Drive API requires OAuth2.0 for authentication. PyDrive makes your life much easier by handling complex authentication steps for you.
- Select ‘Application type’ to be Web application.
- Click on ‘more options’ in hostname settings
- Input http://localhost:8080/ for both ‘Redirect URIs’ and ‘JavaScript origins’.
client_secrets.json is the file that has all authentication information of your application. Put this file in your working directory.
Create quickstart.py file and copy and paste the following code.
from pydrive.auth import GoogleAuth
gauth = GoogleAuth()
gauth.LocalWebserverAuth() # Creates local webserver and auto handles authentication
Run this code with python quickstart.py and you will see a web browser asking you for authentication. Click Accept and you are done with authentication. For more details, take a look at documentation: OAuth made easy
There are many methods to create and update file metadata and contents. With PyDrive, all you have to know is Upload() method which makes optimal API call for you. Add the following code to your quickstart.py and run it.
from pydrive.drive import GoogleDrive
drive = GoogleDrive(gauth)
file1 = drive.CreateFile({'title': 'Hello.txt'}) # Create GoogleDriveFile instance with title 'Hello.txt'
file1.SetContentString('Hello World!') # Set content of the file from given string
file1.Upload()
This code will create a new file with title Hello.txt and its content Hello World!. You can see and open this file from Google Drive if you want. For more details, take a look at documentation: File management made easy
PyDrive handles paginations and parses response as list of GoogleDriveFile. Let’s get title and id of all the files in the root folder of Google Drive. Again, add the following code to quickstart.py and execute it.
# Auto-iterate through all files that matches this query
file_list = drive.ListFile({'q': "'root' in parents and trashed=false"}).GetList()
for file1 in file_list:
print 'title: %s, id: %s' % (file1['title'], file1['id'])
You will see title and id of all the files and folders in root folder of your Google Drive. For more details, take a look at documentation: File listing made easy