google-drive-api-usage-examples

An easy to understand guide on how to use the Google Drive API

Canonical Pages:
dev.to/fredysandoval/the-google-drive-api-for-the-very-very-beginner-4ii9

fredysandoval.hashnode.dev/the-google-drive-api-for-the-very-very-beginner

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Usage Examples of the Google Drive API Documentation.

Table of contents

• What its used for
• Types of Authentication
  • API key
  • OAuth client ID
  • Service account
• Authenticating our Application
  • Using API key
  • Using Google OAuth client ID
  • Using Service account
• Sending a request
  • Using the API key
  • Using the OAuth client ID
• File Methods, examples:
  • set root Url
  • copy
  • create
    • create a new folder
    • Upload a new file
  • delete
  • empty trash
  • export
  • generateIds
  • get
  • list
  • update
  • watch
  • stop

What its used for

In simple words: it help us to send HTTP requests in a way that the Google servers can accept, allowing us to manipulate the the Google Drive files.

Types of Authentication

The first step is to decide the authentication method, here are the option and use cases:

• API key

  Use this credential to access publicly-available data anonymously, this means files set as "anyone with the link".

• OAuth client ID

  Use this credential to authenticate as an end user and access their data. Requires your app to request and receive consent from the user.

• Service account

  Use this credential to authenticate as a service account or to access files on behalf of Google Workspace. This service accounts can't be accessed using a username or password.

How to Get:

• API key

  Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials > Create Credentials > API Key

  !Alert: This API key is normally exposed to the public, so you may want to restrict the API, because its usage will count towards your account.

• OAuth client ID

  Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials > Create Credentials > OAuth client ID

• Service Accounts

  Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials > Create Credentials > Service account

Authenticating our Application

Using API key

const { google } = require('googleapis');

const API_KEY = 'RanD0mK3Y-abcdevwefw-1234567890';

async function main() {
    const drive = google.drive({ version: 'v3', auth: API_KEY });
    console.log(drive);
}

Using Google OAuth client ID

const { google } = require('googleapis');
const fs = require('fs');
const readline = require('readline');
const SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive']; // Allows all scopes 
const TOKEN_PATH = './token.json'; // If the file doesn't exist, it will be created.
const CREDENTIALS_PATH = './client_secret_1234567890.json' // replace with yours
let credentials, token;
// Getting credentials
try {
    const file = await fs.promises.readFile(CREDENTIALS_PATH);
    credentials = JSON.parse(file);
} catch (err) {
    console.error('Unable to read file:', err);
}
const { installed: { client_id, client_secret, redirect_uris } } = credential;
const oAuth2Client = new google.auth.OAuth2(client_id, client_secret, redirect_uris[0]);
// Getting Token
try {
    const file = await fs.promises.readFile(TOKEN_PATH);
    token = JSON.parse(file);
} catch (err) {
    const authUrl = oAuth2Client.generateAuthUrl({
        access_type: 'offline',
        scope: SCOPES,
    });
    console.log('Authorize this app by visiting this url:', authUrl);
    const rl = readline.createInterface({
        input: process.stdin,
        output: process.stdout,
    });
    rl.question('Enter the code from that page here: ', (code) => {
        rl.close();
        oAuth2Client.getToken(code, async (err, r_token) => {
            if (err) reject(err);
            await fs.promises.writeFile(TOKEN_PATH, JSON.stringify(r_token), (err) => {
                if (err) reject(err);
                console.log('Token stored to', `./${TOKEN_PATH}`);
            });
            token = r_token;
        });
    });
}
// Setting token 
oAuth2Client.setCredentials(token);
const drive = google.drive({ version: 'v3', auth: oAuth2Client });

Using Service account

const { google } = require('googleapis');
const path = require('path');

const KEYFILEPATH = path.join(__dirname, 'service.json');
const SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive'];

const auth = new google.auth.GoogleAuth({
    keyFile: KEYFILEPATH,
    scopes: SCOPES,
});
const drive = google.drive({ version: 'v3', auth });

Sending a request

Regardless of the method or programming language we use, the HTTP request that Google will receive, looks like this:

• Using the API key

GET /drive/v3/files/AbCdEFGhijklmopr-abcde_fghijl-oqQrstuvWxyZ?fields=kind%2C%20id%2C%20name&key=Abcdefghij-KmnloprstuVwxyZ HTTP/1.1
Host: googleapis.com
User-Agent: google-api-nodejs-client/0.7.2 (gzip)
Accept: application/json
Accept-Encoding: gzip
X-Forwarded-For: 190.191.192.193
X-Forwarded-Proto: https

• Using the OAuth client ID

GET /drive/v3/files/17qEQsVNm-XWtdGSWy2_p0-pyoLaZS0mq16L1mKX2it4?fields=kind%2C%20id%2C%20name HTTP/1.1
Host: googleapis.com 
User-Agent: google-api-nodejs-client/0.7.2 (gzip)
Accept: application/json
Accept-Encoding: gzip
Authorization: Bearer ya12.RaNdOmStRinG1234RaNdOmStRinG1234RaNdOmStRinG1234-RaNdOmStRinG1234_RaNdOmStRinG1234_RaNdOmStRinG1234
X-Forwarded-For: 190.191.192.193
X-Forwarded-Proto: https

Sending the same request with the Google APIs Node.js Client package will look like this:

// The authentication was done using the previous methods
const path_parameters = {
    fileId: 'AbCdEFGhijklmopr-abcde_fghijl-oqQrstuvWxyZ',
    fields: 'kind, id, name',
}
const result = await drive.files.get(path_parameters, options);

File Methods, examples:

set root Url

for example you can send the request to a ngrok https server tunneling ncat to output all the incoming requests, for testing purposes.

const options = {
    rootUrl: 'https://www.googleapis.com',
}
// const options = {
//     rootUrl: 'https://1234-199-199-199-199.ngrok.io/'
// }

copy

const parents = ['YOUR_PARENT_ID_IN_ARRAY'];
const fileId = 'YOUR_ID_OF_THE_FILE_TO_BE_COPIED';
const name = 'YOUR_NEW_NAME';
const path_parameters = {
    fileId: fileId,
    fields: 'kind, id, name',
    resource: {
        name: name,
        parents: parents,
    },
}
const result = await drive.files.copy(path_parameters, options);

create

• create a new folder

const parents = ['YOUR_PARENT_FOLDER_OPTIONAL'];
const name = 'YOUR_NEW_FOLDER_NAME';
const path_parameters = {
    resource: {
        name: name, 
        mimeType: 'application/vnd.google-apps.folder',
        parents: parents,
    },
    fields: 'kind, id, name',
}
const result = await drive.files.create(path_parameters, options);

• Upload a new file

const path_parameters = {
    resource: {
        name: 'YOUR_NEW_FILE_NAME',
        parents: ['YOUR_PARENTS_IDs_OPTIONAL'],
    },
    media: {
        body: 'YOUR_READABLE_STREAM',
    },
    fields: 'kind, id, name',
}

const result = await drive.files.create(path_parameters, options);

delete

const path_parameters = {
    fileId: 'YOUR_FILE_ID',
    fields: 'kind, id, name',
}
const result = await drive.files.delete(path_parameters, options);

empty trash

await drive.files.emptyTrash({});

export

For a list of avaiable mimeTypes available visit this link

const path_parameters = {
    fileId: 'YOUR_FILE_ID',
    mimeType: 'THE MIMETYPE',
    fields: 'kind, id, name',
}
const options = {
    responseType: 'stream',
    rootUrl: 'https://www.googleapis.com',
}
const result = await drive.files.export(path_parameters, options);

generateIds

const fields = 'kind, space, ids';
const path_parameters = {
    count: 3, // the number of IDs you want
    fields: fields,
}
const result = await drive.files.generateIds(path_parameters, options);

get

const path_parameters = {
    fileId: 'YOUR_FILE_ID',
    fields: 'kind, id, name',
}
const result = await drive.files.get(path_parameters, options);

list

For a list of query string parameters visit this link

const fields = "kind, nextPageToken ,files(kind, id, name)";
const query = "YOUR_QUERIES";
const nextPageToken = "TO_CONTINUE_WITH_A_PREVIOUS_LIST";
const path_parameters = {
    q: query,
    pageSize: 5, // Number of files returned
    fields: fields,
    pageToken: nextPageToken, // optional
}
const listFiles = await drive.files.list(path_parameters, options);

update

const path_parameters = {
    fileId: "YOUR_FILE_ID",
    fields: 'kind, id, name',
    resource: {
        trashed: true, // This will send the file to trash
        name: 'YOUR_NEW_FILE_NAME'
    },
}
const result = await drive.files.update(path_parameters, options);

watch

This will send a HTTP request to the address every time the file is modified

// use https://github.com/uuidjs/uuid to generate a unique id
const channelId = "01234567-89ab-cdef-0123456789ab";
const path_parameters = {
    fileId: 'THE_ID_OF_THE_FILE_YOU_WANT_TO_WATCH',
    supportsAllDrives: true,
    supportsTeamDrives: true,
    requestBody: {
        id: channelId,
        type: "web_hook",
        address: "https://example.com/webhook",
        payload: true,
    },
}
const result = await drive.files.watch(path_parameters, options);

stop

This will stop or unwatches the provious watch file

const channelId = "01234567-89ab-cdef-0123456789ab";
const path_parameters = {
    requestBody: {
        id: channelId,
        // The watch function returns this value
        resourceId: 'abcdeF-GHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW',
    },
}
const result = await drive.channels.stop(path_parameters, options);