Google has followed through on its promise in July to enable Google Docs users to establish shared folders. Far and away the most requested Google Docs feature, shared folders promises to make it far easier for groups to collaborate on documents.
Previously Google Docs users had to set the access permission status for documents, spreadsheets and presentations one at a time. But once Google has finished rolling out its latest round of Google Docs changes, all users will have to do to share items with others is to put them into a shared folder.
“We’re rolling out these updates gradually, so they should be available to everyone soon,” said Google Docs product manager Vijay Bangaru. “As you’d expect, if you add an item to a shared folder, it will automatically be shared, and if you add someone to an existing shared folder, they will instantly get access to all of the folder’s content.”
Multiple Item Uploads
Google has also made it easier for users to upload multiple items to its Google Docs cloud-computing environment. “Instead of picking one file at a time, our new upload page lets you choose multiple files and upload them simultaneously, in just a couple of steps,” Bangaru said.
During the upload process, files are automatically converted to the Google Docs format, with a status bar displaying a progress report on the transfers. Alternatively, multiple files can be uploaded through the Google Docs List Data API, which enables client applications to upload documents to Google Docs and list them in the form of Google Data API feeds.
Additionally, Google has reintroduced a feature called “items not in folders,” which many Google Docs users have been employing as a work flow tool. “We’ve made one change to ensure the filter functions as expected in light of the new shared…