Python quickstart  |  Google Docs  |  Google for Developers (2024)

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Quickstarts explain how to set up and run an app that calls aGoogle Workspace API.

Google Workspace quickstarts use the API client libraries to handle somedetails of the authentication and authorization flow. We recommend thatyou use the client libraries for your own apps. This quickstart uses asimplified authentication approach that is appropriate for a testingenvironment. For a production environment, we recommend learning aboutauthentication and authorizationbeforechoosing the access credentialsthat are appropriate for your app.

Create a Python command-line application that makes requests to the Google Docs API.

Objectives

• Set up your environment.
• Install the client library.
• Set up the sample.
• Run the sample.

Prerequisites

To run this quickstart, you need the following prerequisites:

• Python 3.10.7 or greater
• The pip package management tool
• A Google Cloud project.

• A Google Account.

Set up your environment

To complete this quickstart, set up your environment.

Enable the API

Before using Google APIs, you need to turn them on in a Google Cloud project.You can turn on one or more APIs in a single Google Cloud project.

• In the Google Cloud console, enable the Google Docs API.

  Enable the API

Configure the OAuth consent screen

If you're using a new Google Cloud project to complete this quickstart, configurethe OAuth consent screen and add yourself as a test user. If you've alreadycompleted this step for your Cloud project, skip to the next section.

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to Menu menu > APIs & Services > OAuth consent screen.

   Go to OAuth consent screen

2. For User type select Internal, then click Create.
3. Complete the app registration form, then click Save and Continue.

4. For now, you can skip adding scopes and click Save and Continue. In the future, when you create an app for use outside of your Google Workspace organization, you must change the User type to External, and then, add the authorization scopes that your app requires.

5. Review your app registration summary. To make changes, click Edit. If the app registration looks OK, click Back to Dashboard.

Authorize credentials for a desktop application

To authenticate end users and access user data in your app, you need tocreate one or more OAuth 2.0 Client IDs. A client ID is used to identify asingle app to Google's OAuth servers. If your app runs on multiple platforms,you must create a separate client ID for each platform.

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to Menu menu > APIs & Services > Credentials.

   Go to Credentials

2. Click Create Credentials > OAuth client ID.
3. Click Application type > Desktop app.
4. In the Name field, type a name for the credential. This name is only shown in the Google Cloud console.
5. Click Create. The OAuth client created screen appears, showing your new Client ID and Client secret.
6. Click OK. The newly created credential appears under OAuth 2.0 Client IDs.
7. Save the downloaded JSON file as credentials.json, and move the file to your working directory.

Install the Google client library

• Install the Google client library for Python:

  pip install --upgrade google-api-python-client google-auth-httplib2 google-auth-oauthlib

Configure the sample

1. In your working directory, create a file named quickstart.py.

2. Include the following code in quickstart.py:

   docs/quickstart/quickstart.py

   View on GitHub

   import os.pathfrom google.auth.transport.requests import Requestfrom google.oauth2.credentials import Credentialsfrom google_auth_oauthlib.flow import InstalledAppFlowfrom googleapiclient.discovery import buildfrom googleapiclient.errors import HttpError# If modifying these scopes, delete the file token.json.SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.readonly"]# The ID of a sample document.DOCUMENT_ID = "195j9eDD3ccgjQRttHhJPymLJUCOUjs-jmwTrekvdjFE"def main(): """Shows basic usage of the Docs API. Prints the title of a sample document. """ creds = None # The file token.json stores the user's access and refresh tokens, and is # created automatically when the authorization flow completes for the first # time. if os.path.exists("token.json"): creds = Credentials.from_authorized_user_file("token.json", SCOPES) # If there are no (valid) credentials available, let the user log in. if not creds or not creds.valid: if creds and creds.expired and creds.refresh_token: creds.refresh(Request()) else: flow = InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file( "credentials.json", SCOPES ) creds = flow.run_local_server(port=0) # Save the credentials for the next run with open("token.json", "w") as token: token.write(creds.to_json()) try: service = build("docs", "v1", credentials=creds) # Retrieve the documents contents from the Docs service. document = service.documents().get(documentId=DOCUMENT_ID).execute() print(f"The title of the document is: {document.get('title')}") except HttpError as err: print(err)if __name__ == "__main__": main()

Run the sample

1. In your working directory, build and run the sample:

   python3 quickstart.py

2. The first time you run the sample, it prompts you to authorize access:
   1. If you're not already signed in to your Google Account, sign in when prompted. If you're signed in to multiple accounts, select one account to use for authorization.
   2. Click Accept.

   Your Python application runs and calls the Google Docs API.

   Authorization information is stored in the file system, so the next time you run the sample code, you aren't prompted for authorization.

Next steps

• Troubleshoot authentication and authorization issues
• Docs API reference documentation
• Google APIs Client for Python documentation
• Google Docs API PyDoc documentation