Suppose I have a document stored in my Google drive. I want to attach
this document to an email, using an account on my own mail service, not
gmail.

Googling suggests this can only be done in a single step using a gmail
account, but then the outgoing mail is not visible in gmail's "sent
items" folder. Not useful if I want to send it from "Me@MyDomain.com"
rather than "Myself@gmail.com".

Or, I can download the document to storage on my device, then attach it
to my email message using whatever mail client or webmail facility I
prefer. But for a non-technical user this will be seen as to difficult
and will contribute to the view that computers are impossible to use.

Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?

--
Graham J

On 06 Jan 2024 at 09:11:56 GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:

> Suppose I have a document stored in my Google drive. I want to attach
> this document to an email, using an account on my own mail service, not
> gmail.
>
> Googling suggests this can only be done in a single step using a gmail
> account, but then the outgoing mail is not visible in gmail's "sent
> items" folder. Not useful if I want to send it from "Me@MyDomain.com"
> rather than "Myself@gmail.com".
>
> Or, I can download the document to storage on my device, then attach it
> to my email message using whatever mail client or webmail facility I
> prefer. But for a non-technical user this will be seen as to difficult
> and will contribute to the view that computers are impossible to use.
>
> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?

If the google drive is mounted and therefore its contents may be seen by using
Finder or Explorer (depending on your platform), then why can't you just drag
it from there into the mail you are composing on your own machine?

One step. Simples.

--
Tim

TimS wrote:

[snip]
>>
>> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?
>
> If the google drive is mounted and therefore its contents may be seen by using
> Finder or Explorer (depending on your platform), then why can't you just drag
> it from there into the mail you are composing on your own machine?
>
> One step. Simples.

Platform is a Chromebook. Don't think "mounting" is a concept it
understands ...

--
Graham J

On 06 Jan 2024 at 10:15:12 GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:

> TimS wrote:
>
> [snip]
>>>
>>> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?
>>
>> If the google drive is mounted and therefore its contents may be seen by using
>> Finder or Explorer (depending on your platform), then why can't you just drag
>> it from there into the mail you are composing on your own machine?
>>
>> One step. Simples.
>
> Platform is a Chromebook. Don't think "mounting" is a concept it
> understands ...

Then how d'ye get a file off, or indeed on, your google drive?

--
Tim

TimS wrote:
> On 06 Jan 2024 at 10:15:12 GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> TimS wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>>>
>>>> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?
>>>
>>> If the google drive is mounted and therefore its contents may be seen by using
>>> Finder or Explorer (depending on your platform), then why can't you just drag
>>> it from there into the mail you are composing on your own machine?
>>>
>>> One step. Simples.
>>
>> Platform is a Chromebook. Don't think "mounting" is a concept it
>> understands ...
>
> Then how d'ye get a file off, or indeed on, your google drive?
>

--
Graham J

TimS wrote:
> On 06 Jan 2024 at 10:15:12 GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> TimS wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>>>
>>>> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?
>>>
>>> If the google drive is mounted and therefore its contents may be seen by using
>>> Finder or Explorer (depending on your platform), then why can't you just drag
>>> it from there into the mail you are composing on your own machine?
>>>
>>> One step. Simples.
>>
>> Platform is a Chromebook. Don't think "mounting" is a concept it
>> understands ...
>
> Then how d'ye get a file off, or indeed on, your google drive?

Initially, by uploading it from a different machine where it is
currently stored.

Then on the Chromebook "Download" to its local storage. This is
perfectly possible, but is the step which for a naive user is
meaningless black magic and won't be remembered.

--
Graham J

Graham J <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:
> Suppose I have a document stored in my Google drive. I want to attach
> this document to an email, using an account on my own mail service, not
> gmail.
>
> Googling suggests this can only be done in a single step using a gmail
> account, but then the outgoing mail is not visible in gmail's "sent
> items" folder. Not useful if I want to send it from "Me@MyDomain.com"
> rather than "Myself@gmail.com".
>
> Or, I can download the document to storage on my device, then attach it
> to my email message using whatever mail client or webmail facility I
> prefer. But for a non-technical user this will be seen as to difficult
> and will contribute to the view that computers are impossible to use.
>
> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?

You can either download the file and attach it to the email. This has to be
two steps because 'download the file' is something that is done in the
browser, and 'attach' is something that happens in the email client. In the
Gmail case you aren't downloading the file, you're telling Gmail's server to
pull the file from Drive's server, so you never actually see the file.

Or you can share a link to the file in Google Drive which allows someone who
has the link read or read/write access to the file on Google Drive (they
probably need a Google account for write access). There is no attachment to
the email, just a URL to the file on the server. In this case the document
is not saved by the recipient and the sender can revoke access at any time.

A third option is to install a Google Drive client locally which syncs the
files to their local machine, and then select the file as any other
file to be attached. (as iCloud would do it on a Mac)

Since you say this is a Chromebook Google don't want you using local files
and instead want you to use their services, so unsurprisingly they make it
easy to use them.

Maybe there is a Chromebook mail app which has 'attach a file from Google
Drive' as an option and handles the 'download locally' bit behind the
scenes. Or there's something a bit like the 'share' panel in iOS/Android
where you can 'share' the file in the Google Drive app and share it to a new
email?

Theo

Theo wrote:

[snip]

>>
>> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?
>
> You can either download the file and attach it to the email. This has to be
> two steps because 'download the file' is something that is done in the
> browser, and 'attach' is something that happens in the email client. In the
> Gmail case you aren't downloading the file, you're telling Gmail's server to
> pull the file from Drive's server, so you never actually see the file.

OK *I* understand that but an ordinary user won't.

> Or you can share a link to the file in Google Drive which allows someone who
> has the link read or read/write access to the file on Google Drive (they
> probably need a Google account for write access). There is no attachment to
> the email, just a URL to the file on the server. In this case the document
> is not saved by the recipient and the sender can revoke access at any time.

Generally this means the recipient must have a gmail account. For many
naive users that isn't reasonable.

> A third option is to install a Google Drive client locally which syncs the
> files to their local machine, and then select the file as any other
> file to be attached. (as iCloud would do it on a Mac)
>
> Since you say this is a Chromebook Google don't want you using local files
> and instead want you to use their services, so unsurprisingly they make it
> easy to use them.
>
> Maybe there is a Chromebook mail app which has 'attach a file from Google
> Drive' as an option and handles the 'download locally' bit behind the
> scenes. Or there's something a bit like the 'share' panel in iOS/Android
> where you can 'share' the file in the Google Drive app and share it to a new
> email?

I've looked for such a thing but not found one. Anybody here know of one?

--
Graham J

Am 06.01.24 um 18:34 schrieb Graham J:
> Theo wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
>>>
>>> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?
>>
>> You can either download the file and attach it to the email. This has to be
>> two steps because 'download the file' is something that is done in the
>> browser, and 'attach' is something that happens in the email client. In the
>> Gmail case you aren't downloading the file, you're telling Gmail's server to
>> pull the file from Drive's server, so you never actually see the file.
>
> OK *I* understand that but an ordinary user won't.

*You are an ordinary user*.

--
"Gutta cavat lapidem." (Ovid)

Graham J <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:
> Theo wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> >>
> >> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?
> >
> > You can either download the file and attach it to the email. This has to be
> > two steps because 'download the file' is something that is done in the
> > browser, and 'attach' is something that happens in the email client. In the
> > Gmail case you aren't downloading the file, you're telling Gmail's server to
> > pull the file from Drive's server, so you never actually see the file.
>
> OK *I* understand that but an ordinary user won't.

Agreed, dealing with the file system when attaching is complicated too.
(even on Mac)

> > Or you can share a link to the file in Google Drive which allows someone who
> > has the link read or read/write access to the file on Google Drive (they
> > probably need a Google account for write access). There is no attachment to
> > the email, just a URL to the file on the server. In this case the document
> > is not saved by the recipient and the sender can revoke access at any time.
>
> Generally this means the recipient must have a gmail account. For many
> naive users that isn't reasonable.

The recipient doesn't need a Google/Gmail account. Here's a random Google
Docs file:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pbKAELzvTrMVm6NpDpK8TfQR33w3QHQEgqkcGdbPFI0/edit#gid=1757150108
and a Google Drive folder:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yTtwznI-eETqgGxdFwqFkvbH1xhgSxow

Both from third parties and need no Google account to download (these links
were posted on the internet for all to access). You can use the 'Share'
function when logged into Google Docs/Drive to generate such links and then
everyone with the link can see them.

> > Maybe there is a Chromebook mail app which has 'attach a file from Google
> > Drive' as an option and handles the 'download locally' bit behind the
> > scenes. Or there's something a bit like the 'share' panel in iOS/Android
> > where you can 'share' the file in the Google Drive app and share it to a new
> > email?
>
> I've looked for such a thing but not found one. Anybody here know of one?

I've never used a Chromebook in anger so no idea myself.

One thought though: on Android the 'Gmail' app can also be configured for
non-Gmail accounts - it's now the only mail app shipped on Android phones.
Don't suppose that also works on ChromeOS?

Theo

On 06/01/2024 11:49, Graham J wrote:
> TimS wrote:
>> On 06 Jan 2024 at 10:15:12 GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> TimS wrote:
>>>
>>> [snip]
>>>>>
>>>>> Has anybody achieved this in a single easy step?
>>>>
>>>> If the google drive is mounted and therefore its contents may be
>>>> seen by using
>>>> Finder or Explorer (depending on your platform), then why can't you
>>>> just drag
>>>> it from there into the mail you are composing on your own machine?
>>>>
>>>> One step. Simples.
>>>
>>> Platform is a Chromebook.  Don't think "mounting" is a concept it
>>> understands ...
>>
>> Then how d'ye get a file off, or indeed on, your google drive?
>
> Initially, by uploading it from a different machine where it is
> currently stored.
>
> Then on the Chromebook "Download" to its local storage.  This is
> perfectly possible, but is the step which for a naive user is
> meaningless black magic and won't be remembered.

Try this to be able to send direct from Gmail but using your own domain.

<https://themeisle.com/blog/use-gmail-with-your-own-domain-name/>

Sending an email with an attachment should then work the same way as the
all Google solution currently works.

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England