How to retrieve editable files for authenticated user via Google Drive API?

Other Questions Google drive
1

I’m working on a JavaScript project that uses the Google Drive API. I want to get a list of files the logged-in user can edit. I’ve looked at the files/list endpoint, but it shows all files by default.

There are search parameters available, like using ‘[email protected] in writers’ to find files editable by a specific user. But I can’t figure out how to get the current user’s email address programmatically.

Is there a way to do this? Maybe something like ‘[current_user_email] in writers’? Any help would be great!

Here’s a basic example of what I’ve tried:

function listEditableFiles() {
  gapi.client.drive.files.list({
    q: '??? in writers', // What goes here?
    fields: 'files(id, name)'
  }).then(function(response) {
    var files = response.result.files;
    console.log('Editable files:', files);
  });
}

How can I modify this to show only files the current user can edit?

2

I’ve encountered this issue before, and there’s actually a neat workaround you can use. Instead of trying to get the current user’s email, you can leverage the ‘me’ keyword in your query. It’s a special identifier that Google Drive API recognizes as the authenticated user.

Try modifying your code like this:

function listEditableFiles() {
  gapi.client.drive.files.list({
    q: "'me' in writers",
    fields: 'files(id, name)'
  }).then(function(response) {
    var files = response.result.files;
    console.log('Editable files:', files);
  });
}

This query will return all files where the authenticated user has write permissions. It’s simple and effective, and you don’t need to worry about retrieving the user’s email separately.

Remember to handle potential errors and implement proper pagination if you’re dealing with a large number of files. Hope this helps!

3

Hey there! i’ve dealt with this before. instead of using email, try the ‘me’ keyword in ur query. it works like magic for the current user. just change ur code to q: “‘me’ in writers” and ur good to go. no need to mess with getting emails or anything. let me know if u need more help!

4

While the ‘me’ keyword is indeed useful, there’s another approach worth considering. You can utilize the ‘canEdit’ parameter in your query to directly filter for editable files. Here’s how you could modify your function:

function listEditableFiles() {
gapi.client.drive.files.list({
q: ‘trashed = false and canEdit = true’,
fields: ‘files(id, name, mimeType)’
}).then(function(response) {
var files = response.result.files;
console.log(‘Editable files:’, files);
}).catch(function(error) {
console.error(‘Error fetching files:’, error);
});
}

This query will return all non-trashed files that the authenticated user can edit, regardless of their role (owner, writer, etc.). It’s a more direct approach and might be more suitable depending on your specific use case.