Creating an app

To create an app:

1. Go to Box Apps.
2. Select New.
3. Name your app. You land on a page with an empty section.
4. Name the first section.
5. Configure the app by adding blocks to your first section and/or adding more sections.
6. When you finish adding sections and blocks, select Done to save your app.

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Configuring a section

1. Choose how you want to display the blocks in your section:
   • In the Section area under Configure App, select Grid or List.
     
   • Select a section, then select List Layout or Grid Layout from the toolbar.
     
     The grid view displays blocks in your section next to each other. The list view displays blocks in your section one under another.
2. In the Add a description area, enter any text that you want to display, and then format the description by double-selecting the content and choosing from the available options in the contextual menu.
   

To delete a section, select it and select the trash icon from the context menu.

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Adding, deleting, and configuring blocks

To add a block, drag and drop it to your section from the Blocks area under Configure App, or choose the + Add Blocks drop-down list in a section to add a new block to your app. You can add the following blocks:

• View
• Bar
• Donut
• Breakdown
• Item List
• Metric
• Media
• File or Folder
• Form
• App
• Autofiler
• Shortcut
• Button
• Page Filter
• Uploader
• Sign template

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Required and optional block parameters

There is one required parameter for all blocks: Title/Tile Name. You need to add it to every tile to save your app. Other required parameters differ depending on the block type. Optional parameters are the same for every block type:

• Description – select Add Optional Description to display the Description field.

To add more lines to the field, press Enter. Select Hide Description or delete the contents of this field if you want to remove it.

• Theme – choose a color theme. Select Light to choose a color for the block icon. Select Dark to choose a color for the whole block.

The default values for block names are:

• View: Create a View
• Chart: Chart Title
• File or folder: Create a file or folder
• Form: Create a form
• App: Link to an App
• Shortcut: Create a shortcut
• Autofiler: Create an Autofiler
• List: Configure Item List to see preview
• Metric Card: Create a metric card
• Media: Create a media

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Block types

Choose the block types you want for your app.

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View

Choose the Create tab in Create a new View to configure the View block. Add the following parameters:

• View Name – name your View
• Metadata Template – choose one of the available templates from the drop-down list

Select Create to finish adding a new view block. Select the Hide Item Count toggle if you don’t want to display the exact number of view results. See Configuring views in Box Apps for more information about View blocks. You can also duplicate a view block. To do so:

1. Select the Duplicate tab in Save Views & Parameters.
2. Add a name to your View.
3. Select a recent View from the Duplicate settings from drop-down list.
4. Select Duplicate to save your View. You can also add the optional description and a theme to the duplicated view block.

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Bar

With the Bar block, you can create a bar chart based on the configuration details that you provide. For more information, see Using charts in Box Apps.

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Donut

With the Donut block, you can create a donut chart based on the configuration details that you provide. For more information, see Using charts in Box Apps.

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Breakdown

With the Breakdown block, you can create a breakdown chart based on the configuration details that you provide. For more information, see Using charts in Box Apps.

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Item list

Lists are customizable saved searches based on metadata. Name your list and choose the metadata template you want to use. After creating a list block, you can add filters to it. The filters depend on the metadata template you use. Select the cogwheel icon in the Customize section to set up filters, choose columns you want to display in your list view, and configure display settings. Toggle on or off the options in the Presentation section: Show Item Count, Show Borders, or both. A list block is designed to have feature parity with the View block tooling, but some features are still in development. If you can’t find an option in the List block, select the icon in the top-right corner to open the corresponding View.

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Metric

Use the metric card block to display a calculated value for a selected metadata attribute. Choose a metric card from the Blocks area when you edit your app. To configure a metric card:

1. Create and link a view that defines the dataset for the calculation. Filters on the linked view apply to the metric calculation. A view created from a metric card can’t be renamed or edited from the view page directly (same behavior as a chart block).
2. Choose a metadata template, then choose one integer or decimal metadata field. Other field types aren’t available.
3. Choose a calculation type:
   • Item count — number of items where the selected metadata value isn’t empty
   • Sum — total of all values
   • Average — average of all values
   • Maximum — highest value
   • Minimum — lowest value
4. Choose a metric format: Number, USD, JPY, CAD, EUR, or GBP. You can also set a custom format with a prefix (up to 4 characters) and suffix (up to 12 characters). Set the number of decimals from 0 (default) to 2.
5. Optionally turn on:
   • Abbreviate large numbers — for example, 44K or 22.34M
   • Allow users to open underlying View

If a value doesn’t fit in the block, or is abbreviated, hover over the metric to see the full value. The subtitle uses the Item Count variable (the number of items in the calculation).

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Media

Use the Media block to embed Box-stored media on an app page. Supported file types include images, videos, audio files, Box Notes, and PDFs. Media renders inline in the block, so you don’t open a separate preview. To configure a Media block:

1. Choose a supported file from Box.
2. Set the block size. The default size is 3×2 in an 8-column layout. The minimum size is 2×2.
3. Configure the title:
   • Use Item Name for Block Title — enabled by default. When enabled, the title uses the selected file name. When disabled, you must enter a title.
   • Show block title — enabled by default. When disabled, the title is hidden on the Media block.

After you choose a file, its preview displays in the Media block. If the content is larger than the block, a scrollbar displays. You can play video or audio and scroll through a PDF. Images are static and not interactive.

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File or folder

When you add a file or folder block, you need to specify a root folder where app users add new content. Select Select Content under Choose from Box. In the next window, a standard search field and your Files view display. Select a folder, then select Choose to go back to block configuration.

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Form

In a form block, you need to provide a Box Form to use and decide how you want to present it. Select the search field under Choose a Box Form, or start typing the name of the form to get a suggestion. The Presentation parameter has two options: Overlay / Pop-Up and Open in New Tab.

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App

The app tile links to another app you or another Box Apps Admin created. Select the Select an App field under Choose from Box to display the available apps.

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Autofiler

Add metadata to files or folders while they are uploading. You can add metadata in the Current File tab. Select the desired Metadata Template from the drop-down list.

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Shortcut

Add a link in the Enter a URL field.

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Button

Add a configurable button to the app section header. You can choose from a list of predefined actions and define an icon and label. To add a button, choose it from the available blocks, select Add in the header, or drag and drop it to a section. To configure a button, select it and use the configuration panel:

• Button Icon — choose an icon from the list of available icons.
• Button Label — required; enter a label for the button.
• Button Action — choose from the drop-down list: Form or Shortcut.

For the Form action type, select the form you want to use. When an app user selects a Form button, the form submission modal appears. For the Shortcut action type, select the URL you want to use. When an app user selects a Shortcut button, they are redirected to the URL.

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Page filter

Add the Page Filter block to filter the content of the app page. This block is not part of any section. You can add it only to the app actions row. Users can add filters by picking it up from the sidebar. To add a page filter block, select or drag and drop it from the sidebar, or select Add in the app actions row. By default, the page filter block automatically populates all metadata templates used on the app page, so users only choose from the available templates. Select which filters you want available in view mode. If an app page uses multiple metadata templates, a tooltip displays the related metadata template when you hover over a filter value. The app editor can change the order of the filters by dragging and dropping them in the configuration panel or by selecting the Move Up or Move Down action. Filtering options For Date and Number field types, the filter drop-down provides two options: Replace existing filter (default) and Narrow existing filter.

1. Replace existing filter (default):
   • The page filter value becomes the only active filter on that field.
   • The block’s existing range or filter criteria are overwritten.
2. Narrow existing filter:
   • The block filter and the page filter apply together.
   • The block displays the overlap of its original range and the page filter range.

Filter presets You can configure predefined values for each filter. When presets are set, users in view mode can select only those values. Filter presets are supported for the following field types:

• Date
• Text
• Number

When the user applies a filter, only the blocks that contain the selected filter value display.

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Uploader

With the uploader block, you can upload files to an app without leaving it. As an app user, you select on the block and a modal similar to the existing autofiler experience appears. It allows you to drag and drop selected files to a folder configured by the app admin. Configuring an uploader block As an admin, you can add the uploader block like any other building block. The uploader block can be added to any section of the app page. Configure the uploader block by selecting the destination folder all uploaded files are sent to. Limitations

• The folder picker only shows folders the app admin has access to — folders they can’t view or don’t have the upload or edit permission to are not selectable, matching standard Box permission checks.
• If the app admin’s access to the configured folder is later revoked, the block shows an error in view mode instead of allowing uploads.
• App admin can change the configured folder at any time in the block’s configuration.
• If the app user lacks upload permissions on the destination folder, the upload fails with an error.

App user view Once the uploader block is configured and saved, app users see the block on the app page. When an app user selects the uploader block in view mode, a modal opens containing a file-uploading area, similar to the existing autofiler experience. Users can drag and drop files or select them in a file browser within the modal. The uploaded files are sent directly to the folder configured by the app admin. The app user doesn’t see or choose a destination folder — they only interact with the upload area. The modal shows upload progress and confirms success or failure per file. No folder browsing or file listing of the destination folder is exposed to app users in view mode. They can only upload, not see the existing content. After a successful upload, the user receives on-screen confirmation that files were sent to the configured folder.

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Sign template

With the sign template block, an app admin can pin a Box Sign template on the app page. An app user can select the block to open the template the admin added and follow the existing design of the Box Sign template initiation flow. Configuring a sign template block As an app admin, add the sign template block like any other block. Select the sign template from the list of available templates. You can only see the templates you have access to. The list is searchable by name. The block displays a preview of the selected template name and Box Sign icon. App user view The app user sees the Box Sign template’s name and icon. When they select the block, the Box Sign template appears on the same page. The experience is identical to initiating a signature process from a template from the Box Sign tab.

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Adding pages

You can add multiple pages when you’re creating or editing your apps. To add more pages:

1. Select New App or navigate to an existing app and select Edit.
2. Select Add Page under the app name.
3. Name your new page. The name has to be unique and no more than 50 characters long.

After you create the new page, you can populate it with blocks. Any new pages you create are added to the right. Select the More Options (ellipsis) menu to display the page actions:

• Duplicate — duplicate page name is original page name(1)
• Rename
• Move Left
• Move Right
• Delete

When your app has multiple pages and they no longer fit in the visible navigation bar, a More drop-down displays. Select it to access the rest of your pages. When you reach the 15 page limit, the Add Page button becomes unavailable. Long page names display when you hover over the name.

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Sharing a page

You can share specific pages from your app. To do so:

1. Share your app like any other Box product.
2. After you invite a collaborator, open the More Options menu in your app.
3. Choose the Manage Collaborators option.
4. Select the correct access level in the Permission column.
5. Choose the pages you want to share with the collaborator in the Added To column — only available for the Viewer role.

By default, every new collaborator has access to the whole app (All current and future pages). If you want to restrict the collaborator’s access, select the Viewer access level for them and follow the instructions above.