Google-docs – get a URL to the latest PDF version of a document

google docs

I have a living document that whenever I change something I download as PDF and upload to a web directory. This is a tiresome process specially when there sometimes is 6-15 changes in a day.

Now since Google has the posibility to download as PDF, is it posible to make a link directly to the PDF export file, that would not change when I change the document?

So whenever someone downloads the document they get the latest version directly from Google Docs, insted of me downloading and uploading all the time, and without giving access to the Docs document?

Best Answer

With the new version of Google Drive there is an amazing tool that will really help you.

It's called Manage revisions... under the Menu More when you select a file.

I won't explain to you here how it works because there is a very useful blog post that does it.

In this way the link won't change and viewers can just download or preview the latest version.

This is the link: Replace Google Drive file with new version

Try this alternative instead.

There's a nice option that can be useful: it is the publishing that Google Drive offers.

It means that Drive will generate a link after publishing that can be automatically updated everytime you change your document. The published view is not editable by viewers.

You can stop publishing easily. The bad thing is that anyone who has the URL to your publication can view them no matter what visibility option you’ve chosen for the original one.

I've checked that you can only require viewers to sign in with their account if you're in the same company. I can't explain better but you can see the check box that appears when you publish it.

This is the support link for this option: Google publishing

Short answer

The "Publish to the web" feature of Google Documents doesn't include an option to add the link to edit the source document so one of the several ways to add the link like Google Apps Script and Google Documents add-on, Google Sites Gadget, JavaScript, etc. should be used.

Extended answer

Since the URL to edit a document has the file ID than the published to the web URL there are lot of ways to add the a link to edit the document at the bottom.

URL of a published to the web Google Document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZyU97pNm0wDtOziWKnToUnjtAZarpnny_8eohF8-_F0/pub

URL given by the Share feature: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZyU97pNm0wDtOziWKnToUnjtAZarpnny_8eohF8-_F0/edit?usp=sharing

URL given by the Google Drive get a link feature and getUrl() method:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=1ZyU97pNm0wDtOziWKnToUnjtAZarpnny_8eohF8-_F0

File ID

1ZyU97pNm0wDtOziWKnToUnjtAZarpnny_8eohF8-_F0

Considering the above, in certain scenarios could be easier to add the link manually than to automate this task.

Example

The following Google Apps Script snippet adds the URL of the document at the end of it's body.

function appendUrl() {
  var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
  var body = doc.getBody();
  var text = 'Edit this document';
  var url = doc.getUrl();
  body.appendParagraph(text).setLinkUrl(url);
}

The above is the same than copying the URL of the document and insert an hyperlink at the end of the document.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Google Docs PDF – Link to View PDF Version of a Google Docs

Google-docs – How to get a Google Document to link to the editing of itself

Short answer

Extended answer

Example

References

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