Working with Google Workspace Enterprise customers we recommend using a DEV/Test Google Workspace domain. If you purchase your Workspace licences through a Google Partner you should be able to get a free test domain, which admins can use to test features like Data Loss Prevention, Context Aware-Access without fear of breaking things for your live domain.
Unfortunately there are no convenient settings or data duplication so configuring your test environment can be a challenge. To help create some dummy data with a little help from Gemini I was able to create the following createDummyFoldersWithNesting() function:
function createDummyFoldersWithNesting() {
// Get the starting point for the dummy folder structure
// Replace with your desired folder ID or use 'root' to start in the root of your My Drive
const rootFolder = DriveApp.getFolderById("YOUR_FOLDER_ID");
// Configuration for the dummy structure
const maxNestingLevel = 3; // How many levels deep the structure will go
const maxFoldersPerLevel = 5; // Maximum number of folders to create in each level
const maxFilesPerFolder = 5; // Maximum number of files to create in each folder
const fileFolderPrefix = 'Dummy' // Text added to the start of all folders/files
// ---------------------------- //
// Array of file types we want to create (Documents, Sheets, Slides)
const fileTypes = ["document", "spreadsheet", "presentation"];
// Function to randomly pick a file type from the array
const randomFileType = () => fileTypes[Math.floor(Math.random() * fileTypes.length)];
// Recursive function to create nested folders and files
const createNestedFolders = (parentFolder, currentLevel) => {
// Decide how many folders to create in this level
const numFolders = Math.floor(Math.random() * maxFoldersPerLevel) + 1; // Randomly create 1-5 folders
console.log(`Creating ${numFolders} folders in ${parentFolder.getName()} (level ${currentLevel})`);
// Create folders and files within them
for (let i = 0; i < numFolders; i++) {
const levelName = `${currentLevel}.${i + 1}`; // Name for the folder (e.g., "1.2" for 2nd folder in level 1)
const folder = parentFolder.createFolder(`${fileFolderPrefix} Folder ${levelName}`); // Create the new folder
// Create files within the new folder
Array.from({ length: maxFilesPerFolder }, (_, index) => { // Create up to 5 files
const fileType = randomFileType(); // Pick a random file type
const fileMetadata = { // Prepare information about the new file
name: `${fileFolderPrefix} ${fileType[0].toUpperCase() + fileType.slice(1)} ${levelName}.${index + 1}`, // File name (e.g., "Dummy Document 1.2.3")
mimeType: `application/vnd.google-apps.${fileType}`, // Google Apps Script file type (document, spreadsheet, or presentation)
parents: [folder.getId()] // Place the file in the newly created folder
};
Drive.Files.create(fileMetadata, undefined, { supportsAllDrives: true }); // Create the file in Google Drive
console.log(` Created ${fileType} in folder ID: ${folder.getId()}`);
});
// Recursive call: If haven't reached max nesting level, create more folders in this one
if (currentLevel < maxNestingLevel) {
createNestedFolders(folder, currentLevel + 1);
}
}
};
// Start the process
console.log("Starting dummy folder creation...");
createNestedFolders(rootFolder, 1);
console.log("Finished creating dummy folders!");
}
To use the script
- Copy into the Apps Script Editor
- Enable the Google Drive Advanced Service
- Configure the settings inside the function for the root folder and the number of files/folders to generate
Gemini suggested I highlighted the following key points:
- Recursion: The createNestedFolders function calls itself to create folders within folders.
- Randomness: The script randomly determines the number of folders and files to create, and the types of files.
- Google Apps Script Services: It uses DriveApp and Drive.Files to interact with Google Drive.
- File Metadata: When creating files, it uses the mimeType property to specify the Google Apps Script file type.
Whilst Gemini wrote a lot of the code for me (with a little guidance), there were a couple of gotchas I’ll highlight.
Drive.Files.create instead of DriveApp.createFile(name, content, mimeType) – the current documentation would suggest that you can use the .createFile() method and include a MimeType like GOOGLE_SHEETS, but as explained in this Stackoverflow post Google have said “After extensive consideration, we have determined that DriveApp.createFile() should not be used to create MimeType.GOOGLE_* files.”
I could have asked Gemini to rewrite this to use DocumentApp, SpreadsheetApp or SlidesApp .create() methods e.g. SpreadsheetApp.create() but then I would have to move into a folder, use extra scopes, which all felt a bit messy so instead opted for Drive.Files.create.
Drive.Files.create supporting Shared Drives without a blob – when using Advanced Services there is a bit of cross referencing required between the auto-complete in the script editor and the associated API documentation. For my script I wanted to support creating files in Shared Drive. To do this requires adding the supportsAllDrives as optionalArgs in the Drive.Files.create(resource, mediaData, optionalArgs) method. As I only wanted blank Docs, Sheets and Slides I was scratching my head as to what to include for the mediaData blob. Fortunately this issue was discussed in the Google Apps Script Community – Google Group and it was clear I could use null or undefined.
