overGrive - Fedora Installation Instructions

 Requirements
  • Fedora 29 - 36 / openSUSE Leap 15 - 15.4 / RHEL 7 - 8 / Rocky Linux 8.5 or later installed. Most RPM based Linux systems will also work with minor modifications to the instructions. 
  • Python 3.5.3 or later installed. 
  • Older versions of Fedora might need some dependencies before installing overGrive. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo dnf install libappindicator-gtk3 python3-devel python3-pip python3-inotify python3-gobject python3-oauth2client
  • openSUSE users need to install these dependencies before installing overGrive. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo zypper install libappindicator3-1 libappindicator3-devel libappindicator1 typelib-1_0-AppIndicator3-0_1 python3-httplib2 python3-devel python3-pip python3-pyinotify python3-gobject python3-gobject-Gdk python3-oauth2client
  • RHEL 7 / CentOS 7 users need to install Python 3 first. Add the IUS and EPEL Repo, install Python 3.6 or later and install pip before installing overGrive. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo yum install https://centos7.iuscommunity.org/ius-release.rpm
sudo yum install python36u python36u-devel python36u-pip 
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/python3.6 /usr/bin/python3; sudo ln -s /usr/bin/pip3.6 /usr/bin/pip3
  • RHEL 7 / CentOS 7 need to install these dependencies before installing overGrive. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo yum install gobject-introspection-devel cairo-devel cairo-gobject-devel libappindicator libappindicator-gtk3
sudo pip3 install --upgrade pip PyGObject pyinotify
  • RHEL 8 / CentOS 8 need to add the EPEL Repo before installing overGrive. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo dnf install https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm
  • RHEL 8 / CentOS 8 / Rocky 8.5 need to install these dependencies before installing overGrive. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo dnf install python3-devel python3-pip python3-inotify python3-gobject cairo-devel cairo-gobject-devel libappindicator-gtk3
  • Then install the Google API. Open a terminal window and enter:
sudo python3 -m pip install --upgrade google-api-python-client
sudo python3 -m pip install --upgrade oauth2client

 

 Installation

 
sudo yum install overgrive-3.4.*.noarch.rpm
  • openSUSE users must ignore the missing dependencies warning.
sudo zypper install overgrive-3.4.*.noarch.rpm
  • RHEL / CentOS / Rocky users must use rpm -i --nodeps to ignore the missing dependencies warning.
sudo rpm -i --nodeps overgrive-3.4.*.noarch.rpm

 

 Un-Install
  • To un-install overGrive simply remove via the command line with : sudo yum remove overgrive

 

 Limitations
  • Local shortcuts/symbolic links are not supported yet.
  • Multiple shortcuts to the same shared Google file or folder is not supported.
  • Forward slash ( / ) symbol in filename is not supported.
  • Google Drawings converted to SVG or other local file formats cannot be edited and converted back to Google Drawings format. This does not apply for the other Google Docs formats.
  • Google Photos, Google Forms and Google Maps not supported.

 

 Setup
  • After install start overGrive search for overgrive or from your desktop Applications > Utilities menu.
  • Follow the setup instructions as show in the screenshots below.

 

 

1. Getting Started - Launch overGrive Setup

  • Start the application by searching for overgrive.

 

2. Connect account - Authorize your Google Drive account

  • Click Connect account.
  • NOTE: Sync options will be available after connecting your account. 

 

  • A browser window will open for you to sign in to your Google account.

 

  • Allow overGrive permission to access your Google Drive.
  • Click Allow to continue.

 

  • You will be given a authorization token code by Google. Copy this code. 

 

  • Paste your Google authorization code in the Account entry box provided.
  • Click Validate to validate the code.

 

3. Preferences

Account:

  • Once connected your account email and online storage usage will be displayed.
  • To use another account click Disconnect account and connect the other account.

Folder location:

  • Select which local folder will be used to sync or backup to Google Drive. By default a Google Drive folder will be created in your Home Folder. Click Change to select a different local folder. 

Sync options:

  • Select which Google Drive folders to sync to your computer. You have to connect an account before this option becomes available.

Removing Items:

  • Choose how files and folders are removed from Google Drive.
  • The default Remove items everywhere will remove items to the trash folder on Google Drive when items are deleted locally.
  • Do not remove items everywhere will ignore items deleted locally and not delete items on Google Drive. NOTE:  If the items are still set to sync, the items will be downloaded the next time you click Sync Now or changes to the files are detected on Google Drive online and Auto Sync is selected. 
  • Ask me before removing items everywhere. When items are deleted locally, you will be asked to confirm before items are removed from Google Drive. 

Google Docs:

  • You can also select if you would like overGrive to convert your Google Docs to office file formats that can be edited locally.
  • Select which file format to use for each of the Google Docs formats.
  • Changes made locally to Documents, Spreadsheets and Presentations created from original Google Docs will be synced back to Google Drive as revisions of the original Google Docs.

Backup:

  • Only backup files and folders from your local computer to Google Drive. Backup mode.
  • All items in your local folder will be uploaded to Google Drive.
  • No files will be synced from Google Drive to your local machine.
  • Only new items locally will be uploaded to Google Drive. If the Google Drive item version is newer than the local version, the local item will be ignored. 
  • Item changes on Google Drive will be ignored. 
  • Local files can be deleted without items being removed from Google Drive.
  • You can switch between Sync and Backup mode as required. 

Misc:

  • KDE and LXDE desktop users need to select the Prefer Light Icon Theme if they cannot see the application icon clearly.

Advanced:

  • Click Advanced to exclude files by extension.
  • Add and Remove extensions as required.
  • All files with the extensions listed will be ignored during backup and sync.
  • Hidden files and folders can be excluded by selecting the Ignore hidden files and folders option.

 

4. First Sync

  • Once you have completed setting your preferences. Click Start Sync
  • Your files will be synchronized to your local Google Drive folder from your Google Drive online.
  • If the icon does not appear on the top bar - see Gnome Shell Application Indicator display on Top Bar section below.
  • Files in your Shared with me folder will only be synced if they are dragged to My Drive on Google Drive online. Only files and folders in your My Drive will be synced.
  • Before syncing for the first time, we suggest you clear all Trash files from your Google Drive online.
  • NOTE : It is important to allow overGrive to finish the first sync completely. If the first sync does not complete it will open the overGrive setup screen again on restart. You can simply select Start Sync again to complete the synchronization process.

 

* Gnome Desktop Application Indicator display on Top Bar (GNOME Desktop Users Only)

  • Gnome desktop users that prefer to have the application indicators displayed on the the top bar of the desktop can do so by installing the KStatusNotifierItem Gnome Shell Extension.
  • Simply visit the Gnome Extensions page at https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/615/appindicator-support 
  • If your you cannot install the KStatusNotifierItem Shell Extension you need to install the Gnome Shell Integration plugin first. For more information see https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/GnomeShellIntegrationForChrome
  • Another way to display the icons on the top bar is to install Gnome Tweaks and then select Extensions > Top Icons > ON. This works well on CentOS 7. 
  • On RHEL 8 / CentOS 8 use Gnome Tweaks and then select Extensions > KStatusNotifierItem/AppIndicator Support > ON. If the extension is not available, install with the following and enable with Gnome Tweaks:
sudo dnf install gnome-shell-extension-appindicator

 

5. Activate License

  • When restarting overGrive the license activation dialog will appear. Click Activate  

 

  • To activate the license enter the license activation code emailed to you, in the box provided and click Activate again.
  • NOTE: The license code is only valid for the Google Account used during registration. If you get an Activation code error it is because the Google account used is not correct or the code was not copied and pasted correctly. The current connected account is shown in the preferences menu.

 

* KDE Plasma Desktop

  • Select the "Prefer Light Icon Theme" setting in the preferences menu on KDE Plasma desktops.

 

* LXQt / Xfce

  • LXQt / Xfce desktop users might have an issue with the overGrive application indicator icon in the taskbar incorrectly being displayed as a ⚙ gear icon or not at all.
  • Enter the following commands from a terminal and restart the progam to fix the issue. You might also need to logout and login before the icon displays correctly. 
sudo sed -i 's/Exec=python3/Exec=dbus-launch\ python3/g' /usr/share/applications/overgrive.desktop > /dev/null 2>&1

sudo sed -i 's/Exec=python3/Exec=dbus-launch\ python3/g' /opt/thefanclub/overgrive/overgrive-autostart.desktop > /dev/null 2>&1

sudo sed -i 's/Exec=python3/Exec=dbus-launch\ python3/g' ~/.config/autostart/overgrive-autostart.desktop > /dev/null 2>&1

 

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