Hey everyone,
I’m working on a project where I need to share the same file with multiple Google Drive users. I know Dropbox has a cool feature called Copy_ref that makes this process super easy. But I can’t seem to find anything similar in the Google Drive API.
Is there a way to copy a file from one user’s account to another without having to upload it from my server each time? It would save a ton of bandwidth and make the whole process much faster.
I’ve tried searching through the Google Drive API docs, but I’m not sure if I’m missing something. Has anyone here dealt with this kind of situation before? Any tips or workarounds would be really helpful!
Thanks in advance for your help!
I’ve actually encountered this issue before while managing files for a large team project. One effective workaround I found was using Google Drive’s ‘Share’ feature combined with a script. Here’s what worked for me:
- Share the original file with view access to all target accounts.
- Create a Google Apps Script that loops through the target accounts.
- For each account, use the Drive API to create a copy of the shared file.
This method saved significant time and bandwidth compared to manual uploads. It’s not as straightforward as Dropbox’s copy_ref, but it gets the job done efficiently. Just be mindful of API quotas if you’re dealing with a large number of files or accounts.
If you need help with the script, I’d be happy to share some sample code. It took some trial and error, but the end result was worth it for our team’s workflow.
hey charlielion22, i’ve tried this before so google drive doesnt offer a dropbox-style copy ref. u could use the drive api’s copy method to duplicate files among accounts. hope it helps!
I’ve dealt with this exact problem in my work managing shared resources across multiple teams. While Google Drive doesn’t have a direct equivalent to Dropbox’s copy_ref, there’s a workaround that’s served me well. You can leverage the Google Drive API’s ‘copy’ method to duplicate files between accounts without re-uploading.
Here’s the gist: First, ensure the source file is shared with the target accounts (view access is sufficient). Then, use the API to create a copy in each target account. This approach significantly reduces bandwidth usage and speeds up the process.
One caveat: keep an eye on your API usage quotas, especially if you’re working with a large number of files or accounts. In my experience, it’s been a reliable solution for efficiently managing file duplication across multiple Google Drive accounts.