How to Connect Dropbox with FlowMattic?

Introduction

Dropbox is one of the most popular cloud storage platforms, trusted by millions of users and businesses worldwide for storing, sharing, and collaborating on files. With FlowMattic’s Dropbox integration, you can automate your file management workflows directly from your WordPress site. Whether you need to automatically upload files, create folders, generate shared links, monitor file changes with triggers, or sync data between Dropbox and other applications, FlowMattic makes it seamless. This guide will walk you through the process of creating a Dropbox App and connecting it to FlowMattic using OAuth 2.0 authentication with PKCE for enhanced security.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

A Dropbox account (free or paid)
Access to your FlowMattic WordPress installation
Administrator access to create connects in FlowMattic

Step 1: Create a New Dropbox App

Go to the Dropbox App Console and sign in with your Dropbox account.
Click the Create app button.
On the “Create a new app on the DBX Platform” page, configure the following settings:

Choose an API

Select Scoped access (this is the recommended option for new apps)

Choose the Type of Access

App folder - Select this if you want FlowMattic to only access a single folder created specifically for your app
Full Dropbox - Select this if you want FlowMattic to access all files and folders in the user’s Dropbox (recommended for full automation capabilities)

Name Your App

Enter a unique name for your app (e.g., “Your Company Name - FlowMattic”)
The app name must be unique across all Dropbox apps

Click the Create app button to create your application.

Step 2: Configure App Settings

After creating your app, you’ll be redirected to the app settings page. Here you need to configure the OAuth 2.0 settings:

Locate Your App Credentials

On the Settings tab, find the following credentials:
- App key - This is your Client ID (e.g., 23qct0gddhrdqog)
- App secret - Click “Show” to reveal your Client Secret

Important: Keep your App secret confidential. Never share it publicly or commit it to version control.

Configure OAuth 2 Redirect URI

Scroll down to the OAuth 2 section
In the Redirect URIs field, enter your FlowMattic callback URL:
```
https://yourdomain.com/wp-json/flowmattic/v1/auth/dropbox
```
Replace yourdomain.com with your actual WordPress site domain.
Click the Add button to save the redirect URI

Enable PKCE Support

Under Allow public clients (Implicit Grant & PKCE), select Allow
This enables the secure PKCE authentication flow used by FlowMattic

Step 3: Configure App Permissions (Scopes)

FlowMattic requires specific permissions to perform various Dropbox operations. Navigate to the Permissions tab and enable the following scopes:

Account Info

Scope	Description	Required
`account_info.read`	View basic information about your Dropbox account	Recommended

Files and Folders

Scope	Description	Required
`files.metadata.write`	View and edit information about your Dropbox files and folders	Required
`files.metadata.read`	View information about your Dropbox files and folders	Required
`files.content.write`	Edit content of your Dropbox files and folders	Required
`files.content.read`	View content of your Dropbox files and folders	Required

Collaboration

Scope	Description	Required
`sharing.write`	View and manage your Dropbox sharing settings and collaborators	Required
`sharing.read`	View your Dropbox sharing settings and collaborators	Required

File Requests (Optional)

Scope	Description	Required
`file_requests.write`	View and manage your Dropbox file requests	Optional
`file_requests.read`	View your Dropbox file requests	Optional

Contacts (Optional)

Scope	Description	Required
`contacts.write`	View and manage your manually added Dropbox contacts	Optional
`contacts.read`	View your manually added Dropbox contacts	Optional

Connect (Optional)

Scope	Description	Required
`profile`	Read basic profile info	Optional
`openid`	Required for OpenID Connect flow	Optional
`email`	Read basic email info	Optional

Note: After changing permissions, you may need to re-authenticate your connection in FlowMattic for the new permissions to take effect.

Click Submit to save your permission changes.

Step 4: Connect Dropbox in FlowMattic

Now that your Dropbox app is configured, you can connect it to FlowMattic:

In your WordPress admin, navigate to FlowMattic > Connects
Click Connect Integration
Search for and select Dropbox
Enter your credentials:
- Client ID - Paste the App key from your Dropbox app settings
- Client Secret - Paste the App secret from your Dropbox app settings
Click Authenticate and Save Connect to initiate the OAuth flow
A new window will open redirecting you to Dropbox for authorization
Review the permissions and click Allow to grant FlowMattic access to your Dropbox account
The window will close automatically and your connection will be saved

Available Dropbox Actions in FlowMattic

Once connected, you can use the following Dropbox actions in your workflows:

Action	Description
Upload File	Upload a file to Dropbox
Download File	Download a file from Dropbox
Create Folder	Create a new folder in Dropbox
Delete File	Delete a file from Dropbox
Delete Folder	Delete a folder and its contents from Dropbox
Copy File	Copy a file to a different location
Move File	Move or rename a file
List Folder Contents	List all files and folders in a directory
Get File Metadata	Get metadata for a file or folder
Search Files	Search for files and folders
Create Text File	Create a new text file with content
Create Shared Link	Create a shared link for a file or folder
Get Temporary Download Link	Get a temporary download link for a file
Share Folder	Share a folder with collaborators
Add Folder Member	Add a member to a shared folder
Create File Request	Create a file request for external uploads

Available Dropbox Triggers in FlowMattic

FlowMattic also supports Dropbox triggers to start workflows automatically:

Trigger	Description
File Added	Triggers when a new file is added to a specified folder
File Modified	Triggers when a file is modified
File Deleted	Triggers when a file is deleted
Folder Added	Triggers when a new folder is created

Troubleshooting

“Invalid redirect URI” Error

Ensure the redirect URI in your Dropbox app settings exactly matches your FlowMattic callback URL
Check that there are no trailing slashes or typos
Verify your WordPress site is accessible via HTTPS

“Invalid response_type” Error

This typically occurs with Scoped Access apps
Ensure all required permissions are enabled in the Permissions tab
Try re-creating the app with the correct settings

Connection Expires or Stops Working

FlowMattic automatically refreshes access tokens using the refresh token
If issues persist, try disconnecting and reconnecting your Dropbox account
Verify your Dropbox app hasn’t been revoked or deleted
Confirm that the Cron jobs are working fine

Permission Denied Errors

Check that the required scopes are enabled in your Dropbox app’s Permissions tab
After changing permissions, you must re-authenticate the connection

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