Seamlessly Uploading Files to Dropbox From Your Angular Rich Text Editor with Froala and Filestack

Dropbox is a popular cloud storage service allowing users to securely store and share files. Integrating Dropbox with an Angular rich text editor, such as Froala, can enhance the user experience by enabling seamless file uploads directly from the editor. This integration can be achieved by leveraging a service like Filestack, which provides a user-friendly interface for handling file uploads and storage. By incorporating Filestack’s features, developers can streamline the file upload process and ensure that users can easily access and manage their Dropbox files within the rich text editor.

Froala’s latest version, V4.3, includes a new plugin for integrating with Filestack. This makes it easy to upload files to your Dropbox storage directly from the Froala editor. With just a few simple configuration steps, you can start uploading files without leaving the editor.

This integration saves development time and cost. Developers can focus on building the core functionality of their application, rather than spending time implementing complex file upload and storage solutions.

It also saves users time and effort by eliminating the need to switch between different applications or interfaces to manage files. Additionally, it ensures that uploaded files are securely stored in the user’s Dropbox account, providing an extra layer of data protection.

Overall, the Froala-Filestack-Dropbox integration offers a powerful and efficient way to incorporate file management into your Angular-based applications.

Let’s explore how this integration can be set up and leveraged to enhance your Angular application’s functionality. We’ll cover the necessary steps to configure Filestack, connect it to Dropbox, and seamlessly integrate it with the Froala rich text editor. By the end, you’ll have a robust file management solution that provides a seamless user experience within your Angular app.

Step 1: Create a Filestack Account

You will need a Filestack account and obtain an API key for successful uploads. You can create a free Filestack account, which provides a limited amount of bandwidth, uploads, and transformations, as well as access to Filestack’s internal S3 storage. To upload files to Dropbox, you’ll need a paid plan. Start a free trial of a Filestack plan that fits your needs.

Step 2: Dropbox Configuration

Just four simple steps to ensure that files uploaded through the file picker will be stored in your Dropbox account.

1. You need an existing Dropbox application or you can create a new one.
2. Make sure to enable additional development users.

3. Generate an OAuth2 access token that will be added to the Dropbox storage section in the developer portal.

4. Add the necessary policies and test the Storage Keys in the Developer Portal to ensure the connection between our API and your Cloud Storage is set.

Step 3: Create a new Angular project

Skip this step if you are installing the editor in an existing Angular project.

To create a new Angular project, you can use the Angular CLI. Open a terminal or command prompt, navigate to the desired directory, and run the following command:

ng new filestack-integration

This will create a new Angular project named “my-app” and guide you through the setup process, including options for routing and stylesheet format.

When prompted “Do you want to enable Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and Static Site Generation (SSG/Prerendering)? (y/N)“, answer with “N”.

Once the project is created, you can navigate to the project directory:

cd filestack-integration

Step 4: Install Froala Angular SDK

To integrate the Froala rich text editor into your Angular application, you’ll need to install the Froala Angular SDK. You can do this by running the following command in your project’s root directory:

npm install angular-froala-wysiwyg --save

This will install the necessary packages and dependencies.

Step 5: Include the Froala Stylesheets

To include the necessary Froala stylesheets, add the following lines to your `angular.json` file, within the `styles` array:

"node_modules/froala-editor/css/froala_editor.pkgd.min.css",

"node_modules/froala-editor/css/froala_style.min.css"

This will ensure that the Froala editor is properly styled within your Angular application.

Step 6: Create Editor Component

In this step, we will create a custom component to handle the Froala editor and Filestack integration. This component will provide a user-friendly interface for uploading files to Dropbox directly from the rich text editor. By encapsulating the integration logic within a dedicated component, you can easily reuse and maintain the editor functionality across your Angular application.

Create a new component using the Angular CLI:

ng generate component editor

This will create a new component called EditorComponent in your project.

Step 7: Import the Froala Editor Modules

Open the editor.component.ts file and import the necessary Froala modules.

import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { FroalaEditorModule, FroalaViewModule } from 'angular-froala-wysiwyg';
import 'froala-editor/js/plugins.pkgd.min.js';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-editor',
  standalone: true,
  imports: [FroalaEditorModule, FroalaViewModule],
  templateUrl: './editor.component.html',
  styleUrl: './editor.component.css'
})
export class EditorComponent {

}

Step 8: Include Filestack Files

Open index.html and include the required Filestack files to open the file picker and Transformation UI.

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://static.filestackapi.com/transforms-ui/2.x.x/transforms.css" />

<script src="https://static.filestackapi.com/filestack-js/3.32.0/filestack.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://static.filestackapi.com/filestack-drag-and-drop-js/1.1.1/filestack-drag-and-drop.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://static.filestackapi.com/transforms-ui/2.x.x/transforms.umd.min.js"></script>

Step 9: Configure the Froala Component

Open the editor.component.ts file and add the required editor configuration within the EditorComponent class. To complete the Filestack integration, consider setting the following options and events:

• filestackOptions.filestackAPI This is where you should add your Filestack API key.
• filestackOptions.uploadToFilestackOnly (Optional) Set this option to true if you want to handle all file uploads by Filestack.
• filestackOptions.pickerOptions (Optional) Use this option to customize the Filestack Picker.
• filestack.filestackPickerOpened (Optional) This event is triggered when the Filestack File Picker is opened.
• filestack.filestackPickerClosed (Optional) This event is triggered when the Filestack File Picker is closed.
• filestack.uploadedToFilestack (Optional) This event is triggered when files are successfully uploaded to your storage.
• filestack.uploadFailedToFilestack (Optional) This event is triggered when a file upload fails. You can use this event to run a custom function to handle the failed upload.

import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { FroalaEditorModule, FroalaViewModule } from 'angular-froala-wysiwyg';
import 'froala-editor/js/plugins.pkgd.min.js';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-editor',
  standalone: true,
  imports: [FroalaEditorModule, FroalaViewModule],
  templateUrl: './editor.component.html',
  styleUrl: './editor.component.css'
})
export class EditorComponent {
  public editorContent = "Filestack is a simple file uploader & powerful APIs to upload, transform & deliver any file into your app.";
  public options: Object = {

    heightMin: 300,
    filestackOptions: {
      uploadToFilestackOnly: true,
      filestackAPI: "AvaZ2E0mxRdGPjgMAbus8z",
    },

    events: {
      'filestack.uploadedToFilestack': function () {
        console.log("Callback is triggered for uploaded to filestack ",)
      },

      'filestack.filestackPickerOpened': function () {
        console.log("Callback is triggered for picker opened ",)
      },

      'filestack.filestackPickerClosed': function () {
        console.log("Callback is triggered for picker closed ",)
      },

      'filestack.uploadFailedToFilestack': function () {
        console.log("Callback is triggered for filestack failed ",)
      },

    },
  };
}

Then add <div [froalaEditor]="options" [(froalaModel)]="editorContent"></div> in your editor.component.html file.

With the editor component set up, you can now use it in your Angular application. Simply add the <app-editor> element wherever you want the rich text editor to appear. The EditorComponent will handle the integration with Froala and Filestack, providing a seamless user experience for file uploads directly within the editor. The uploaded files will then be stored in Dropbox using the Filestack integration. This allows your users to easily incorporate multimedia content into their rich text content without leaving the editor interface.

Step 10: Displaying Froala on the main page

To display the Froala editor on the main page of your Angular application, open app.component.ts and import the EditorComponent.

import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
import { RouterOutlet } from '@angular/router';
import { EditorComponent } from './editor/editor.component';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-root',
  standalone: true,
  imports: [CommonModule, RouterOutlet, EditorComponent],
  templateUrl: './app.component.html',
  styleUrl: './app.component.css'
})
export class AppComponent {
  title = 'filestack-integration';
}

Then simply add the <app-editor> element to the app.component.html template.

<!-- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * * The content below * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * is only a placeholder * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * and can be replaced.  * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * Delete the template below * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * to get started with your project! * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -->

<style>
  :host {
    --bright-blue: oklch(51.01% 0.274 263.83);
    --electric-violet: oklch(53.18% 0.28 296.97);
    --french-violet: oklch(47.66% 0.246 305.88);
    --vivid-pink: oklch(69.02% 0.277 332.77);
    --hot-red: oklch(61.42% 0.238 15.34);
    --orange-red: oklch(63.32% 0.24 31.68);

    --gray-900: oklch(19.37% 0.006 300.98);
    --gray-700: oklch(36.98% 0.014 302.71);
    --gray-400: oklch(70.9% 0.015 304.04);

    --red-to-pink-to-purple-vertical-gradient: linear-gradient(180deg,
        var(--orange-red) 0%,
        var(--vivid-pink) 50%,
        var(--electric-violet) 100%);

    --red-to-pink-to-purple-horizontal-gradient: linear-gradient(90deg,
        var(--orange-red) 0%,
        var(--vivid-pink) 50%,
        var(--electric-violet) 100%);

    --pill-accent: var(--bright-blue);

    font-family: "Inter", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto,
      Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji",
      "Segoe UI Symbol";
    box-sizing: border-box;
    -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
    -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
  }

  h1 {
    font-size: 3.125rem;
    color: var(--gray-900);
    font-weight: 500;
    line-height: 100%;
    letter-spacing: -0.125rem;
    margin: 0;
    font-family: "Inter Tight", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto,
      Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji",
      "Segoe UI Symbol";
  }

  p {
    margin: 0;
    color: var(--gray-700);
  }

  main {
    width: 100%;
    min-height: 100%;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: center;
    padding: 1rem;
    box-sizing: inherit;
    position: relative;
  }


  .content {
    display: flex;
    justify-content: space-around;
    width: 100%;
    max-width: 700px;
    margin-bottom: 3rem;
  }

  .content p {
    margin-top: 1.5rem;
  }


  @media screen and (max-width: 650px) {
    .content {
      flex-direction: column;
      width: max-content;
    }

  }
</style>

<main class="main">
  <div class="content">
    <div class="">

      <p>Congratulations! Your app is running. 🎉</p>
      <app-editor></app-editor>
    </div>

  </div>
</main>

<!-- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * * The content above * * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * is only a placeholder * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * and can be replaced.  * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * End of Placeholder  * * * * * * * * * * * * -->
<!-- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -->


<router-outlet></router-outlet>

This will render the EditorComponent you created earlier, which encapsulates the Froala editor and Filestack integration. By using the custom EditorComponent, you can easily reuse the rich text editing functionality across your application without having to manage the integration details in multiple places. This promotes code reusability and maintainability as your application grows.

Step 11: Test your App

Run ng serve. This will start the development server and make your Angular application available at http://localhost:4200

You can now test the Froala editor and Filestack integration within your Angular application. Verify that the editor is displayed correctly on the main page and that users can upload files directly within the editor interface. Ensure that the uploaded files are successfully stored in Dropbox using the Filestack integration.

Test various editing features provided by Froala, such as formatting, inserting images, and embedding multimedia content. Validate that the rich text content is properly rendered and that the user experience is seamless. Make any necessary adjustments to the integration or styling to optimize the overall functionality and appearance of the editor within your Angular application.

Elevate Your Angular App with Seamless Dropbox Integration

By integrating Froala’s Angular rich text editor with Filestack and Dropbox, you can elevate your Angular application’s functionality and provide users with a seamless content creation experience. This integration empowers your users to effortlessly upload and manage files directly within the editor, eliminating the need to switch between different applications.

The benefits of this integration are clear:

• It saves development time and costs, while also enhancing the user experience.
• Developers can focus on building core application features, rather than implementing complex file upload and storage solutions.
• Users enjoy the convenience of accessing and managing their Dropbox files without leaving the familiar Froala editor interface.

Don’t settle for a disjointed content creation workflow in your Angular app. Embrace the power of the Froala-Filestack-Dropbox integration and take your application to new heights.

Try it today and unlock the full potential of your Angular-based projects!