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Legacy Box Tools and Box Edit Deployment Script for macOS

What this page contains

This is a historical script, not a current deployment recipe. The preserved 2015 code installs old Box Tools components, including Box Edit. It does not install Box Sync. Do not deploy it unmodified on current macOS devices.

Box Tools is the vendor package that installs Box Edit and related components. Use Box's current Installing Box Tools and large-scale deployment guidance to obtain and package the supported installer.

Box Sync is a different product. Box has announced Box Sync end of life for December 2026 and recommends moving users to Box Drive. See Announcing end of life for Box Sync.

Current deployment approach

  1. Download the current Box Tools administrator package from Box and review the vendor's deployment requirements for the macOS versions and hardware in your fleet.
  2. Build a FileWave Fileset from that supported package. Keep vendor configuration or Device Trust requirements with the package rather than copying assumptions from the old script below.
  3. Deploy to a small representative test group first. Verify that Box Edit and Box Local Com Server are installed and run in the signed-in user's session before expanding the Deployment.

Third-party software: Box owns the package, compatibility policy, and deployment instructions. FileWave can deliver the supported package, but FileWave Support does not support Box Tools or Box services.

Historical 2015 script

The script remains here verbatim for admins troubleshooting an old installation. Its package URL, mounted-volume layout, console-user lookup, and installer command have not been validated for current Box Tools or current macOS releases.

#!/bin/bash
# Original Script by Bryson Tyrrell | bryson.tyrrell@gmail.com | http://twitter.com/bryson3gps
# Modified on December 16, 2015 by Gilbert Palau | Univision Desktop Engineering | gpalau@univision.net
#
# The BoxEdit components Box Local Com Server.app and Box Edit.app are launched via launch_app.sh code 
# added with permission of Elliot Jordan <elliot@lindegroup.com>
# launch_app was created on 02-10-2015 and last modified by Elliot Jordan on 02-27-2015  | v1.2
# Integrated on 12-18-2015 by Gilbert Palau | Univision Desktop Engineering | gpalau@univision.net
#
# Much thanks to Bryson, who figured out the command line to install from within the app...
# Install\ Box\ Tools.app/Contents/MacOS/Box\ Tools\ Installer -silent -local

policy="Box Edit 3.1.2"
loggertag="system-log-tag"
tmpdir="/tmp/"
downloadurl="https://e3.boxcdn.net/box-installers/boxedit/mac/currentrelease/BoxEditInstaller.dmg"
# Knock Knock... Who is there?
CURRENT_USER_LOGIN_PID=$(ps auxww | grep "/System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS/loginwindow" | grep "$CURRENT_USER" | grep -v "grep" | awk '{print $2}')
CURRENT_USER=$(python -c 'from SystemConfiguration import SCDynamicStoreCopyConsoleUser; import sys; username = (SCDynamicStoreCopyConsoleUser(None, None, None) or [None])[0]; username = [username,""][username in [u"loginwindow", None, u""]]; sys.stdout.write(username + "\n");')

# Download BoxEdit Package from EvilBox
				echo ""
				echo "Downloading Box Edit"
				webCheckSum=$(curl -sI $downloadurl | tr -d '\r' | awk '/Content-Length/ {print $2}')
				curl -fkS --progress-bar $downloadurl -o /$tmpdir/BoxEditInstaller.dmg
				# curl -fkS --progress-bar https://e3.boxcdn.net/box-installers/boxedit/mac/currentrelease/BoxEditInstaller.dmg -o /tmp/BoxEditInstaller.dmg
				fileCheckSum=$(cksum /$tmpdir/BoxEditInstaller.dmg | awk '{print $2}')
				if [ $webCheckSum -ne $fileCheckSum ]; then
						rm /$tmpdir/BoxEditInstaller.dmg
						echo "The file did not download properly, exiting..."
						exit 101
				fi
				echo "Mounting Box Edit DMG..."
				hdiutil attach -quiet /$tmpdir/BoxEditInstaller.dmg
				if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
						rm /$tmpdir/BoxEditInstaller.dmg
						echo "The Box Edit DMG failed to mount properly, exiting..."
						exit 102
				fi
				cp -fR /Volumes/Box\ Tools\ Installer/Install\ Box\ Tools.app /$tmpdir/
				hdiutil eject -quiet /Volumes/Box\ Tools\ Installer/
				rm /$tmpdir/BoxEditInstaller.dmg
				echo "Running the Box Edit Installer app"
				# This is the golden goose... Thanks Bryson!
				/usr/bin/su $CURRENT_USER -c "/$tmpdir/Install\ Box\ Tools.app/Contents/MacOS/Box\ Tools\ Installer -silent -local"
				
echo "Finished"
exit 0


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