Google Drive Connector

6 minute read Last updated on September 21, 2023

Google Drive Connector Icon

The Google Drive Connector node allows you to distribute documents to Google Drive, a file storage and synchronization service created by Google. Documents can be sent to Google Drive via an automated workflow, or you can access Google Drive directly at the MFP panel.

Note: To use the Google Drive Connector, you must have a Google Drive account.

To open the Google Drive Connector node’s properties window, add an output node for Google Drive to your workflow and double-click on it.

Google Drive Connector

  • Check the Enabled box when there are multiple output locations. When unchecked, this output will be ignored. While the workflow will still validate, documents will not be output and may be lost.

  • In the Node Name field, enter a meaningful name for the Google Drive Connector node.

  • In the Description field, enter a description for the Google Drive Connector node. Although this is not required, it can be helpful to distinguish multiple destination nodes from each other. If the description is long, you can hover the mouse over the field to read its entire contents.

Configuring the Google Drive Connector

To configure the Google Drive Connector, you must first log into your Google Drive account via Dispatcher Phoenix Web’s Authentication Manager. Once this initial set up is completed, logging into Google Drive within the node or at the MFP panel is no longer necessary, providing an optimized single sign on experience.

Set Up

To begin, you must first log into Google Drive via the Dispatcher Phoenix Web’s Authentication Manager. Do the following:

  1. Log into Dispatcher Phoenix Web.

  2. Select the Accounts tool on the Home page.

  3. On the Accounts page, select the + button and choose the Google Drive option. See the following illustration:

    Google Drive Connector

  4. Log into Google Drive using your account credentials (email address/Google Drive account username and password).

  5. Select Yes if asked for permission to let the application access your info.

  6. The Google Drive account will now be listed on the Accounts page. See the following illustration for an example:

    Google Drive Connector

  7. If you need to delete the account, select the vertical ellipsis button and choose Delete Account, as in the following illustration:

    Google Drive Connector

  8. If you add multiple accounts, the first account you added will be marked as the Primary Account with a star icon. The benefit of a primary account is that when you sign into the MFP, you will have immediate access to this account. You can switch to a different account at the MFP by selecting the check icon, then selecting the back arrow icon on the next screen. You can also switch your primary account by selecting the vertical ellipsis button and selecting Enable Primary Account. You can also Disable Primary Account to always be prompted with the account screen at the MFP.

Customizing the Google Drive Connector Node

Once connected, the right hand side of the Google Drive node properties window displays a tree-view of your folders, sub-folders, and files in Google Drive. You can use this area to browse through your Google Drive folder structure and choose a folder to store your documents in.

See the following illustration for an example:

Select A Folder

To choose another Google Drive account, choose the account from the Account drop-down list.

To modify the default Connection Timeout (the seconds allotted for the time without communication, after initial connection to the server, before a timeout occurs), enter a value in the Connection Timeout field.

Sending Documents to a New Folder

To create a new folder in Google Drive to scan to, select the New folder option from the Options drop-down menu or press Ctrl + Shift + N.

In the Create New Folder window that appears, enter the name for the new folder in the Name field; then select the Create button. The newly created folder will now appear in the Folder view.

File Name Restrictions

The following restrictions apply to file names:

  • File names cannot start with a space or end with a space.

  • You cannot start a file name with two period characters (..).

  • Non-printable characters cannot be included in a file name (tabs, newlines, etc.)

  • Do not use <  >  :  "  /  \  |  ?  *

View Options

You can adjust the default view of your Google Drive folders in the node properties window by using the Options button on the top right hand side of the window. Choose the following items from the Options pull-down menu:

  • To turn off the default view, uncheck the Show tree view option or press Ctrl + T.

  • To hide the files stored in Google Drive folders, uncheck the Show files option or press Ctrl + E.

  • To refresh the current view with the most up-to-date folders/files, select the Refresh option or press F5.

Creating a Google Drive Connector Index Form

You can create an index form that allows you to log into Google Drive automatically at the MFP. Do the following:

  1. Make sure that you have logged into Google Drive from Dispatcher Phoenix Web’s Account Manager.

  2. Make sure that your workflow includes a MFP Panel node and Google Drive Connector node.

  3. Open up the Index Form Builder from the MFP Panel node. You should see a Google Drive Connector button under the Workflow Index Fields area.

  4. Drag and drop the Google Drive Connector button to the Index Form work area. A Scan to Google Drive index form will automatically appear, as in the following illustration:

    Google Drive Index Form

  5. Save and close the Index Form Builder.

  6. The Google Drive Connector node properties window will be automatically populated with the variable names of the fields on the Index Form. Although you cannot edit the fields on this window, you can click on the wrench tool button to go to that section or field in the Index Form Builder. See the following illustration:

    Google Drive Index Form

Google Drive Index Form on MFP

At the MFP, the Google Drive Index Form will appear as follows:

Google Drive Index Form

You can add a new folder by selecting the + icon at the top of the screen. The New Folder window will appear, as shown in the following illustration:

Google Drive at MFP

Database Browsing - Google Drive Configuration

You can also manually configure a query to retrieve data (e.g., list of folders, validation, etc.) from Google Drive.

Using the Index Form Builder, do the following:

  1. Add a new field, such as a drop-down list.

  2. Define an On Load event for the field; then add a Query.

  3. Choose Google Drive Data Source from the Query drop-down list.

  4. The Google Drive Data Source Configuration window appears, which allows you to perform specific actions in order to retrieve data from Google Drive.

    Google Drive Data Source Configuration Window

    Do the following:

    • In the Friendly Name field, enter an identifying name for the Google Drive data source configuration.

    • In the Action area, you can choose what kind of action to perform on the Google Drive data source. Options include:

      • Get Primary Google Drive Account – This option returns the primary Google Drive account for the user.
      • Get Google Drive Accounts - This option returns all the Google Drive accounts for the user.
      • Get Google Drive Folders - Use this action to display a list of folders within a specific Google Drive Folder Path. When you select the Get Google Drive Folders item, new fields will appear for configuration, as in the following illustration:

        Google Drive Data Source Configuration Window
    • Folder Path – Enter the folder ID of the Google Drive root folder that you want displayed at the MFP panel.

      • Show new folder option – Check this option to allow the user to create a new Google Drive folder at the MFP.

      • Show files - Check this option to display files in Google Drive folders at the MFP.

      • Enable folder search - Check this options to enable folder search at the MFP.