Can .NET web apps retrieve actual files from Google Docs?

Other Questions Google docs
1

I’m working on a .NET web project and I’m trying to use Google Docs. Right now, I can upload Office docs and view them in a Telerik window. The URL is set using entry.AlternateUri.ToString().

I want to download a specific file to my local machine. I’ve written some code to do this, but it’s not working as expected. Here’s a simplified version of what I’m trying:

var docService = new DocsAPI('myApp-1.0');
docService.Login('[email protected]', 'mypassword');

var docs = docService.GetAllDocuments();

foreach (var doc in docs)
{
    if (doc.Title == 'myFile.docx')
    {
        var fileContent = docService.DownloadFile(doc.Id);
        File.WriteAllText('C:\\Downloads\\myFile.txt', fileContent);
        break;
    }
}

The problem is that the downloaded file contains HTML code instead of the actual document content. How can I get the real file data from Google Docs using .NET? Any help would be appreciated!

2

hey luna, i had the same problem! try using the Google Drive API instead of Docs API. it gives you the actual file data. you’ll need to set up OAuth2 and use different NuGet packages, but it’s worth it. the Drive API lets you download files in their original format. good luck with your project!

3

I encountered a similar problem in a .NET project. The issue arose because the API returned the HTML representation of the document rather than the actual file data. In my case, switching to the Google Drive API resolved the issue, as it provides access to the file in its native format. This approach required configuring OAuth2 authentication, setting up the API in the Google Cloud Console, and installing the appropriate NuGet packages. Using the Drive API allowed me to reliably retrieve the file, while proper error handling ensured stable integration in my application.

4

I’ve been down this road before, and it can be frustrating. The key is to use the Google Drive API instead of the Docs API. It’s a bit more work to set up, but it’s definitely worth it.

First, you’ll need to set up OAuth2 authentication and configure the API in the Google Cloud Console. Then, install the Google.Apis.Drive.v3 NuGet package.

Here’s a snippet that should get you started:

var service = new DriveService(new BaseClientService.Initializer
{
    HttpClientInitializer = credential,
    ApplicationName = "Your App Name",
});

var request = service.Files.Get(fileId);
var stream = new MemoryStream();
await request.DownloadAsync(stream);

File.WriteAllBytes("C:\Downloads\myFile.docx", stream.ToArray());

This approach will give you the actual file content, not just the HTML representation. Remember to handle exceptions and implement proper authorization flows for production use.