This document has been developed for all users of the Slack business messaging platform who need to accelerate their interactions with the Shelf Platform and make the full use of its capabilities without leaving Slack. The document contains a quick and reliable procedure for installing the Shelf App in Slack.
In case you require assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at support@shelf.io or via the Live Chat on our Website or inside of the Shelf App.
By default, any member of a Slack workspace can install an app. Once an app is installed, all members of the workspace can connect their accounts to use it. However, in some cases, if needed, the owner of your Slack Workspace, that is your Company, can turn on app approval to require admin approval for all apps. In that case, you can install any apps which are approved by your Company. In case the app to be installed on Slack hasn’t been approved, you can request its approval. Moreover, if an app is restricted, you won’t be able to install or request approval for it. More details regarding app approval and requesting can be found in the Slack Help Center.
In order to install the Shelf App on your Slack Workspace, you need perform the following steps:
In your Slack desktop application, navigate to its left sidebar menu and select the Apps option ( ) there. If you cannot see this option, click the More button ( ) to find this option.
Figure 1. Accessing the Apps menu in Slack
Perform the search in the Apps, find the needed App - Shelf - and click the Addbutton.
Figure 2. Finding the Shelf App in Slack Apps
Once clicked, you are taken to the Slack App Directory, the Shelf App page, where you need to click the Add to Slack button.
Once done, follow the prompts on your screen to install the Shelf App in your Slack Workspace.
After the installation process is complete, you are redirected back to the Slack App Directory, the Shelf App page from where you can add the newly installed Shelf App to your Slack Workspace. To do that, click the Open in Slackbutton as shown below.
Figure 3. Adding the Shelf App to your Slack Workspace
Once you have opened the Shelf App in Slack, you can start communicating with Shelf as if you were communicating with your colleagues - send messages (requests/commands) and receive responses.
Figure 4. Viewing the Shelf App in your Slack
Using Shelf App in Slack Workspace
When the Shelf App has been installed in Slack and added to your Slack Workspace, the next step is to connect it to your account on the Shelf platform. To do so, click the respective Login link button and perform the standard login procedure.
Figure 5. Connecting the Shelf App to the Shelf account
In order to reveal the Login link button, you need to type in the /shelf login command first.
Once you have successfully logged in to your Shelf account, you can use the app.
The list of available commands you can use for Shelf App in Slack is shown in Figure 5 above.
Searching on Shelf
Using your Slack Shelf App, you can run a search across your Shelf by running the following command: /shelf search. After you run this command, you will see a window where you can add your search term and apply various filters.
Figure 6. Searching on Shelf via Slack Shelf App
Once you have entered the needed search parameters, click the Submit button to launch the search procedure.
When the search is complete, you will see the list of results in your Slack Shelf App window.
Figure 7. Viewing search results in Slack Shelf App
You can select whether you want to post a link to a certain Gem, post the Gem as attachment or view that Gem in Shelf. To do so, click the respective button and follow the prompts.
You can also view details of the search and edit the search itself, that is - rerun the search using other search parameters/filters.
Figure 8. Viewing the search details and editing its parameters
Posting Gem Link
You can post any Gem as a link by clicking the respective Post as Link button in the search results list. Once done, the respective notification is displayed in the Slack Shelf App window or in any other Slack channel in which you invoke the Shelf App.
Figure 9. Posting links to Gems
Posting Attachments
You can also share any Gem as an attachment. To do so, click the Post as Attachment button in the search results list.
Figure 10. Posting Gems as attachments
Exporting Attachments to Shelf
Finally, you can send any attachment from Slack to the Shelf platform itself. To do so, open the More actions menu of the needed attachment in Slack as shown below.
Figure 11. Opening the More actions menu for a Slack attachment
Then, in the context menu that appears, select the Add to Shelf option.
Figure 12. Sending the Slack attachment to Shelf
Following that, you will be prompted to enter the name for your new Gem, add some description if needed, assign some category to it, and select where exactly on Shelf - which library/folder - you want to save that Gem.
Figure 13. Adding Gem’s data and metadata before saving it on Shelf
Once done, click Submit and wait for the confirmation message to appear in your Slack Shelf App.
Figure 14. Viewing the new Gem saving confirmation
) there. If you cannot see this option, click the More button ( 
) to find this option.
