Here we'll show you how to upload a text string as a file to Dropbox with the Temboo Processing SDK, using the Dropbox API. For this tutorial, you'll need to download the latest version of Processing
1Sign in to your Temboo account. If you don't already have one, you can register for free.
2Download the Temboo Library for Processing. Unzip the file and put the temboo folder into your Documents/Processing/libraries/ folder (or My Documents/Processing/libraries/ on a PC). If Processing is currently open, restart it so that it will recognize the Temboo library that you just added.
3You'll need a free Dropbox account. If you don't already have one, you can sign up here.
4If you haven't already, create a Dropbox app in the Dropbox App Console.
When asked to choose an API, select Dropbox API. Choose the type of access your application will need: App folder or Full Dropbox. The app name can be whatever you like. When you're done, click Create app.
5On the next page, specify the callback URL below as a Redirect URI. Make sure to replace ACCOUNT_NAME with your Temboo account name.
https://ACCOUNT_NAME.temboolive.com/callback/dropbox
6If you will only be needing access to your own account, you can generate an Access Token in the Dropbox App Console. Click the Generate button in the OAuth 2 section of your app settings page.
7In order to access Dropbox accounts other than your own, you will need to complete the OAuth process. If you only need access to your own account, you can skip ahead to the next section.
To begin, go to Dropbox > OAuth > InitializeOAuth in the Temboo code generation library. In the INPUT section of the page, enter the AppKey found on your app settings page within the Dropbox App Console.
8Click the Generate Code button to run InitializeOAuth from the Temboo site. Scroll down to the OUTPUT section of the page. Save the CallbackID to use in the next steps.
9The owner of the Dropbox account that your application needs to access will need to visit the AuthorizationURL found in the OUTPUT section. They should click the Allow button on the page to grant the application permission to access their account. Once they see a blank page in the browser, it's safe to close the page.
10Once permission has been granted on the AuthorizationURL page, you're ready to complete the OAuth process. Visit Dropbox > OAuth > FinalizeOAuth in the Temboo code generation library. In the INPUT section of the page, enter the AppKey and AppSecret found on your app settings page in the Dropbox App Console.
Supply the CallbackID that was returned in the OUTPUT section of the InitializeOAuth page.
11Now, with all the required inputs in place, click the Generate Code button to run FinalizeOAuth from the Temboo site. Scroll down once again to the OUTPUT section of the page. Here you'll find the AccessToken you'll need for any Dropbox processes for this user's account. Save it for later.
12 Go to the Dropbox > Files > Upload page in our code generation library. From the drop down menu at the top of the page, select Processing.
13In the INPUT section of the page, enter your Dropbox AccessToken. Click on Save Profile in the upper right corner of the INPUT section to save your Dropbox credentials for easy use in other Dropbox Choreos in the future. Using a Temboo Profile will also make your code simpler and more secure.
14Enter the file location and filename for your new file in the Path field. To create a text file in the root directory of your Dropbox account, try entering /test.txt for your Path.
15Now supply the FileContent of your text file. We'll just use "Hello world!".
At this point, your INPUT section should look something like this:
16We need to tell Dropbox that our file content is plain text rather than Base64 encoded binary data. To do so, click on OPTIONAL INPUT at the bottom of the INPUT section to reveal more input fields. In the ContentType field, enter text/plain. You can leave the other fields blank.
17Click the Generate Code button at the bottom of the INPUT section to test the file upload from the Temboo site. You'll see some details about your uploaded file in the OUTPUT section. If you go to your folder in Dropbox, you'll see your file appear.
18Dropbox won't allow you to upload a file if there's already a file with the location and filename specified in the Path input. Delete your test file in Dropbox so that you can run the same code again from your Processing sketch.
19Scroll down to the CODE section of the Choreo page to find the generated code. Copy the code, and paste it into a new sketch in the Processing editor.
20In order to run this sketch, your Temboo account name and application details must be included in the TembooSession, like so:
When you're logged in, this information is automatically populated in your generated sketch. Remember to remove your account details if you share your sketch.
21Run the sketch from Processing, and you will see the results in the Processing console. If you visit your Dropbox, you'll find a new file uploaded from your sketch.
We're all finished! This sketch can create a text file out of any string you might produce while coding. Try using it to save all sorts of different content. And check out our Library for some more ideas.
Once you've got your code up and running, you're ready to move on and do more. From monitoring your running applications, to moving your generated Temboo code to your preferred development environment and sharing it with colleagues, collaborators and friends - we've got you covered.
We're always happy to help. Just email us at support@temboo.com, and we'll answer your questions.