Manage Shared Drives in Google Drive with Google Apps Script

Shared drives are an easy way to share files with your team and manage permissions on those files. They’re also a great way to collaborate without having to worry about what each person is working on. In this guide, I’m going to show you how you can use Google Apps Script (GAS) to write scripts that manage shared drives in Google Drive. We’ll be using the Drive API for reading, writing, and deleting files stored on shared folders. The reason I want to show you how to do this is that it’s a good way to learn how the Drive API works. It also gives you more control over your shared folders, which can be useful if you have a lot of files stored on them or if they’re very large.

1. Create a Google Sheets script.

• Create a Google Sheets script.
• Add a function to read from the shared drive:
• Open the script editor (Tools > Script editor).
• In column B, enter =GoogleDriveApp.getFileById(“{ID}”) where ID is the ID of your file on your shared drive (e.g., “d7f9c936-0a1c-4e86-858a-c47bca569ec8”). This will allow you to access all files in this folder by their IDs instead of their names, which is what we need because they’re not named consistently across users or computers!

2. Use the Drive API to read, write and delete files on a shared folder.

• Use the Drive API to read, write and delete files on a shared folder.

You can use the Drive API to access all the files in a shared folder. You can then use this information to read, write and delete files on a shared folder.

3. Use OAuth2 token to authorize access to Google Drive.

Access to Google Drive is controlled by OAuth2, an open standard for authorization. Google Apps Script can use OAuth2 to access Google Drive and perform actions like uploading or downloading files from a shared folder.

OAuth2 uses tokens to authorize access to resources such as user accounts, devices or data stored in the cloud. You can generate these tokens on behalf of your users so they don’t have to share their credentials with you or any other party who needs access (e.g., other apps).

4. Implement user permission checking on read/write/delete operations.

• Implement user permission checking on read/write/delete operations.

In order to perform these operations, you must use the user’s OAuth2 token to check permissions. You can do this by using the Drive API and making sure that your script has access to this information when it’s called by Google Apps Script. The following code shows how you might implement this:

“`javascript

var oauth2 = require(‘oauth2’);

var request = require(‘request’);

// User will enter their email address here: var username = prompt(“Enter your email address”, “”);

You can run your own scripts to manage shared drives in Google Drive using Google Apps Script

You can run your own scripts to manage shared drives in Google Drive using Google Apps Script.

Google Apps Script is a JavaScript-based programming language that you can use to automate tasks in Google Drive, Gmail and other Google products.

We hope you’ve found this tutorial useful. It’s a powerful tool that can save you the time and effort of manually managing your shared drives, so it’s well worth taking advantage of if you use Google Apps Scripts regularly or even occasionally. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Manage Shared Drives in Google Drive with Google Apps Script

Follow these steps to manage Shared Drives in Google Drive using Google Apps Script:

1. Access Google Apps Script
   • Open your web browser and go to the Google Apps Script homepage.
   • Sign in with your Google account.
2. Create a New Google Apps Script Project
   • Click on the “New Project” button to create a new project.
   • Give the project a meaningful name, such as “Shared Drive Management.”
3. Enable the Google Drive Advanced Service
   • In the Apps Script editor, click on the “Services” button (represented by a square grid icon) in the toolbar.
   • In the Services dialog, scroll down and find “Drive API.”
   • Click on the toggle switch to enable the Drive API service.
   • Click on the “Add” button to close the Services dialog.
4. Write the Code to Manage Shared Drives
   • In the Apps Script editor, write your own code or use the code snippets provided below as a starting point for your script.
   • Use the available Google Drive Advanced Service methods to manage Shared Drives, such as creating a Shared Drive, getting a list of Shared Drives, adding members to a Shared Drive, etc.
5. Save and Run the Script
   • Click on the save button in the Apps Script editor toolbar (represented by a floppy disk icon).
   • To run the script, click on the play button (represented by a right-facing triangle icon) in the toolbar.
   • Follow any prompts to grant the necessary permissions for the script to access and manage your Google Drive.
6. Test and Troubleshoot
   • Check the execution logs and any output generated by the script to verify if it’s working correctly.
   • Debug and troubleshoot any issues that you encounter by reviewing error messages and adjusting the code as needed.
7. Schedule and Automate
   • If desired, you can set up triggers in the Apps Script editor to schedule automatic execution of your script at specific times or events.
   • Click on the “Triggers” button (represented by a clock icon) in the toolbar to configure triggers for your script.

By following these steps, you can use Google Apps Script to manage Shared Drives in Google Drive. With the flexibility and power of Apps Script, you can automate various tasks, such as creating Shared Drives, managing permissions, and more, to streamline your Google Drive management workflows.

Example Code Snippet: Creating a Shared Drive
This code snippet demonstrates how to create a Shared Drive using Google Apps Script.

function createSharedDrive() {  var driveName = "My Shared Drive";    var driveResource = {    name: driveName,    drive: driveName, //optional driveId or unique string identifier of the Shared Drive  };    var drive = Drive.Drives.insert(driveResource);    Logger.log("Shared Drive created with ID: " + drive.id);}

Please note that the provided code example is a simplified illustration. You may need to modify the code to fit your specific requirements. Refer to the official Google Apps Script documentation for detailed information on available methods and parameters for managing Shared Drives and other Drive-related operations.

FAQ

1. What are shared drives in Google Drive?
   • Shared Drives are a shared space where teams can store, search, and access their files anywhere, from any device. Files in a shared drive are owned by the team/group rather than an individual.
2. How can I create a shared drive with Google Apps Script?
   • You can create a shared drive using the create method of the DriveApp service in Google Apps Script. You can specify the name of the new shared drive and the email addresses of the members who should be added to the shared drive.
3. Can you share files and folders within a shared drive in Google Drive?
   • Yes, you can share files and folders within a shared drive in Google Drive. You can set permissions for individual files or folders, or you can set permissions for the entire shared drive.
4. How can I manage permissions for my team members in a shared drive?
   • You can manage permissions for your team members in a shared drive using the setSharing method of the DriveApp service in Google Apps Script. You can specify the access level for each member, such as read-only, comment-only, or edit.
5. How can I organize and structure my files and folders within a shared drive?
   • You can organize and structure your files and folders within a shared drive using folders and subfolders. You can create folders within the shared drive and then move files into these folders to create a logical folder structure.
6. How can I automate shared drive management tasks with Google Apps Script?
   • You can automate shared drive management tasks with Google Apps Script by using the Drive API and Apps Script. For example, you can use Google Apps Script to create automated workflows for adding and removing members, applying for permissions, moving files, etc.
7. How can I troubleshoot shared drive issues in Google Drive?
   • If you encounter issues with a shared drive, you can troubleshoot them by checking the permissions applied to the shared drive, ensuring that your team members have the correct permissions, and verifying that there are no conflicting sharing settings.
8. What is the difference between shared folders and shared drives in Google Drive?
   • Shared folders are folders that have been shared with specific individuals or groups. Shared drives, on the other hand, are shared with an entire team or organization. Shared drives have additional features such as full organization-level access controls.
9. How can I ensure that my team is collaborating effectively within a shared drive?
   • You can ensure that your team is collaborating effectively within a shared drive by setting clear guidelines for collaboration, organizing and structuring files and folders effectively, and ensuring that all team members have the correct permissions.
10. What are some best practices for managing shared drives with Google Apps Script?

• Some best practices for managing shared drives with Google Apps Script include creating a clear folder structure, setting sharing permissions appropriately, automating common tasks, and regularly reviewing and updating the shared drive’s content and structure.