Skip to main content

Awesome Shortcuts for Sharing Google Docs, Sheets, Drawings, Slides, and Forms (Copy, Templates, or Preview)

Image
By



Google Classroom is a great resource to share Google files with students or other teachers. Google Classroom allows you to quickly share viewable or editable documents. You can also have Google Classroom make a copy for each student enrolled in your classroom. Google classroom only supports this sharing for students and teachers enrolled in your classroom.

 Sometimes you need to share a document outside of Google Classroom. The sharing options in Google Docs allow you to share a document directly with anyone. You can get a link that allows you to share a document using 1 of these 3 choices: “Anyone Can view”, “Anyone Can Comment”, or “Anyone Can Edit”. You can also share it with specific users. Click here to learn more about Google sharing settings.

Sometimes you might want to post a document and have a user make a copy without the need for you to create a copy for them manually. Did you know that there are several shortcuts that allow the owner of a document to have anyone who clicks on the link to have the option make a copy, display as a template, preview the document, or download as a PDF file?

Below is a quick overview of how teachers can hack the URLs for Google Docs, Sheets, Drawings, and Slides. Click on each of the links below to see the different options. Number 5 is probably the one that I use the most. There is also a Chrome extension at the end of the post that can automate some of these options for you. 


1. Click on share and make sure the document is not private. It must be a viewable document. (“Anyone with link can view”)


 2. Click on share in and open Drive file and the shareable link will appear in a popup window. If you copy the link it will look like this:

 3. If you want to share the link and force users to make a copy, you just need to modify the shareable link. Delete the end of the link up to the forward slash (/). Then type the word copy at the end of the link so that it looks like this:

 4. If you want to share the link and force users to make a copy with any comments, you just need to modify the shareable link. Delete the end of the link up to the forward slash (/). Then type the word copy at the end of the link so that it looks like this:

5. You can also give users the option to see the document as a template. This would allow them to preview the document and choose to make a copy or not. If a user does not have a Google Account, they may get an error with this option.


 6. You can do the same thing if you just want them to see a preview of the document in their browser without the Google Drive menu bar. This would look like this:

 7. Google Slides allows you to share presentations that open automatically in the Presentation View. Simply replace the end of the sharing url with the word present. It would look like this:
8. You can also share a direct download of a PDF version of a Drive files. This is slightly different for Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings. 

Google Docs & Sheets


Google Slides & Drawings
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1U_5lHI8LYHvfy9TAvKACjKIcpyzB8JUnL69-I0rt8hw/export/pdf


9. Share the link in an email or on a website. You can even use a URL shortener connected to the modified Google Share link to get the same results. http://bit.ly/2KpLNs9 

 Here is a quick screencast of the process of changing the url.


This even works for Google Forms within your school domain if you want to have someone use a copy of a classroom form. Click on the image to see this in action for a form. If you do this with a form be sure to use the edit link and not the view link for the form. 

The Sir Links-a-Lot Extension for Google Chrome will generate a preview, copy, template, or PDF URLs for any shared document you have open.


Tony Vincent also created a great visual summary of these shortcuts a few years ago. Be sure to check out his post to learn more. 

Google also supports a variety of shortcuts to open and create new Google Drive files in Chrome.
Let me know if you have any questions. #HappyLearning
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kabokang Dance, Traditional Dance From East Sumba NTT

By
Kabokang Dance is a traditional dance originating from East Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). This dance is generally played by the female dancers who dance with a graceful movement and very distinctive. This Kabokang Dance is one of the most famous traditional dances in East Sumba and is often featured in various events such as traditional events, welcoming guests and also performing arts. The Origin of Kabokang Dance Kabokang Dance is a traditional dance that grows and develops in East Sumba, NTT Province. Initially, this dance is a sacred dance that is often used by the public to welcome the arrival of the king or nobility. This Kabokang dance illustrates the joy and respect of society towards the king or nobleman who is coming there. Kabokang Dance Show In the show, this Kabokang Dance is usually displayed by 4 to 6 female dancers. Dressed in distinctive clothing and also accompanied by traditional music, dancers dance with graceful movements. Movement in Kabokang Dance is more domi...
Post a Comment
Read more

All About Me - Heart Maps to Start the Year

By
I am always looking for creative ways to get to know my students. I also love creative ideas that we can use to introduce them to some of the tools we use throughout the year. The past several years I have modeled our use of Padlet with a 7 Pictures – All About Me Project. This year I was inspired by  Marwa Elkelani to try something a little different. We are going to start with some Heart Maps and get some practice with Google Drawings or Google Slides. A heart map is a visual map that uses drawing, text, shapes, and images to share feelings, people and places you love, memories, experiences, and more. These can be created on paper or digitally. I think Canva , Adobe Express , Google Drawings, or Google Slides could all be used to facilitate the creation of these digitally. I am going to focus on Google Drawings and Google Slides for this post. We use both Drawings and Slides to create during the year, so I love the idea of exploring these tools with students early in the school...
Post a Comment
Read more

Measles Dance, Traditional Dance From Bangka Belitung

By
Measles dance is a traditional dance originating from the Bangka Belitung archipelago. This dance describes the joy in the association of teenagers there. This dance will usually be performed by male dancers as well as women with expressions and movements that portray a joy. The measles dance is generally performed in occasions such as grand guests, weddings, and other events. History of Measles Dance This measles dance originally came from the Riau archipelago. Then this dance was brought and developed in Bangka Belitung by someone named Nek Campak, so this dance is better known and often called Measles Dance. In the era of Portuguese colonization, this dance experienced cultural acculturation. This cultural mix is very visible in the movements, costumes, and musical accompaniment that has a stylish impression in Europe. Nevertheless, local culture is still attached to this dance, it is seen in the costumes of male dancers, rhymes of rhymes, and also some musical instruments accompani...
Post a Comment
Read more