Fedora Google Drive Client with Grive and Grive Tools

THE GRIVE TOOLS PROJECT IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED DUE TO GOOGLE DRIVE API CHANGES - Read Here and Here

We have created a new Google Drive client solution called overGrive.

overGrive is a complete Google Drive desktop client for Linux.

Due to the overwhelming support for our Grive Tools project for Ubuntu, we have decided to add support for Fedora users.

Features:

  • Grive Tools will assist in the installation and setup of Google Drive on your Fedora desktop. 
  • Grive Tools consists of the following components:

    • Grive Setup - The main setup installation program to get started.
    • Grive Indicator - Application indicator for Google Drive. 
  • A GUI installation will guide you through the the installation process and setup Google Drive in your home folder.
  • You will be able to access your Google Drive files locally* as well as synchronize your files with your Google Drive online.*
  • Auto Sync - Grive Tools keeps your Google Drive synchronized automatically by detecting changes in your local Google Drive folder. New files and folders will be uploaded to your Google Drive automatically after a few seconds. 
  • Bi-Directional Sync - When you Sync your Google Drive new files online will be downloaded to your local folder and new local files will be uploaded to your Google Drive online.
  • The Grive Application Indicator supports both light and dark desktop themes.
  • On Screen notifications of Google Drive activity.
  • Supported Desktops include Gnome, KDE, Xfce, Cinnamon and LXDE
  • Supported languages : Afrikaans, English, Spanish, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Polish, Czech, Arabic and Japanese (more translations soon)
  • For users that require more features like choosing which folder to sync with Google Drive, and interval sync of online files, have a look at overGrive.

Requirements:

  • Grive Tools is available in RPM format for Fedora and openSUSE.
  • It should work on Red Hat and CentOS with minor modifications to the instructions but we have not tested it.  

Installation:

  • You need to install some dependancies before installing Grive. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo yum install json-c json-c-devel qt-devel boost-devel openssl-devel libxslt libcurl libcurl-devel
  • openSUSE users will need to install the following dependancies before installing Grive Tools. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo yast -i libappindicator3-1 libappindicator3-devel typelib-1_0-AppIndicator3-0_1 gir1.2-appindicator3-0.1 python-pyinotify
  • Then download and install Grive 0.3.0. 
  • For Fedora 20 - 64bit you can use the download Grive 0.3.0 at the bottom of this page. 
  • You can also find the RPM package for your Linux version from RPMSEEK here
  • After you have installed Grive you can install Grive Tools.
  • You can download Grive Tools from the link provided at the bottom of this page. 
  • To Install Grive Tools double click on the downloaded file or from the command line with:
sudo yum install grive-tools-1.10.noarch.rpm
  • Search for the Grive Setup application and start.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions (see screenshots below)

Limitations:

  • Auto Sync only detects changes in your local Google Drive files and folders.  
  • Symbolic links are not supported
  • Downloading Google Documents is not yet possible. You would need to convert them to DOC or ODF online, before they will be downloaded.
  • Very long filenames can cause sync problems. 

Notes:

  • To un-install Grive Tools simply remove via the command line with : sudo yum remove grive-tools
  • Installation log files can be found at : ~/.grive-setup.log 
  • For detailed logs after each sync see ~/.grive-last-sync.log
  • The application has only been tested on Fedora 20 - 64bit.

Translators Wanted:

  • We are in the process of adding translations for Grive Tools
  • If you would like to contribute and assist in translating the software please contact us.
  • Extra languages we would like to support listed below, but all other languages are also welcome.

    • Urdu
    • Mandarin
    • Bengali

How to setup Google Drive using Grive Tools :

1. Getting Started - Launch Grive Setup.

  • Start the application by searching for Grive Setup

 

2. Sign in to Google Drive and allow the Grive app.

  • Once Grive is installed, you will be asked to give Grive permission to access your Google Drive.

  • When you click Next a browser window should open and present you with Google Login page.
  • Log in to your Google Account.

  • You will then be asked to give Grive permission to access you Google Drive.
  • Click Accept to continue.

  • You will then be give a Google authentication code to copy and paste into the Grive Setup box provided. 

  • Copy the code from your browser and paste in the Grive Setup box. 

 

3. Watch your Google Drive files appear on your Desktop.

  • If everything went well,  your Google Drive folder will open and your files will be downloaded from your Google Drive. 
  • Please note that this first sync can take a long time especially if you have a lot of files stored on Google Drive.

  • When the first sync is complete the installer will quit.

 

4. The Google Drive indicator and desktop launcher icon.

  • After installation you will find a Google Drive and Google Drive Indicator launcher icons in your Dash.
  • Click on the Google Drive Indicator to start.
  • Drag the Google Drive icon to your launcher.

 

5. How To Synchronize your Google Drive.

  • All options for Grive Tools are available from the application Indicator menu.
  • Click on the Google Drive Indicator to start the indicator for the first time. (See step 4 before)
  • Auto Sync is ON by default so no need to sync manually. If new files are copied to your Google Drive folder or file are changed, these files will automatically be uploaded to your Google Drive online after a few seconds.
  • If you prefer to manually synchronize your Google Drive folder, simply de-select  Auto Sync and click on Sync Now from the Google Drive Indicator menu. 

 

6. Google Drive Indicator Preferences

  • From the application indicator menu you can select your preferences.

  • LXDE users and users that use Light Themes need to select the Prefer Light Icon Theme or they might not be able to see the default white application indicator icon as shown below.

  • Just click on the white icon, select preferences and select Prefer Light Icon Theme

 

7. Gnome Indicator Display on Top Bar (optional)

  • For users that prefer to have the application indicators displayed on the the top bar of Gnome Desktop can do so by installing the TopIcons Gnome Shell Extension.
  • Simply visit the Gnome Extensions page at https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/495/topicons 
  • Click on the toggle switch to enable the extension. You might need to log out en back in before the changes will take effect or use Alt+F2 and r as the command and press enter.

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