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Connect Cadence IP to your Dropbox account to automatically organise matter documents, sync files, and store email attachments in a structured folder hierarchy that mirrors your workflow.
Cadence IP integrates with Dropbox to provide automatic folder creation and document storage. To connect your account, navigate to Settings → Integrations → Dropbox.
Authorise Dropbox
Set a base path
/Cadence IP or /Client Files.
Test the connection
One connection per organisation
The Dropbox connection is shared across your entire organisation. All team members' matters will use the same connected Dropbox account and base path. This ensures a single, consistent folder structure.The create_folders automation action lets you define a folder template that is created automatically when a matter is created or when it reaches a specific step. Navigate to your matter type's Automations tab and add an automation with the Create Folders action.
The folder template supports path variables that are replaced with actual matter data when the folders are created. You define a tree of subfolders, and the entire structure is generated in a single operation.
Auto-creating folders on matter creation
$matter.org_id
- $field.Title
/Correspondence/$matter.org_id
- $field.Title
/Filing Documents/$matter.org_id
- $field.Title
/Prior Art/$matter.org_id
- $field.Title
/Examination/
When matter M-42 "Widget Fastener" is created, Cadence IP creates:
Step-triggered folders
You can also create folders when a matter reaches a specific step. For example, create an "Opposition" subfolder only when a trademark matter moves to the "Opposition" step, avoiding unnecessary empty folders.Path variables let you embed dynamic matter data into folder names. They use the same variable syntax as email and document templates:
| Variable | Resolves to | Example output |
|---|---|---|
$matter.org_id
|
Matter's organisation-scoped ID | M-42 |
$matter.name
|
Matter name | Widget Fastener |
$field.Title
|
Any custom field value | Widget Fastener |
$field.Application No
|
Application number field | 2026123456 |
$role.Applicant.display_name
|
Contact name from a role | Acme Corp |
Invalid characters
Folder names cannot contain characters like/ \ : * ? " < > |. Cadence IP automatically strips these from variable values when generating folder names. If a field value is empty, the variable is replaced with "Untitled".
When Dropbox is connected, documents generated from templates (DOCX merge) are automatically saved to the matter's Dropbox folder. The file is placed in the root of the matter's folder unless you configure a subfolder in the document template settings.
Documents uploaded directly to a matter through the web interface are also synced to Dropbox. This two-way awareness means your team can access files from either Cadence IP or directly from Dropbox on their local machine.
Sync direction
Currently, the sync is one-way from Cadence IP to Dropbox. Files created or uploaded in Cadence IP appear in Dropbox. Files added directly to Dropbox outside of Cadence IP are not automatically pulled into the platform.When emails are sent or received within a matter, any attachments are automatically stored in the matter's Dropbox folder under a Correspondence subfolder (if it exists) or the matter root folder.
Attachments are named with a timestamp prefix to avoid collisions: 2026-04-15_Examination_Report.pdf. This ensures a clear chronological record of all correspondence documents.
Automatic attachment filing
Connection expired
Dropbox OAuth tokens can expire if not used for an extended period. If folder creation fails, go to Settings → Integrations → Dropbox and click Reconnect to re-authorise.Folder already exists
If the folder structure already exists (e.g., from a previous run or manual creation), Cadence IP will skip existing folders without error. It is safe to re-run folder creation automations.