I am building a Slack App and planning to distribute it in the Slack App Directory so that other users can install it. I am using Slash commands for this app. Now when I get my API called after some user type my Slash command then I want to access some of the user information using WEB APIs. But to access the info I need user token to call the WEB API. With Slash command request object I am not getting any user token. So my question is how can I get the user token at this time to access the information. Do I need to save this when user installs the app or do I need to provide the Add to Slack button for this?
1 Answers
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Yes, your app will receive the access token for a team / workspace only as result of a successful installation process and should then store it together with the team ID for later use. Each slash request includes the team ID which allows you identify the correct access token for each team.
There are two approaches for installing Slack apps, which can be chosen on the "Manage your apps" pages under "Basic Information". Here is how it looks:
Installation from landing page
Having your own website with a "Add to Slack" button is the easiest way to to that. You website will then need to handle the installation process, which basically is a Oauth flow. You should also make sure to request the right permissions, so that you can later access the API methods that you need. This installation approach is called "Installation from landing page".
Installation from App Directory
Another way to install your app is "Install from App Directory". This will allow users to start the OAuth process directly from the App directory, instead of having to click a "Add to Slack button" on a website. Its has the same effect as clicking a custom "Add to Slack button", so you still need a website behind it to handle the full OAuth flow.
Important: This option is only available to apps that have been approved by Slack and are listed on the App directory.
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