Is it possible to access other people shared directories via Box API?

Question

We develop a service where users have to transfer pictures to us. We would love to allow users to provide a link for sharing a directory (from web interface) and automatically retrieve its content.

Does Box API allow to retrieve this content from an other box user, using the id from provided link ?

Answer 1

You could have the users invite you as a collaborator to their folder instead of sending you the link. https://support.box.com/hc/en-us/articles/200834687-Inviting-Collaborators-Walkthrough

Once invited to the folder and with the proper permissions, your user would now be able to download the content inside that folder (using the API).

https://developers.box.com/docs/#files-download-a-file

Answer 2

You can get to open-shared links if you use a client-credential from your application. Your application would then be using an OAuth2 credential that does not identify who the user of your app is, only that they are coming in via your application.