File - Box Dev Docs

API version 2024.0 A standard representation of a file, as returned from any file API endpoints by default.

This resource has a few variations that can be encountered when using the API.The fields that are part of the standard variant are generally returned when the resource is requested via its own API endpoints. For example, when retrieving a file by ID, it will return these fields unless the fields parameter has been specified.

string

example: 12345The unique identifier that represent a file.The ID for any file can be determined by visiting a file in the web application and copying the ID from the URL. For example, for the URL https://*.app.box.com/files/123 the file_id is 123.

type

string

example: fileThe value will always be file.Value is always file

content_created_at

string(date-time)

example: 2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00The date and time at which this file was originally created, which might be before it was uploaded to Box.

content_modified_at

string(date-time)

example: 2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00The date and time at which this file was last updated, which might be before it was uploaded to Box.

created_at

string(date-time)

example: 2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00The date and time when the file was created on Box.

created_by

User (Mini)object

The user who created this file.

description

string

example: Contract for Q1 renewalThe optional description of this file. If the description exceeds 255 characters, the first 255 characters are set as a file description and the rest of it is ignored.

etag

string

example: 1The HTTP etag of this file. This can be used within some API endpoints in the If-Match and If-None-Match headers to only perform changes on the file if (no) changes have happened.

file_version

File version (Mini)object

The information about the current version of the file.

item_status

string

example: activeDefines if this item has been deleted or not.

active when the item has is not in the trash
trashed when the item has been moved to the trash but not deleted
deleted when the item has been permanently deleted.

Value is one of active,trashed,deleted

modified_at

string(date-time)

example: 2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00The date and time when the file was last updated on Box.

modified_by

User (Mini)object

The user who last modified this file.

name

string

example: Contract.pdfThe name of the file.

owned_by

User (Mini)object

The user who owns this file.

parent

Folder (Mini)object

The folder that this file is located within. This value may be null for some folders such as the root folder or the trash folder.

path_collection

object

The tree of folders that this file is contained in, starting at the root.

Show child attributes

entries

Folder (Mini)array

The parent folders for this item.

total_count

integer(int64)

example: 1The number of folders in this list.

purged_at

string(date-time)

example: 2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00The time at which this file is expected to be purged from the trash.

sequence_id

string

example: 3A numeric identifier that represents the most recent user event that has been applied to this item.This can be used in combination with the GET /events-endpoint to filter out user events that would have occurred before this identifier was read.An example would be where a Box Drive-like application would fetch an item via the API, and then listen to incoming user events for changes to the item. The application would ignore any user events where the sequence_id in the event is smaller than or equal to the sequence_id in the originally fetched resource.

sha1

string(digest)

example: 85136C79CBF9FE36BB9D05D0639C70C265C18D37The SHA1 hash of the file. This can be used to compare the contents of a file on Box with a local file.

shared_link

object

The shared link for this file. This value will be null if no shared link has been created for this file.

Show child attributes

access

string

example: openThe access level for this shared link.

open - provides access to this item to anyone with this link
company - only provides access to this item to people the same company
collaborators - only provides access to this item to people who are collaborators on this item

If this field is omitted when creating the shared link, the access level will be set to the default access level specified by the enterprise admin.Value is one of open,company,collaborators

download_count

integer

example: 3The number of times this item has been downloaded.

download_url

string(url)

example: https://www.box.com/shared/static/rh935iit6ewrmw0unyul.jpegA URL that can be used to download the file. This URL can be used in a browser to download the file. This URL includes the file extension so that the file will be saved with the right file type.This property will be null for folders.

effective_access

string

example: companyThe effective access level for the shared link. This can be a more restrictive access level than the value in the access field when the enterprise settings restrict the allowed access levels.Value is one of open,company,collaborators

effective_permission

string

example: can_downloadThe effective permissions for this shared link. These result in the more restrictive combination of the share link permissions and the item permissions set by the administrator, the owner, and any ancestor item such as a folder.Value is one of can_edit,can_download,can_preview,no_access

is_password_enabled

boolean

example: trueDefines if the shared link requires a password to access the item.

permissions

object

Defines if this link allows a user to preview, edit, and download an item. These permissions refer to the shared link only and do not supersede permissions applied to the item itself.

Show child attributes

can_download

boolean

example: trueDefines if the shared link allows for the item to be downloaded. For shared links on folders, this also applies to any items in the folder.This value can be set to true when the effective access level is set to open or company, not collaborators.

can_edit

boolean

example: falseDefines if the shared link allows for the item to be edited.This value can only be true if can_download is also true and if the item has a type of file.

can_preview

boolean

example: trueDefines if the shared link allows for the item to be previewed.This value is always true. For shared links on folders this also applies to any items in the folder.

preview_count

integer

example: 3The number of times this item has been previewed.

unshared_at

string(date-time)

example: 2018-04-13T13:53:23-07:00The date and time when this link will be unshared. This field can only be set by users with paid accounts.

url

string(url)

example: https://www.box.com/s/vspke7y05sb214wjokpkThe URL that can be used to access the item on Box.This URL will display the item in Box’s preview UI where the file can be downloaded if allowed.This URL will continue to work even when a custom vanity_url has been set for this shared link.

vanity_name

string

example: my_urlThe custom name of a shared link, as used in the vanity_url field.

vanity_url

string(url)

example: https://acme.app.box.com/v/my_url/The “Custom URL” that can also be used to preview the item on Box. Custom URLs can only be created or modified in the Box Web application.

size

integer

example: 629644The file size in bytes. Be careful parsing this integer as it can get very large and cause an integer overflow.

trashed_at

string(date-time)

example: 2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00The time at which this file was put in the trash.

{
  "id": "12345",
  "type": "file",
  "content_created_at": "2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00",
  "content_modified_at": "2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00",
  "created_at": "2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00",
  "created_by": {
    "id": "11446498",
    "type": "user",
    "login": "[email protected]",
    "name": "Aaron Levie"
  },
  "description": "Contract for Q1 renewal",
  "etag": "1",
  "file_version": {
    "id": "12345",
    "type": "file_version",
    "sha1": "134b65991ed521fcfe4724b7d814ab8ded5185dc"
  },
  "item_status": "active",
  "modified_at": "2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00",
  "modified_by": {
    "id": "11446498",
    "type": "user",
    "login": "[email protected]",
    "name": "Aaron Levie"
  },
  "name": "Contract.pdf",
  "owned_by": {
    "id": "11446498",
    "type": "user",
    "login": "[email protected]",
    "name": "Aaron Levie"
  },
  "parent": {
    "id": "12345",
    "type": "folder",
    "etag": "1",
    "name": "Contracts",
    "sequence_id": "3"
  },
  "path_collection": {
    "entries": [
      {
        "etag": "1",
        "id": "12345",
        "type": "folder",
        "name": "Contracts",
        "sequence_id": "3"
      }
    ],
    "total_count": 1
  },
  "purged_at": "2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00",
  "sequence_id": "3",
  "sha1": "85136C79CBF9FE36BB9D05D0639C70C265C18D37",
  "shared_link": {
    "access": "open",
    "download_count": 3,
    "download_url": "https://www.box.com/shared/static/rh935iit6ewrmw0unyul.jpeg",
    "effective_access": "company",
    "effective_permission": "can_download",
    "is_password_enabled": true,
    "permissions": {
      "can_download": true,
      "can_edit": false,
      "can_preview": true
    },
    "preview_count": 3,
    "unshared_at": "2018-04-13T13:53:23-07:00",
    "url": "https://www.box.com/s/vspke7y05sb214wjokpk",
    "vanity_name": "my_url",
    "vanity_url": "https://acme.app.box.com/v/my_url/"
  },
  "size": 629644,
  "trashed_at": "2012-12-12T10:53:43-08:00"
}