How to recursivelsy read subfolders after speciying "AFolder" in parents? - google-api

Question

Basically, in Google Drive API, I’m trying to read a specified folder within the drive.
E.g. root/Temp/TestFiles/AreInHere
I want to read all files in ‘AreInHere’, and I can do this using a query specifying the id for my desired folder. E.g. ‘’’AreInHere’ in parents’.
This works fine and does as id expect, it also returns all the sub-directories in my folder but doesn’t reclusively get any files with those sub-directories?
I have looked at the API reference and all the documentation for searching but have has no luck in finding anything OOTB.
Any help or advice is much appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Unfortunately, with Drive API there is no way to automatically list files contained within child folders
Instead, you need to use a recursive function that dynamically finds all subfolders and subfolders of subfolders - no matter what the number of levels is .
What helps to make your life easier is specifying the id of the parent dynamically as a query parameter q and querying for the mimeType of the file.
You don't specify your language, but e.g. in Apps Script you could do something like this:
function myFunction() {
var id = "SPECIFY HERE THE ID OF THE PARENT FOLDER";
iterate(id);
}
function iterate(id){
var q = "'" + id + "' in parents"
var files= Drive.Files.list({"q": q}).items;
if (files.length>0){
for ( var i = 0; i < files.length; i++){
Logger.log(files[i].title);
Logger.log(files[i].mimeType);
if(files[i].mimeType=="application/vnd.google-apps.folder"){
id = files[i].id;
iterate(id);
}
}
}
}