GoogleDriveConnector

Accesses the Google Drive file storage service to upload, download, or delete files and folders or list the contents of a folder from a Google Drive account.

Jump to Configuration

Typical Uses

Manage datasets on Google Drive by uploading, downloading, and deleting files and folders
Transfer a file's contents (such as XML, point cloud, or raster) into or out of an attribute in FME
Read downloaded Google Drive data using the FeatureReader, or upload data written by the FeatureWriter to Google Drive
Retrieve file and folder names, paths, links and other information from Google Drive to use elsewhere in a workspace.

How does it work?

The GoogleDriveConnector uses your Google Drive account credentials (either via a previously defined FME web connection, or by setting up a new FME web connection right from the transformer) to access the file storage service.

Depending on your choice of actions, it will upload or download files, folders, and attributes; list information from the service; or delete items from the service. On uploads, link attributes are added to the output features. On List actions, links and file/folder information are added as attributes.

Usage Notes

This transformer cannot be used to directly move or copy files between different Google Drive locations. However, multiple GoogleDriveConnectors can be used to accomplish these tasks.
The FeatureReader can access Google Drive directly (without using the GoogleDriveConnector), however, a local copy of the dataset will not be created.

Configuration

Input Ports

Output Ports

Parameters

Request

Google Drive Action

The type of operation to perform. Choices include:

Delete
Download
List
Upload

Google Drive Account

Performing operations against a Google Drive account requires the use of OAuth2 authentication using a Web Connection. To create a Google Drive connection, click the 'Google Drive Account' drop-down box and select 'Add Web Connection...'. The connection can then be managed via Tools -> FME Options... -> Web Connections.

The remaining parameters available depend on the value of the Request > Google Drive Action parameter. Parameters for each Google Drive Action are detailed below.

Parameters - Download Action

Google Drive Source

Object

The file/folder to download. If valid credentials have been provided as a web connection, you may browse to a location.

Destination

Download as	Select whether to store the downloaded data in a File, Folder or Attribute. File: The downloaded object will be stored in the specified folder. Folder: The downloaded folder object will be stored in the specified folder. Attribute: The downloaded object will be stored in the specified attribute. Note that this will always assume system encoding. Use the AttributeEncoder if your contents need to be a specific encoding type.
Download to Folder	Specify the path to the folder that will store the downloaded file. Valid for Download as File or Folder.
Include Subfolders	Choose whether to download subfolders of the Google Drive Source or not. Valid for Download as Folder only.
Download to Attribute	Specify the attribute that will store the contents of the downloaded file. Valid for Download as Attribute only. Note FME will attempt to convert the attribute's contents to a UTF-8 string. If this fails, the attribute's contents will be created as raw binary. To ensure that the original bytes are always preserved and never converted to UTF-8, use Download as File instead.

Parameters - List Action

Google Drive Path

Folder

The folder on Google Drive to list the contents of. If valid credentials have been provided as a web connection, you may browse to a location.

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

The selected attributes will be added to the output feature.

_name	Name of an object on Google Drive.
_sharable_link	Link to an object on Google Drive.
_id	ID of an object on Google Drive.
_file_or_folder	Type (file or folder) of an object on Google Drive.
_file_size	Size of a file object on Google Drive.
_file_last_modified	Last modified date of an object on Google Drive.
_relative_path	Relative path to an object on Google Drive.

Parameters - Upload Action

Source

Upload	The type of data to be uploaded. File: The specified file will be uploaded. Folder: The specified folder and its contents will be uploaded. Attribute: The contents of the specified attribute will be uploaded. When working with large objects, File is a better choice than Attribute as the data will be streamed directly from disk and not require that the object be stored entirely in memory on a feature. Google Drive treats file uploads of the same name, in a specific folder, as duplicates, so you can upload multiple files with the same name to a specific folder. When wanting to upload content from a folder, it is better to upload as a folder instead of setting a fixed path and sending multiple features into the connector to upload as a file.
File to Upload	The file to be uploaded to Google Drive if Upload is set to File.
Folder to Upload	The folder to be uploaded to Google Drive if Upload is set to Folder.
Include Subfolders	Choose whether to upload subfolders of the Folder to Upload or not.
Attribute to Upload as File	The data to be uploaded, supplied from an attribute if Upload is set to Attribute.

Google Drive Destination

Folder	The path on Google Drive to upload the source file to. To upload to the root directory, enter “/”.
Upload with File Name	The name of the file created from the data supplied in Attribute to Upload as File. The name must include a filename extension (for example, .txt, .jpg, .doc).

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

The selected attributes will be added to the output feature.

_id	ID of the file/folder that was uploaded.
_sharable_link	A temporary publicly accessible URL that links to the file on Google Drive.
_direct_download_link	URL that links to the file on Google Drive. The URL can only be used by authenticated users.

Editing Transformer Parameters

Transformer parameters can be set by directly entering values, using expressions, or referencing other elements in the workspace such as attribute values or user parameters. Various editors and context menus are available to assist. To see what is available, click beside the applicable parameter.

How to Set Parameter Values

Defining Values

There are several ways to define a value for use in a Transformer. The simplest is to simply type in a value or string, which can include functions of various types such as attribute references, math and string functions, and workspace parameters.

Using the Text Editor

The Text Editor provides a convenient way to construct text strings (including regular expressions) from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and constants, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Text Editor

Using the Arithmetic Editor

The Arithmetic Editor provides a convenient way to construct math expressions from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and feature functions, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Arithmetic Editor

Conditional Values

Set values depending on one or more test conditions that either pass or fail.

Parameter Condition Definition Dialog

Content

Expressions and strings can include a number of functions, characters, parameters, and more.

When setting values - whether entered directly in a parameter or constructed using one of the editors - strings and expressions containing String, Math, Date/Time or FME Feature Functions will have those functions evaluated. Therefore, the names of these functions (in the form @<function_name>) should not be used as literal string values.

Content Types

String Functions	These functions manipulate and format strings.
Special Characters	A set of control characters is available in the Text Editor.
Math Functions	Math functions are available in both editors.
Date/Time Functions	Date and time functions are available in the Text Editor.
Math Operators	These operators are available in the Arithmetic Editor.
FME Feature Functions	These return primarily feature-specific values.
FME Parameters	FME and workspace-specific parameters may be used.
Creating and Modifying User Parameters	Create your own editable parameters.

Dialog Options - Tables

Table Tools

Transformers with table-style parameters have additional tools for populating and manipulating values.

Row Reordering

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

Add a row
Remove a row
Move current row up one
Move current row down one
Move current row to top
Move current row to bottom

Cut, Copy, and Paste

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

Cut a row - delete and copy to clipboard
Copy a row to the clipboard
Paste a row from the clipboard

Cut, copy, and paste may be used within a transformer, or between transformers.

Filter

Start typing a string, and the matrix will only display rows matching those characters. Searches all columns. This only affects the display of attributes within the transformer - it does not alter which attributes are output.

Import

Import populates the table with a set of new attributes read from a dataset. Specific application varies between transformers.

Reset/Refresh

Generally resets the table to its initial state, and may provide additional options to remove invalid entries. Behavior varies between transformers.

Note: Not all tools are available in all transformers.

For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.

Reference

Processing Behavior	Feature-Based
Feature Holding	No
Dependencies	Google Drive account
Aliases
History	Released FME 2017.0

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Examples may contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver, Open Government Licence - British Columbia, and/or Open Government Licence – Canada.