Integrating Google Docs API with Python

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1

I’m utilizing the Google Docs API to generate new documents and list all existing documents within a designated folder in my Google Drive. As I’m a beginner in Python development, I encounter some challenges.

Objectives I want to achieve:

  1. Create a folder named [Folder Name] only if it doesn’t already exist.
  2. Add a new document inside the [Folder Name].
  3. Retrieve a list of all documents within the [Folder Name], including their direct links.

I’m currently using version 3.0 of the Google Docs API along with the gdata-2.0.16 library for Python.

Here’s my current code:

import gdata.docs.data
import gdata.docs.client

class SampleConfig(object):
    APP_NAME = 'GDataDocsAPISample-v1.0'
    DEBUG = False

client = gdata.docs.client.DocsClient()
client.ClientLogin('[email_address]', '[password]', source=SampleConfig.APP_NAME)

folder = gdata.docs.data.Resource(type='folder', title='Folder Name')
folder = client.CreateResource(folder)

document = gdata.docs.data.Resource(type='document', title='Sample Document')
document = client.CreateResource(document, collection=folder)

I have a few questions I’m struggling with:

  1. How can I verify if [Folder Name] is already created?
  2. What is the method to list contents exclusively from [Folder Name]?
  3. How can I obtain direct links for all documents created in this folder?

I’m eager for any guidance or tips you can offer. Thank you!

2

I’ve faced similar challenges while working with Google APIs. One effective approach is using the updated googleapiclient library, which provides a more streamlined process for managing files in Google Drive. For checking if a folder exists, use the Drive API to list files with a query filtering for folders with the desired name. If no such folder exists, create a new one using the create method. For listing files in your specific folder, Drive.Files.list() with the folder’s ID in the query will fetch only contents from that folder. To get direct links, retrieve the file metadata using fields with the webViewLink property. This provides you with a URL to directly access or share the document. This approach should fit seamlessly into your Python project and enhance its integration with Google services.