FTP Fling to Google Drive

[RobertAlder]

Been using Fling Plus for years.  Love it.  Been able to use the FTP auto-update setting on an FTP  "profile" to automatically upload new/revised files from a local drive up to a folder on our website server.  Works great.

Now I want to upload some local files from another local folder to a folder in our Google Drive account. Can it be done with this FLING PLUS?  And if so, what are the appropriate setting in a new routine?  I have a UN/PW to access that drive, but unsure of the other settings.

Hope you can help.

Thanks.

Bob Alder

[DannR]

In this case, The "Plus" registration gives you a full features license to use a single installation of Fling Plus including supporting unlimited number of saved sites and importing and exporting account lists. This would be the only option available, the Plus Version can import and export account lists.

 

[RobertAlder]

That's good news.  But the follow on  part of the question was how to configure the destination as a Google Drive. I can log into that drive the appropriate UN/PW.  That hat URL  is the following:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1aDdeFF9GojUyA5zcs_aXBoUeIdsTEbE0

However, to create new Fling+ routine(folder), It won't accept that URL in the "FTP Server" field.     How do I define the Google drive as the FTP Server destination?   Probably something simple, but..... can't figure it out.  Can you help?  

Thanks for you help.

 

[RobertAlder]

DannR,

I didn't get a reply about more precise configuration/definition/setup instructions  to FLING a folder of files to a Google Drive.   I can allow people to access the Google Drive folder supplying their email address in the Google Drive's "Share" setting.  Perhaps there some equivalent "share" setting on the Google drive to let the FTP program upload files?    As noted above, supplying the Google account's UN/PW within in an FTP set up doesn't let the FTP into that "server" drive.   So, I'm trying to figure out how to let FLING upload to a Google Drive.

Thanks.
Bob Alder

[MakubX]

Hi, It may be best to contact Google directly to see if it's possible (and how ) to set Google Drive as a 'server' first. As far as I've checked, third party programs may be required. Will update this reply if I find a way.

[RobertAlder]

Thanks so much  for your reply and offer to further look into.   "Contact Google Directly" isn't really possible.  Google "Support" is just online links that never seem to answer difficult issues 😆. 

As you implied, it does appears there are ways to set a Google Drive as an FTP server, but I haven't been able to figure that out yet.  That is my next challenge .   If so, that would imply that I could then use my wonderful NCH FLING utility to push files up to that Google drive.   At least that's my hope.

By the way, I've tried to install "Google Drive For Desktop"  as a  solution, but it's been a disaster.  Don't ask.  Just doesn't seem to work as "advertised" (can't set it up for multiple Google accounts, the sync to a local folder doesn't work, the "Preference" setting missing, etc. etc. etc.). 

Cheers,

Bob Alder

 

[mediajf]

Hi Robert

maybe as a suggestion, you could try only using google drive for desktop, so it gives your google drive a drive letter , this is usually G:

then use fling and use the drive letter G:/folder

 

this will work I think

[RobertAlder]

Thanks for the suggestion. seemed like a great workaround.

Tried it using a Drive-to-Drive setup process (Thinking Fling would consider G:drive just another internal drive.)   I was able to able to define the destination as a folder as a folder on the G-Drive.  Then set up a regular local source folder. So far, so good. 

Didn't work because  there was no 'Fling" choice showing when selecting a file from the source location.  So, tried to up a simple  drive-to-drive  with both the Destination and the source folders  being real internal drives/folders (NOT the somewhat artificial  G;Drive destination).  Same problem. When clicking on the source folder, right clicking a  file to "Fling' upload (to another defined internal drive folder) there is no right click choice to "FLING" the file.    Hmm. 

What could be causing the lack of a "Fling" choice to upload?  All my other web destination setups properly show a "Fling" choice when selecting a file from the defined  source folder.  But they are all actual web server destinations.  They work perfectly, always showing a right click "Fling" choice when selection files form the source folder.  But these drive-to-drive setups don't provide the "Fling' option.

Hmmm.  Any idea?

[RobertAlder]

Mediajf:  Wow!  Got it to work. Problem was an operator error.   Disregard my previous post.  The first time I set up the wrong Fling transfer type (a Network destination) This time created the routine and used the Backup to Local drive. It works like a charm!   Many thanks.

My next challenge will be to figure out if I can define the destination as any one of several Google Drives I have access to (with different logins).  Google drive (G:drive on my PC ) only really links Google drive of the account I'm logged into at the time.    So.... to get the the Fling transfer to go to some G:account drive, I have to first logout of one Google account, then log into the other Google account so the G:drive goes to THAT account's Google drive.   Maybe I'll just Fling to my one go-to Google drive and then "Share" those uploaded files with the other Google accounts .

Anyway, thanks so much for showing me how to use  NCH Fling function to upload to a google drive.  Very, very useful.

[MakubX]

NCH Software is always interested in improving existing programs and developing new ones. If you have an idea you'd like to share with us, please submit your suggestion here: https://www.nch.com.au/suggestions/

[RobertAlder]

As noted above, "My next challenge was to get the Fling FTP to work with multiple Google accounts."  

Problem finally solved.  The trick was wading thru Google's obtuse instructions for adding a Google account to the Google Drive For Desktop software.  The trick is, the  "Add another account"  MUST be done by Right Clicking on the the little taskbar Google Icon (NOT while using your browser).  The Browser has another "Add another account" feature which allows you to define UN/PW for several Google accounts to aid in online browser access to the added Google account list.   However, using the taskbar icon to "Add Another Account" actually creates an additional drive on your PC. That is, you'll then have the added drive when clicking on the "This PC" (or in file explorer) where you see all your normal drives (e.g. C:, D:, USB, CD, etc.). When you first install Google Drive for Desktop it create a G:drive which is the first account you specified when setting up that software.  But, using the little taskbar icon to "Add another account" it actually creates another drive letter (e.g. I:drive or J:drive in my case) which which you can then access when setting up a destination for an NCH Fling routine.   Bingo.  You can create added Fling routines to map from any of your traditional drive folders to any of the other Google Drives.  And, as always, any Fling routine can be set to Manual or Automatic as you wish.

I added a short cut on my desktop to each of their respective Google drives. This so I could quickly see what's in them without having to use my browser to log into and view their drives.  Heck, I can even then do copy/paste etc. from anywhere to Paste to any of the Google drives  or their folders. 

WHEW!

[RobertAlder]

Sad to report.  The above DOES NOT WORK.  I  just thought it did.  My bad.  Sorry

You can create another Google Icon on your PC (e.g J:drive) as instructed above. Then that icon does in fact. take you to that added Google Account's drive (e.g. J:drive)  So far so good.  And when you click on that Icon it does in fact take you to that additional account's Google drive. Still so far, so good. As suggested above, you can then create a Fling routine by specifying the "Destination" location as that added Google drive (Say, J:Drive). See link before for one of those setups.   Alas, the execution of that routine, in spite of the Destination being properly specified, it uploads the specified local files to the G:drive (the main account's primary Google Drive for Desktop,  NOT the  intended additional Google account drive (e.g. J:drive)  Grrr! 

So, apparently we can't totally fix this issue.  You can only FLING to the primary Google G: Drive using  using  the NCH FTP Fling in conjunction with Google Drive for Desktops.  Fling does work for very well for many things quite well. I use it a LOT for other FTP work.  But "Flinging" to Google drives is somewhat problematic because it can't reach additional Google drives set up with Google Drive for Desktops.   Did I already say GRRRR!

Any other ideas?

[mediajf]

ok well you could try using symbolic links, http://woshub.com/create-symlink-windows/

 

create a folder on the c drive, call it "remote sync" , then create 3 sub folders and use the symbolic link tool to point the folders at the drive letters of your google drives.

 

[RobertAlder]

Mediajf and all who are following this "thread of dread."   I'm happy to report that for some reason my use of NCH Fling FTP to one of several a Google drives is now working beautifully.   Darned if I can figure out what changed.  Didn't have to use Mediajf's solution.   I've successfully used Google Drive for Desktop to provide desktop icons linking to three different Google Drives of three different Google accounts.  Those drives became G: I: and J: drives on "This PC"  That is, sort of artificial drives on the computer. Be sure to Use the tiny Google icon on the taskbar (NOT while logged in and visiting the drives via your browser) to code them to "Mirror" (not Stream). This way when visit the account via your browser or visit them via the desktop drive, both will show the same files and folders.  If you add or delete file/folder using either, they'll be mirrored.

Then I was able to create FLING routines (one for each Google:Drive) pointing the destination to a folder on the "artificial" Desktop drive.  and the source a normal C:drive folder.   Each of those Fling routines (set to either Manual or Automatic) move files form the specified local C:drive folder to the "Desktop" google:drive folder.  Because they mirrored,  when logged in to that particular account the files/folder there will be the same as the Desktop artificial Google:drive for that account.

What a cluster to get this going. Google Drive for Desk top isn't, at least in my experience. easy to set up. Lots of various settings, etc.  Then when trying to layer on NCH Fling to those drives was another learning curve.  But it's all cool now.

[MakubX]

On 11/22/2022 at 11:36 PM, RobertAlder said:

Mediajf and all who are following this "thread of dread."   I'm happy to report that for some reason my use of NCH Fling FTP to one of several a Google drives is now working beautifully.   Darned if I can figure out what changed.  Didn't have to use Mediajf's solution.   I've successfully used Google Drive for Desktop to provide desktop icons linking to three different Google Drives of three different Google accounts.  Those drives became G: I: and J: drives on "This PC"  That is, sort of artificial drives on the computer. Be sure to Use the tiny Google icon on the taskbar (NOT while logged in and visiting the drives via your browser) to code them to "Mirror" (not Stream). This way when visit the account via your browser or visit them via the desktop drive, both will show the same files and folders.  If you add or delete file/folder using either, they'll be mirrored.

Then I was able to create FLING routines (one for each Google:Drive) pointing the destination to a folder on the "artificial" Desktop drive.  and the source a normal C:drive folder.   Each of those Fling routines (set to either Manual or Automatic) move files form the specified local C:drive folder to the "Desktop" google:drive folder.  Because they mirrored,  when logged in to that particular account the files/folder there will be the same as the Desktop artificial Google:drive for that account.

What a cluster to get this going. Google Drive for Desk top isn't, at least in my experience. easy to set up. Lots of various settings, etc.  Then when trying to layer on NCH Fling to those drives was another learning curve.  But it's all cool now.

Hi, this is greatly appreciated. Hopefully, a better resolution would be available in the future.

Thanks for keeping us posted.