Retrieving particular files from a Google Drive folder using Node.js

Other Questions Google drive
1

I’m working on a Node.js project and need help fetching specific files from a Google Drive folder. I’ve got the folder ID and a list of file IDs, but I’m stuck on how to retrieve them.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

const fetchFiles = async (folderId, fileIds) => {
  const query = `'${folderId}' in parents and (${fileIds.map(id => `id='${id}'`).join(' or ')})`;
  const result = await driveClient.files.list({ q: query });
  return result.data.files;
};

This doesn’t seem to work as expected. It’s not returning any files, even though I know they exist in the folder. Am I missing something in the query structure? Or is there a better way to approach this task?

I’d appreciate any guidance on how to correctly use the Google Drive API for this specific use case. Thanks in advance for your help!

2

I’ve encountered this issue before when working with the Google Drive API. One thing that might help is to ensure you’re using the correct API version. The v3 API has some differences in query syntax compared to v2.

For your specific case, I’d suggest trying this approach:

const fetchFiles = async (folderId, fileIds) => {
  const query = `'${folderId}' in parents and (${fileIds.map(id => `id = '${id}'`).join(' or ')})`;
  const result = await driveClient.files.list({
    q: query,
    fields: 'files(id, name, mimeType)',
    spaces: 'drive'
  });
  return result.data.files;
};

This includes the ‘spaces’ parameter and specifies the fields you want to retrieve. If you’re still not getting results, it might be worth checking if the files are actually shared with the account you’re using for API access. Sometimes permissions can be tricky with Google Drive.

Also, make sure your API is properly initialized with the correct scopes. The ‘https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly’ scope should be sufficient for this operation.

3

I’ve dealt with a similar issue in my Google Drive API projects. Your approach is on the right track, but there might be a permissions problem. Make sure your service account or OAuth client has the necessary access to both the folder and the individual files.

Also, try simplifying your query. Instead of using ‘in parents’, you could fetch the files directly by their IDs:

const fetchFiles = async (fileIds) => {
  const result = await driveClient.files.get({
    fileId: fileIds.join(','),
    fields: 'files(id, name, mimeType)'
  });
  return result.data.files;
};

This approach bypasses the folder check and retrieves the files directly. If this doesn’t work, double-check your authentication setup and the scope of your API access. Hope this helps!