Blocks: Create

Last updated October 12, 2026

Description

Add a block to a case.

See the Get Block API to learn more about case blocks.

Request

HTTP Method: POST

Parameter	Description
title	The title of the block.
block_type	The type of block to create - options: note, file, linked_cases, metadata, closure_conditions, case_action, block_group and html.
color	Optional The color of the block - options: primary, white, gold, magenta, green, blue, red, mint, indigo. Only note, file, block_group and html blocks can be colored.
elements	Optional An array of elements to add to the block.
position	Optional The zero-indexed position of the block in the case.
hidden	Optional A boolean (true or false).
block_group_id	Optional The ID or slug of a group block to nest this block within. Slugs are prefixed with `blk_` (e.g. `blk_my_group`).
author_email	Optional The email address of the author of the block.

white and primary are interchangeable names for the default color: note and html blocks report it as white, while file and block group blocks report it as primary.

Element Parameters

Note Element Parameters

Parameter	Description
content	The content of the note.
note_type	The type of note - "html" for html blocks and "text" for any others.
color	Optional The color of the note - options: white, gold, magenta, green, blue, red, mint, indigo. Deprecated: Set `color` on the block instead.

File Element Parameters

Parameter	Description
filename	The name of the file.
file_contents	The base64-encoded contents of the file.
annotation	Optional The annotation text for the file.

Path Parameter	Description
case_id	The ID of the case.

Sample request for a note block

curl -X POST \
  https://<tenant-domain>/api/v2/cases/<<case_id>>/blocks \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer <<CREDENTIAL.tines_api_key>>' \
  -d '{
        "title": "My Note Block",
        "block_type": "note",
        "author_email": "jane@tines.io",
        "color": "blue",
        "elements": [
          {
            "content": "This is a note element",
            "note_type": "text"
          }
        ],
        "position": 0
      }'

Sample request for a file block

curl -X POST \
  https://<tenant-domain>/api/v2/cases/<<case_id>>/blocks \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer <<CREDENTIAL.tines_api_key>>' \
  -d '{
        "title": "My File Block",
        "block_type": "file",
        "color": "mint",
        "elements": [
          {
            "filename": "example.txt",
            "file_contents": "SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ="
          }
        ],
        "position": 1
      }'

Response

A successful request will return a JSON object describing the created block.

Field description

Parameter	Description
block	The block object.

Block Parameter	Description
id	The ID of the block record attached to the case.
slug	A human-readable identifier for the block, prefixed with `blk_`. Auto-generated from the block title.
title	The title of the block.
block_type	The type of the block - options: note, file, linked_cases, metadata, closure_conditions, case_action, block_group and html.
color	The color of the block. Only present on note, file, block_group and html blocks.
position	The position of the block in the case.
hidden	Boolean indicating whether the block is hidden.
block_group_id	The ID of the block group this block is nested in.
elements	An array of elements contained within the block.
created_at	ISO 8601 Timestamp representing creation date and time.
updated_at	ISO 8601 Timestamp representing last updated date and time.

Common Element Parameters

Parameter	Description
element_id	The unique ID of this element within the current block.
id	The original/source ID of the element.
element_type	The type of the element - options: note, file.
author	Details of the author of the element.
created_at	ISO 8601 Timestamp representing creation date and time.
updated_at	ISO 8601 Timestamp representing last updated date and time.

Author parameter	Description
user_id	The user ID.
first_name	The user's first name.
last_name	The user's last name.
email	The user's email address.
avatar_url	The user's avatar url.
is_service_account	Whether this user is a service account (true/false).

Note Element Parameters

Parameter	Description
content	The content of the note.
note_type	The type of note - "html" for html blocks and "text" for any others.
color	The color of the note - options: white, gold, magenta, green, blue, red, mint, indigo.

File Element Parameters

Parameter	Description
file	Object containing file information (filename and url).

Sample response for a note block

{
  "block": {
    "id": 123,
    "slug": "blk_my_note_block",
    "title": "My Note Block",
    "block_type": "note",
    "color": "blue",
    "position": 0,
    "hidden": false,
    "block_group_id": null,
    "elements": [
      {
        "element_id": 456,
        "id": 123,
        "element_type": "note",
        "content": "This is a note element",
        "note_type": "text",
        "color": "blue",
        "author": {
          "user_id": "1",
          "first_name": "Jane",
          "last_name": "Doe",
          "email": "jane@tines.io",
          "avatar_url": "example.com/avatar",
          "is_service_account": false
        },
        "created_at": "2025-01-07T11:42:58Z",
        "updated_at": "2025-01-07T11:42:58Z"
      }
    ],
    "created_at": "2025-01-07T11:42:58Z",
    "updated_at": "2025-01-07T11:42:58Z"
  }
}