Google Drive Integration: Setup Guide

Introduction

Connect Showell with your Google Drive to streamline content management and ensure your sales team always has the latest materials at their fingertips. With this integration, you can create linkages that automatically sync your Google Drive content into Showell, eliminating the need for manual uploads and keeping everything up to date.

Why sync Showell with Google Drive?

• Always Up-to-Date Content: Any changes in Google Drive automatically reflect in Showell, ensuring your team works with the latest versions
• Save Time & Reduce Manual Work: No more downloading and re-uploading files. Sync once and let the integration handle the rest
• Organized & Accessible: Keep your sales materials structured and easily accessible in Showell while maintaining your existing Google Drive setup
• Seamless Collaboration: Work across teams with confidence, knowing that everyone has access to the right files at the right time

In this article, we'll walk you through how to set up the Google Drive integration, create linkages, and manage your synced content.

 

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Allowlist Showell in your Google Workspace

Before you can start using the Showell Google Drive and Google File Editor integrations, you need to add them to your workspace allowlist. This is important because these integrations require read access to the contents on the user's Drive.

For more in-depth information: Manage third-party app access to Google services & add apps

1. Open and login to your Google Workspace with an Administrator Account
2. In the side menu, go to Security > Access and data control > API controls
3. For Configured apps, click Add app > Choose Client ID
4. Enter the following client ID's and click Search:
   • showell-gdrive
   • showell-gdrive-editor
5. Point to the app and click Select.
6. Check the boxes for the client IDs that you want to configure and click Select.
7. Select who to configure access for:
   • By default, the top organizational unit is selected. Leave this selected to set access for all users in your organization.
   • To configure access for specific organizational units, click Select org units, then click + to view your organizational units. Check the desired organizational units, then click Select.
8. Click Continue > Choose the option "Trusted": App can access all Google services (both restricted and unrestricted).
9. Review settings for the Showell app, then click Finish.

 

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Create Dedicated Integration Users

💡 This (optional) step is particularly advisable for Professional or Enterprise Workspaces that manage a substantial number of users.

Create separate user accounts specifically for the integration. These serve as a bridge between Google Drive and Showell, minimizing interruptions and simplifying access management while preventing accidental file modifications.

Create a Dedicated Integration User in Google Drive

• Example Account Name: Companyname_Admin or showell.sync@yourdomain.com.
• Access Rights: Assign read-only access to ensure the user can only view files and not make changes.
• When authorizing the connection between Showell and Google, Sign in with this User Account

Set Up Access to Shared Drives/Folders

1. Make sure the 'Share with people settings' are setup correctly:
   • Editors should be able to change permissions and share
   • Viewers and commenters should be able to see the option to download, print and copy
   
2. Make sure the right Drive/folders are accessible:
   1. Go to the Shared Drive or folder.
   2. Click “Share” and add the integration user’s name/email.
   3. Set the access level to "Viewer" (read-only).

Create a Dedicated Integration User in Showell:

Utilizing a dedicated user account will help ensure that your integration operates seamlessly without any disruptions and remains unaffected by individual user settings.

• Example Account Name: Companyname_Admin or showell.sync@yourdomain.com.
• Access Rights: Assign this user with the Admin role.
• In Showell, sign in with this user account to initiate the authorization process.

 

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Showell App for Web:

1. Authorize the connection between Google Drive and Showell

1. Open the Showell App for Web and ensure you are logged in with the User Account you want to establish the authorization with.
   1. Recommended: do so with your dedicated Showell integration user
2. Click Admin in the side menu > Add-ons > Cloud integrations > Authorize > Continue
3. Begin authorization in the Google Drive environment
   1. Recommended: do so with your dedicated Google integration user

 

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2. Manage content linkages: How-to

After authorizing the connection, you can start syncing content between Google Drive and Showell.

Integration Management Page:

• Manage the integration itself
• manage and monitor all connections (linkages)
• Read Step 2A for details

Within a folder:

• Create and Manage individual connections (linkages)
• Read Step 2B for details

 

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2A. Manage content linkages: Integration Management Page

Image shows a Microsoft 365 integration, the options are identical for Google Drive

Click Admin in the side menu > Add-ons > Cloud integrations > Google Drive: Manage

1. View the Integrated folder, and its location in Showell
2. See when the folder was last synced. By clicking the '3 dots' you can:
   • Disable the connection: This will not remove the connection, but simply disable it
   • Synchronize: Fetch new or updated files
   • Disconnect from Google Drive: Remove the linkage
3. Manage the integration. Click the '3 dots' in the top right corner:
   • Disconnect from Google Drive: Fully remove the integration
   • Re-authorize Google Drive: If one or more linkages encounter issues, or if you wish to authorize a different User Account, you can select this option to re-establish the connection

 

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2B. Manage content linkages: Within a Folder

Video shows syncing a SharePoint folder, the process is identical for Google Drive

1. In the Showell App for Web, Open 'Edit'-Mode and navigate to the location where you'd like to sync your content
   • No folders created yet? How to Create and Organize Folders
2. Click the '3 dots'-button in the top right
3. Click on 'Connect Google Drive' > Choose the folder you'd like to connect > Click Connect > Continue
4. Once the content is synced, you'll find the following 2 options:
   • Synchronize: Integrated folders sync every hour, but you can manually initiate a sync as needed
   • '3dots'-button > Disconnect: To stop syncing content and remove the connection

 

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Showell Admin:

Authorize the connection between Google Drive and Showell

Make sure you have allowlisted Showell in your Google Workspace before authorizing the connection between Google Drive and Showell.

1. Go to Showell Admin

• Login with you dedicated Showell integration user

2. From the top menu, select: Admin > Google Drive

3. Begin authorization by selecting “Authorize by signing in to Google Drive”

• Login/authorize with your dedicated Google integration user

 

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Create linkages: Sync your content between Google Drive and Showell

Once the connection has been authorized, you can start syncing your content between Google Drive and Showell.

1. Connect your folder

• When connecting your first folder, you can click 'Connect first folder'
• When connecting a folder later on, click 'Connect folder' in the top right corner

2. A pop-up screen will appear to connect your Google Drive folder to Showell

• Use the arrows to navigate your contents
• Left panel: Choose the Google Drive folder you want to connect
• Right panel: Choose the target destination for this folder in your Showell directory

3. Click OK

 

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Manage your integration

1. Check the status of your linkages by refreshing them. Running linkages can be monitored using this feature to see if they have been completed. This will not fetch new or changed files.

2. To fully remove your Google Drive connection: Click Google Drive > Disable Google Drive

3. By clicking the 'Drop-down menu'-button located on the right side of your connected folder, you are able to:

• Remove connection: This will remove the individual linkage
• Disable connection: The linkage is still connected but will not synchronize
• Fetch new or changed files: This will immediately synchronize the individual linkage