Dropbox integration

 These instructions are available as a PDF download for reading offline or printing. Click here to download the document: bdp_Dropbox_Integration 

BDP allows you to upload jpeg images and PDF floor plans and brochures directly into a property record from the Dropbox cloud, bypassing the need to upload from your local machine. This saves the upstream bandwidth issues often seen when one or more staff members are uploading large image files to BDP.

Connecting BDP to Dropbox – one-time operation

The Dropbox icon in the BDP images widget

The Dropbox icon in the BDP images widget

NOTE: This is on an individual user basis, NOT a firm-wide basis. i.e. each user will need to follow these steps and connect their own unique Dropbox account from where they will have access to all shared folders.

You will see a new Dropbox icon in the images widget.

Click the icon to connect your Dropbox account to BDP. This is an authorisation procedure whereby you grant BDP the right to access your Dropbox account.

A slide-out panel displays a set of instructions:

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The BDP Dropbox authorisation dialogue box

Follow the steps shown. Clicking the link in step 1 opens a new tab or browser window and loads the Dropbox website.

Grant BDP permission to access your Dropbox files

Grant BDP permission to access your Dropbox files

Click to Allow BDP to access your Dropbox files.

NOTE: If you are not logged in to Dropbox you will be asked to log in before you can complete the step above.
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Signing in to Dropbox if required

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The Dropbox API key

You are then shown an API key which you must copy (highlight and press Ctrl + C (Windows) or Cmd + C (Mac)) then return to the BDP screen and paste into the box in Step 4 (Ctrl + V (Windows) or Cmd + V (Mac)) – See Fig. above.

Press Submit.

BDP is now connected to Dropbox.

Using Dropbox to upload media to a property

Once Dropbox is connected BDP is authorised to access your account until permission is revoked. See later in this document about how to revoke permission.

In any property record in BDP, open the Photos widget and click the Dropbox icon.

You see a file browser which loads a list of all the folders in your Dropbox account, including shared folders (folders you have shared with others and which others have shared with you).

Clicking a folder enters that folder and displays the sub-folders and files within it.

Click through to the folder that contains the media you are interested in.

TIP: If your media is always stored in the same folder, or in a sub-folder of a “main” media folder, you can tell BDP that this is the default folder. When you have navigated to the folder, click the Save icon to the top right of the file/sub-folder list.
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The Dropbox folder and file list displayed in BDP

Once you see the list of photos relating to the property you are editing, tick the ones you are interested in retrieving. You can select and deselect all using the tick and cross icons at the top right of the file list.

NOTE: This panel allows you to retrieve PDF floor plans and brochures at the same time as images. If there are PDF’s in the listing that you require, click and drag into the relevant box and tick to retrieve – see figure 6 above. Similarly a JPEG floor plan should be dragged into the Floorplans box.

Click the Import Files button.

Once the import has finished you will receive an email listing all files successfully uploaded and any failures.

Images can be re-ordered or deleted in the BDP images widget as usual.

Revoking BDP authorisation

If at any time you wish to revoke authority for BDP to access Dropbox, you must log in to Dropbox at dropbox.com.

The Dropbox Linked Apps section

The Dropbox Linked Apps section

Click on your username in the top right of the screen.
Click Settings
On the Settings page, click the Security tab
Scroll down to the Apps Linked section.
Locate the BDP app in the list and click the X to the right.

This disconnects Dropbox from BDP and means that next time you click the Dropbox icon in the images widget, you will have to follow the authorisation procedure once again.

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