Google Apps Script, get rid of copy/download option

Question

I am wondering if there's a way to use Google Apps Script to share a Google Doc or Google Sheet, but programmatically disable the copy/download feature for viewers/commentors on the document? When share a Google Doc or Sheet normally, you can go to the settings icon and deselect those options:

But can I do that through Google Apps Script?

As a follow-up to that, is there any way to disable these options for editors too? I'd love to be able to share a document with someone, make them an editor, but prevent them from sharing it with anyone else. Thank you.

Answer 1

In this case, how about using Drive API? I think that you can set them using Drive API. In this answer, the method of "Files: update" of Drive API v3 is used.

Sample script:

Before you use this script, please enable Drive API at Advanced Google services.

function myFunction() {
  const fileId = "###";  // Please set the file ID.

  const url = "https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/" + fileId;
  const res = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, {
    method: "patch",
    headers: {authorization: "Bearer " + ScriptApp.getOAuthToken()},
    contentType: "application/json",
    payload: JSON.stringify({viewersCanCopyContent: false, writersCanShare: false}),
  });
  console.log(res.getContentText())
  
  // DriveApp.createFile(blob)  // This comment line is used for automatically detecting the scope of "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive"
}

Note:

• writersCanShare is for "Editors can change permissions and share"

• viewersCanCopyContent is for "Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy"

  • When I saw the official document, viewersCanCopyContent says Warning: This item is deprecated. Deprecated - use copyRequiresWriterPermission instead.. But when copyRequiresWriterPermission is used, this check couldn't controle. So, in this answer, I used viewersCanCopyContent.
  • For the future update, {viewersCanCopyContent: false, copyRequiresWriterPermission: false, writersCanShare: false} might be suitable instead of {viewersCanCopyContent: false, writersCanShare: false}.

• Above sample, both checks are unchecked.

  • When copyRequiresWriterPermission can be used, I think that Drive API v2 might be able to use it as follows. But when I tested it now, it seems that "Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy" cannot be controled.

      Drive.Files.patch({copyRequiresWriterPermission:false,writersCanShare:false}, fileId);
    

• For example, when viewersCanCopyContent: true, writersCanShare: true are used, both checks are checked.

References:

• Files: update
• Advanced Google services