Google Drive sync

What it does

Google Drive sync mirrors your project photos and notes to a Google Drive folder that belongs to your organisation. Every photo captured on site is copied to Drive automatically, so your team and clients can find it without opening asbuilt.site.

Files in Drive are organised to match your project structure:

• A root folder named AsBuilt/<project> is created when you connect a Google account.
• Inside it, photos are arranged by project, building, floor and room.
• Folder names include the project address, so projects are easy to tell apart.

The sync keeps Drive up to date as work changes:

• New photos: New room-item photos appear in Drive within one minute.
• Renames: Renaming a room in the app renames the matching folder in Drive.
• Deletes: Deleting a photo in the app deletes it in Drive.
• Manual sync: A Sync everything now action lets you start a full sync whenever you need one.

Before you start

• You need a Google account with access to the Google Drive where your organisation wants its project files stored.
• Google Drive is connected once per organisation, not per user. Agree within your team which Google account to use before connecting.
• Deleting a photo in asbuilt.site also deletes it from Drive. If you need a separate archive, plan for that before you connect.

How to set it up and use it

1. Start the Google Drive connect flow for your organisation in asbuilt.site.
2. Sign in to the Google account you want to use and approve access when Google asks.
3. When the connection completes, check Google Drive for the new AsBuilt/<project> root folder.
4. Capture photos on site as usual. New room-item photos appear in the matching building, floor and room folder in Drive within one minute.
5. To rename a room, rename it in the app. The folder in Drive is renamed to match.
6. To remove a photo, delete it in the app. It is also deleted in Drive.
7. To bring Drive fully up to date, use Sync everything now. This is useful after connecting for the first time or if Drive looks out of date.

Tips

• Rename rooms and delete photos in asbuilt.site rather than in Drive, so both places stay consistent.
• Use Sync everything now after connecting your account, so existing project content is copied to Drive.
• Because folder names include the project address, keep project addresses accurate in the app. This makes Drive folders easier to search.
• Share the AsBuilt/<project> folder from Google Drive with anyone who needs read access to project photos without an asbuilt.site account.

Known limitations

• The connection is set up per organisation. Different teams within one organisation cannot connect to different Google accounts.
• New photos can take up to one minute to appear in Drive.
• Deletes are mirrored. A photo deleted in the app is removed from Drive as well, so Drive should not be treated as a separate backup of deleted items.
• This article covers changes made in asbuilt.site and how they appear in Drive. Make edits in the app to get the documented results.