and then click Submit. Setting files.content.read for the Dropbox app
  9. On the app’s Settings tab, note the value of the App folder name field. This is the name of the subfolder that Dropbox will create under the Apps top-level folder in your Dropbox account. Your new Dropbox app will use this subfolder for access. Noting the app folder's name
  10. With the app’s Settings tab still showing, scroll down to App key.
  11. Next to App secret, click Show.
  12. Note the values of App key and App secret, as you will need them later for Steps 3 and 5. Noting the app's key and secret

Step 3: Get a refresh token for your Dropbox app

In this step, you get a refresh token for your Dropbox app. Unstructured needs this refresh token, along with the App key and App secret from the previous step, to be able to use your Dropbox app to connect to your Dropbox account.
  1. In a new tab in your web browser, enter the following address. In this address, replace <app-key> with the App key you noted in Step 2:
    https://www.dropbox.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=<app-key>&response_type=code&token_access_type=offline
    
    For example, if your App key is aaa1aaaaaa1aaaa, then your address should look like this:
    https://www.dropbox.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=aaa1aaaaaa1aaaa&response_type=code&token_access_type=offline
    
  2. Click Continue. Continuing to get the access code
  3. Click Allow. Allowing the access code to be generated
  4. Note the value in the Access Code Generated box. Viewing the generated access code
    This same access code value also appears in the auth_code parameter from the address bar. For example, if the address bar shows this:
    https://www.dropbox.com/oauth2/authorize_success?auth_code=ccc1ccc1ccc1-1cc-1cc&client_id=aaa1aaaaaa1aaaa&version=1
    
    Then the auth_code value is ccc1ccc1ccc1-1cc-1cc.
  5. On your computer, open the Terminal if you’re using macOS, a terminal window if you’re using Linux, or the Command Prompt if you’re using Windows.
  6. Check to see if the curl utility is alredy installed on your computer by running the following command:
    curl --version
    
  7. If the curl utility is already installed, then you will see the curl version number and some other information about curl. If some kind of error message appears instead, then install curl on your computer by following instructions for your operating system.
  8. From your Terminal, terminal window, or Command Prompt, run the following curl command. In this command, replace the following placeholders:
    • Replace <app-key> with the App key you noted in Step 2.
    • Replace <app-secret> with the App secret you noted in Step 2.
    • Replace <access-code> with the Access Code Generated (or auth_code, if you followed the Tip) that you noted earlier in this step.
        For macOS or Linux, run this curl command:
    curl --location --request POST 'https://api.dropbox.com/oauth2/token' \
    --user '<app-key>:<app-secret>' \
    --header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \
    --data-urlencode 'code=<access-code>' \
    --data-urlencode 'grant_type=authorization_code'
    
        For example, if your App key is aaa1aaaaaa1aaaa, your App secret is bbb1bbb1bbb1bbb1, and your Access Code Generated or auth_code value is ccc1ccc1ccc1-1cc-1cc, then your command should look like this:
    curl --location --request POST 'https://api.dropbox.com/oauth2/token' \
    --user 'aaa1aaaaaa1aaaa:bbb1bbb1bbb1bbb1' \
    --header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \
    --data-urlencode 'code=ccc1ccc1ccc1-1cc-1cc' \
    --data-urlencode 'grant_type=authorization_code'
    
      For Windows, run this curl command:
    curl --location --request POST "https://api.dropbox.com/oauth2/token" ^
    --user "<app-key>:<app-secret>" ^
    --header "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" ^
    --data-urlencode "code=<access-code>" ^
    --data-urlencode "grant_type=authorization_code"
    
      For example, if your App key is aaa1aaaaaa1aaaa, your App secret is bbb1bbb1bbb1bbb1, and your Access Code Generated or auth_code value is ccc1ccc1ccc1-1cc-1cc, then your command should look like this:
    curl --location --request POST "https://api.dropbox.com/oauth2/token" ^
    --user "aaa1aaaaaa1aaaa:bbb1bbb1bbb1bbb1" ^
    --header "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" ^
    --data-urlencode "code=ccc1ccc1ccc1-1cc-1cc" ^
    --data-urlencode "grant_type=authorization_code"
    
  9. In the response, note the vaue of the refresh_token field, which you will need later for Step 5. For example, if the response looks like this (line breaks are added here for readability—the actual response will not have these line breaks):
    {
        "access_token": "sl.u.AF-aaa1aaa1", 
        "token_type": "bearer", 
        "expires_in": 14400, 
        "refresh_token": "ddd1ddd1ddd1ddd1", <-- Note this value.
        "scope": "account_info.read files.content.read files.metadata.read", 
        "uid": "1111111111", 
        "account_id": "dbid:aaa1aaa1aaa1"
    }
    
    Then the value of the refresh_token field is ddd1ddd1ddd1ddd1.

Step 4: Upload documents to your Dropbox app folder

In this step, you add your documents to your Dropbox app folder in your Dropbox account.
  1. In the Dropbox UI from Step 1, expand Apps, and then click the folder that matches the App folder name field you noted in Step 2. Selecting the app folder
    If the Apps folder is not clickable, or if Dropbox reports that the folder is not found, then try refreshing the page and clicking the Apps folder again.
  2. Click Create folder. Begin creating the subfolder
  3. Give the subfolder a name, and then click Create. Finish creating the subfolder
  4. Click Upload or drop (or Upload > Files or Upload > Folder), and then follow the on-screen instructions to upload some documents to this subfolder in your Dropbox app folder. For a Dropbox Basic account, the total size of all of the files you upload and store in your Dropbox account (not just this subfolder) cannot exceed 2 GB. Upload files to subfolder

Step 5: Create the Dropbox source connector

In this step, you create a Dropbox source connector in your Unstructured account. This source connector is used by Unstructured to connect to your Dropbox account and then process the documents in the specified folder.
  1. If you do not already have an Unstructured account, sign up for free. After you sign up, you are automatically signed in to your new Unstructured Starter account, at https://platform.unstructured.io.
    To sign up for a Team or Enterprise account instead, contact Unstructured Sales, or learn more.
  2. If you have an Unstructured Starter or Team account and are not already signed in, sign in to your account at https://platform.unstructured.io.
    For an Enterprise account, see your Unstructured account administrator for instructions, or email Unstructured Support at support@unstructured.io.
  3. On the sidebar, click Connectors. Connectors sidebar icon
  4. Click + New.
  5. Enter some unique name for this connector, for example dropbox-source-connector.
  6. For Type, click Source.
  7. For Provider, click Dropbox.
  8. Click Continue. Selecting the connector type
  9. For Data URL, enter dropbox://, followed by the name of the subfolder you created in the previous step. For example, if the name of the subfolder is my-folder, then the data URL would be dropbox://my-folder. Forming the data URL
  10. For App key, enter the App key you noted in Step 2.
  11. For App secret, enter the App secret you noted in Step 2.
  12. For Refresh token, enter the Refresh token you noted in Step 3.
  13. Click Save and Test, and wait while Unstructured tests the connector.
Entering connector settings
  1. If a green Successful message appears, then you have successfully created the connector. Successful connector test If, however, a red error message appears, fix the issue, and try this step again. If you cannot fix the issue, contact Unstructured Support at support@unstructured.io.
Congratulations! You have successfully created a Dropbox source connector in your Unstructured account. If you are not able to complete these steps, contact Unstructured Support at support@unstructured.io.

Next steps

  • If you do not have a destination connector in your Unstructured account, then complete the Pinecone destination connector quickstart. If you’re not sure if you have a destination connector, click Connectors in your Unstructured account’s sidebar, and then click Destinations to see if there are any listed. Connectors sidebar icon
  • If you already have a destination connector, then you can add this Dropbox source connector as well as your destination connector to a workflow in your Unstructured account. To do this:
    1. Click Workflows in your Unstructured account’s sidebar. Workflows sidebar icon
    2. Click New Workflow +. Begin creating a workflow
    3. With Build it Myself already selected, click Continue. Build it myself workflow type
    4. Click the Source node. (Do not click Drop file to test.) Workflow source node
    5. On the Details tab, click Connectors, and then click the name of your Dropbox source connector. Selecting the source connector
    6. Click the Destination node. Workflow destination node
    7. On the Details tab, click the name of your destination connector. Selecting the destination connector
    8. Switch Active to on, and then click Save. Making the workflow active
    9. Next to your workflow’s name, click Run. Running the workflow
    10. Click Jobs in your Unstructured account’s sidebar. Jobs sidebar icon
    11. After the job shows Finished with a green checkmark, go to your destination’s location to see Unstructured’s processed data output.
    Finished job status
If you are not able to complete these steps, contact Unstructured Support at support@unstructured.io.