Google Apps Script:
Writing a text file

How to:

Creating and writing to a text file in Google Apps Script can be accomplished through the Google DriveApp service. Below is a step-by-step guide with code examples to get you started:

Step 1: Create a New Text File

// Creates a new text file in the root of Google Drive
var file = DriveApp.createFile('Example.txt', 'Hello, world!');

This code snippet creates a text file named “Example.txt” with the contents “Hello, world!”.

Step 2: Opening and Writing to an Existing Text File

If you need to open an existing file and write to it, you can use the getFileById(id) method to retrieve the file and then manipulate its content.

// Gets a file by its ID and appends new content
var fileId = 'YOUR_FILE_ID_HERE'; // Replace YOUR_FILE_ID_HERE with your actual file ID
var file = DriveApp.getFileById(fileId);
file.setContent(file.getBlob().getDataAsString() + '\nNew content added.');

This code retrieves an existing file using its unique ID, then appends “New content added.” to whatever content was previously there.

Sample Output

No explicit output is displayed by running the above code snippets, but if you navigate to the Google Drive where the file is located, you will see “Example.txt” for the first code snippet. For the second snippet, if you open the specified file by ID, you should see the original contents followed by the new line “New content added.”

Deep Dive

Writing a text file in Google Apps Script leverages the DriveApp service, essentially harnessing the capabilities of Google Drive for file storage and management. This approach dates back to the inception of Google Apps Script, which was designed to easily automate tasks across Google’s suite of productivity tools, including Drive.

While directly manipulating files through Google Apps Script is straightforward and tightly integrated with Google Workspace, developers coming from other backgrounds (e.g., Python, Node.js) might find it different from working with a local filesystem or other cloud storage services like AWS S3. These platforms often offer a more complex set of file manipulation capabilities but require additional setup for authentication and permissions.

For scenarios requiring more advanced file management or processing capabilities beyond simple text files (like binary data handling or extensive file system operations), developers might consider using Google Cloud Platform services (e.g., Cloud Storage) in conjunction with Google Apps Script. Such alternatives, while more powerful, also introduce a steeper learning curve and potentially higher costs, depending on the scope of the project.

In conclusion, while Google Apps Script provides an accessible and efficient way to manage files within Google Drive, including writing text files, it’s important to understand its limitations and explore other Google technologies as needed to meet more complex requirements.