DriveApp.md

Google Drive [DriveApp]

Get Files

• Every file in Google Drive has a unique id.
  

• The id will be a string of characters and numbers something like: 'e514a7d3e2061ca9e3'
  

• DriveApp.getFileById() takes an id as a parameter and returns the matching file.
  

• The getName() is a method that returns the file name.

Note:

• The ID of a file can be found by navigating to the Google Drive web-app.
• Right Click on the file and click on "get sharable link" .
• The File ID is the last part of that link, after id= .
  

Code Example:

let id = 'ac7d3e20622af72303e7bcd67a8e953189205bb6728a';
let file = DriveApp.getFileById(id);
let fileName = file.getName();

console.log(fileName);

• This code snippet outputs the file name whose id is stored in the variable id.
  

• Then fetches the matching file and returns it to the file object.
  

• Then we use the .getName() method on the file object to retrieve the file name.
  

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Rename Files

• The setName() method sets the file name.

Code Example:

let id = 'ac7d3e20622af72303e7bcd67a8e953189205bb6728a';
let file = DriveApp.getFileById(id);

let oldFileName = file.getName();
console.log(oldFileName);

file.setName('Renamed File');

let newName = file.getName();
console.log(newName);

• This code snippet first prints the old file name.
  

• Renames the file.
  

• Then prints the new file name "Renamed File".
  

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Copy Files

• The makeCopy() method creates a copy of a file.
  

• It returns a new file which has the same contents as the original file but has a different file id.
  

• The getId() method gets the id of a file.
  

Code Example:

let id = '1gJAiEKJd8NMdjI_EcI12y3iIYk3E8wokAJEOijsZcf0';
let file = DriveApp.getFileById(id);

let firstCopy = file.makeCopy();
let firstCopyId = firstCopy.getId();
console.log(firstCopyId);

let secondCopy = file.makeCopy();
let secondCopyId = secondCopy.getId();
console.log(secondCopyId);

• This code snippet makes a copy of the original file and then prints its id.
  

• Then makes a second copy of the file and also prints its id.
  

• This demonstrates how different copies of the same file can be made, and also that they have different file ids but the same file content.
  

Note:

• makeCopy() can take a single argument which is the name of the copy of the file.

let secondCopy = file.makeCopy("GDSC");

• This code snippet will rename the second copy of the file object and save it as "GDSC" instead of some default file name.

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We will be applying the skills learnt here in the Sum-Up Module.