Google Drive Integration

[ngharrison]

This implementation reflects what was done for syncing with Dropbox.

The code is there, but it's not working yet because the mDriveService becomes null before it is used to access the API. I believe this requires better knowledge of the app system that's already set up, so I'm starting the discussion here.

[sjhuang26]

I personally would love a Google Drive sync feature and am looking to work on this issue.

According to the maintainer of another popular open-source note-taking app [1], Google policy requires an expensive "independent Google-approved audit" to use the necessary APIs.

However, we can use a scope like https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file for which the policy doesn't apply (because the scope is non-restricted) and which should cover all of the user's needs. The app can "view and manage Google Drive files and folders that you have opened or created with this app" [3]. Note that "folders are treated as a type of file" [4].

Even if we needed a restricted scope, according to the official documentation [2], "for apps using restricted scopes, a restricted scope verification must be performed ... if you store restricted scope data on servers (or transmit), then you need to go through a security assessment" from "third-party vendors." Since we don't store user data, we don't need the security assessment.

@nevenz @ngharrison Would a third-party security assessment be required? IMO it's not.

[1] laurent22/joplin#402 (comment)
[2] https://developers.google.com/drive/api/v3/about-auth
[3] https://developers.google.com/identity/protocols/oauth2/scopes#drive
[4] https://developers.google.com/drive/api/v3/about-files

[ngharrison]

Hey @sjhuang26, I'm not sure about the security assessment. You already know more about it than I do.

As for the code side, I'm not working on this anymore -- other priorities. I made a few more attempts after making this PR to fix the issues I was having and I could push those changes. From the current commit, the code builds, but any Drive functions fail because the Drive object becomes null. I tried moving the creation of that object into GoogleDriveClient.java from GoogleDriveRepoActivity.kt, but I couldn't get it to build.

One of my hopeful assumptions was that GoogleSignIn would handle the authentication tokens for me. I'm not sure if this was one of the problems, but it might have to be handled manually, how DropboxClient.java does it.

[ngharrison]

Just added a commit of the most recent attempts.

[ngharrison]

Google Drive integration is now complete and working as far as I've used it. I've made it match the Dropbox functionality and integration within the app as exactly as possible. I haven't made any tests, but if there is actual interest in getting this merged, please let me know.

@sjhuang26 @nevenz

[ngharrison]

Verifying the app through Google and deciding the right permissions would also need to be handled. Since I've been developing it on my own, I have set up an app certificate through my account, have set the permissions to full drive access, and have been accepting them unverified.

[ngharrison]

This would close #25.

[codemac]

There is also the option to just have a page about how to set up your own app certificate for each user?

This is how many open source apps got around the "security audit" requirements.

[marcel-valdez]

Is anyone working on this?