How to upload PDF and Excel files to Google Docs using C#?

Other Questions Google docs
1

Hey everyone,

I’m having trouble uploading certain file types to Google Docs using C#. My code works fine for text and Word files, but I’m hitting a roadblock with PDFs and Excel spreadsheets. Every time I try, I get a bad request error.

I’ve set up Google login using SSO in my ASP.NET C# project. Does anyone have experience with this issue? I’d really appreciate some pointers on how to successfully upload PDF and Excel files.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

// Example code snippet
public async Task<bool> UploadFile(string filePath, string mimeType)
{
    try
    {
        var fileContent = File.ReadAllBytes(filePath);
        var fileMetadata = new Google.Apis.Drive.v3.Data.File()
        {
            Name = Path.GetFileName(filePath),
            MimeType = mimeType
        };

        var request = driveService.Files.Create(fileMetadata, new MemoryStream(fileContent), mimeType);
        request.Fields = "id";
        var response = await request.UploadAsync();

        return response.Status == UploadStatus.Completed;
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Error uploading file: {ex.Message}");
        return false;
    }
}
2

hey skippingleaf, i ran into similar issues. try specifying the correct MIME types for PDF (‘application/pdf’) and Excel (‘application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet’) in ur code. also, make sure ur google api has the necessary scopes enabled for these file types. hope this helps!

3

I’ve dealt with this exact problem before, and it can be frustrating. One thing that worked for me was using the Google Drive API instead of the Docs API specifically for PDFs and Excel files. The Drive API is more flexible with file types.

Also, double-check your OAuth 2.0 credentials and make sure you have the ‘https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file’ scope enabled. This scope is crucial for creating and modifying files.

If you’re still getting errors, try implementing exponential backoff in your upload method. Sometimes, temporary network issues can cause uploads to fail, and retrying with increasing delays can help.

Lastly, consider breaking larger files into chunks if you’re dealing with big PDFs or spreadsheets. This can help avoid timeouts during the upload process.

4

I’ve encountered similar challenges when working with Google Docs API. One crucial aspect to consider is the file size limit. Google Docs has a maximum file size of 50 MB for most document types, including PDFs and Excel files. If your files exceed this limit, you’ll need to use Google Drive API instead, which allows for larger file uploads.

Another potential issue could be related to the file conversion process. Google Docs attempts to convert uploaded files into its native format. For complex PDFs or Excel sheets with advanced formatting, this conversion might fail, resulting in upload errors.

To troubleshoot, try uploading the files to Google Drive first using the Drive API, then use the Google Docs API to open and edit them if necessary. This two-step approach often resolves upload issues for these file types.