Auto-Convert New Files in a Drive Folder to PDF
When a team submits documents to a shared folder, you can automatically convert each new arrival to PDF without checking the folder manually.
Watching a folder with Apps Script
Set up a Drive onChange trigger and filter for events where the change type is CREATE and the parent folder matches your target folder ID. When a new Google Doc arrives in the folder, the trigger fires and the conversion function runs.
Watching a folder with Zapier
Use Zapier's 'New File in Folder' Google Drive trigger. Set the folder to the one you want to watch. Zapier polls the folder and fires the zap when a new file appears. The rest of the zap converts the file and routes the PDF.
Avoiding reprocessing
Log the IDs of files you have already processed in a Google Sheet or PropertiesService. Before converting, check whether the file ID is already in the log. If it is, skip it. This prevents duplicate conversions if the trigger fires multiple times for the same file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this work for files moved into the folder as well as newly created ones?
Yes. Drive triggers fire on both CREATE (new file) and MOVE events. Check the change type in the event object and handle both if needed.
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