TechLever
More from TechLever YouTube Channel

Level 1: Drive Image Importer

Import Drive images into Google Sheets with thumbnails

🎓 Beginner
⏱️ 2-3 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Basic JavaScript
  • Google Account
  • Google Sheets

You'll Learn

  • Google Apps Script basics
  • DriveApp and SpreadsheetApp services
  • Working with Google Sheets programmatically

What You'll Build

  • Google Apps Script that reads from a Drive folder
  • Automatic thumbnail generation for images
  • Data population in Google Sheets

Key Learning Areas

  • Google Apps Script Setup: Create and run functions in Google Sheets
  • Drive Folder Access: Access files using folder ID from DriveApp
  • Sheet Manipulation: Clear sheets, set values, and format data programmatically
  • Thumbnail Generation: Create Drive thumbnail URLs and embed with IMAGE function

Technical Skills

  • Google Apps Script (server-side JavaScript for Google Workspace)
  • DriveApp service (accessing Google Drive files and folders)
  • SpreadsheetApp service (manipulating Google Sheets)
  • Sheet ranges and data arrays
  • File iteration and configuration reading

Implementation

/* global SpreadsheetApp, DriveApp */
function insertImages() {
  var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  var configSheet = ss.getSheetByName('Config')
  var folderId = configSheet.getRange('A1').getValue()
  var activeSheet = ss.getActiveSheet()
  insertFilesIntoSheet(folderId, activeSheet)
}
function insertFilesIntoSheet(folderId, sheet) {
  var folder = DriveApp.getFolderById(folderId)
  var files = folder.getFiles()
  var rows = [['File Name', 'URL', 'Thumbnail']]
  while (files.hasNext()) {
    var file = files.next()
    var fileId = file.getId()
    var thumbnailUrl = 'https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=' + fileId + '&sz=200'
    rows.push([file.getName().split('.')[0], thumbnailUrl, '=IMAGE("' + thumbnailUrl + '")'])
  }
  sheet.clear()
  sheet.getRange(1, 1, rows.length, rows[0].length).setValues(rows)
}

Ready for the next level?

Continue your learning journey with the next level of this tutorial.

Next Level: Level2