Resize and host glideapps pictures into Google Drive

disclaimer : storing pictures on external hosting might not scale. Depending on your usage.
https://docs.glideapps.com/all/courses/quick-starts/getting-started/adding-images#external-hosting

2021-nov-16 update : updated with data flushing preventing parallel execution creating duplicates.

Glideapps is really a convenient tool which I use for numerous personal usages: it uses google sheets into mobile application in minutes.

Beside being a developer, I appreciate the ease and rapidity to make small mobile applications. Moveover, having a google sheet as a database allows this to be shared to other people and supports bulk operations.

I even use it for my cooking recipies 🙂

Free limitations are enough for personal recreative usages

• 500 lines (shared accross all your sheets)
• 1000 sheet edits
• 100 MB of images & files (if uploaded on glideapps)

One incredible feature is the capacity to easily upload any pictures, files or mobile camera photos and store it in your app.

Incredible to upload pictures in 2021 from a mobile phone ? In 5 minutes effort and already published in your hand, yes.

Unfortunately this leads to one major limitation of glideapp free version. With recent phone pictures quality, each file around 3MB, 100MB limitation will be reached quickly.

Hopefuly, there is a workaround

• glideapps calculates storage only for picture hosted on their infrastructure and linked in google sheet
• glideapp supports pictures from anywhere on internet

Writing an `apps script’ tied to google sheet could

1. download pictures
2. resize it, for my needs, 3MB pictures aren’t necessary and slow down loading time. (Done by https://github.com/tanaikech/ImgApp, instructions for setup : https://github.com/tanaikech/ImgApp#how-to-install)
3. store them in a public google drive folder
4. finally replace links into cells

To be configured

• range where script should perform replaces
• google drive folder id

Associated with a trigger onChange, it would be transparent.

Enjoy cooking.

Original Post https://stuffandtacos.azurewebsites.net/2021/10/13/resize-and-host-glideapps-pictures-into-google-drive/