Google Drive & Sheets

Intermediate · 10 min read

Overview

Chitmunk's Google Drive integration lets you save your projects to the cloud, load them from any device, and share them with collaborators. You can also link a Google Sheet to your project to import card data directly.

• Cloud storage: Save and load projects from Google Drive instead of (or in addition to) local browser storage.
• Cross-device access: Open your projects on any computer with a browser, no file transfers needed.
• Sheets import: Link a Google Sheet as your CSV data source and refresh on demand to pull the latest data.

Signing In with Google

To use Drive features, you need to sign in to Chitmunk first. Click Sign In on the landing page or in the editor to open the Clerk sign-in modal, where you can sign in with Google, Microsoft, Apple, Discord, or email. Once signed in, Google Drive access is granted through a separate OAuth prompt when you first use a Drive feature.

Chitmunk requests the following permissions:

• Google Drive appData: Allows Chitmunk to store project files in a hidden app-specific folder within your Drive. These files do not appear in your normal Drive file list and do not count against your storage quota in a meaningful way.
• Google Drive file access: Allows Chitmunk to read and write files in folders you explicitly choose, so you can save projects to shared folders visible to collaborators.
• Google Sheets read-only: Allows Chitmunk to read spreadsheet data from Sheets you select for import.

Chitmunk never accesses files you have not explicitly opened or selected. Your credentials are stored securely in your browser and are never sent to Chitmunk's servers.

Saving Projects to Drive

Once signed in, you can save any project to Google Drive:

1. In the editor toolbar, click the dropdown arrow next to the Save button (top-right).
2. Select Save to Google Drive.
3. Choose a destination: the default appData folder (private, hidden) or a shared folder in your Drive.
4. Enter a project name and click Save.

Projects saved to the appData folder are private to you and only accessible through Chitmunk. Projects saved to a regular Drive folder can be shared with others using standard Google Drive sharing controls.

Loading Projects from Drive

To load a project from Google Drive:

1. From the Game Home dashboard, open a project from Google Drive, or use the Save dropdown in the editor to access Drive options.
2. A file picker shows your recent Chitmunk projects stored in Drive.
3. Select a project and click Open.

The file picker displays project names, last-modified dates, and thumbnail previews when available. You can also search by name to find projects quickly. Recently opened Drive projects appear in your Game Home dashboard alongside local and cloud projects.

Sharing Projects

To share a Chitmunk project with a collaborator:

1. Save the project to a regular Google Drive folder (not the appData folder).
2. In Google Drive, right-click the folder and use Share to grant access to your collaborator's Google account.
3. Your collaborator signs into Chitmunk with their own Google account and opens the shared file from Drive.

For Google Drive sharing, the last save wins if two people edit at the same time. Coordinate with your collaborators to avoid conflicts. For real-time collaboration, use Chitmunk Cloud instead, which supports live multi-user editing with presence indicators and automatic conflict resolution.

Google Sheets Import

Instead of importing a static CSV file, you can link a Google Sheet directly to your project. This is especially useful when your card data changes frequently or when multiple team members are editing the spreadsheet.

1. Open the data panel on the left side of the editor.
2. Click the data source dropdown and select Google Sheets.
3. Paste your Sheet URL and select which worksheet tab to use.

Chitmunk imports the data immediately. To pull in the latest changes from the Sheet, click the Refresh button in the data panel. Edits you make to cell values in Chitmunk's Data Mode are written back to the Sheet. Structural changes (adding/removing columns) should be made in Google Sheets directly.

Troubleshooting

Token Expired

Google OAuth tokens expire periodically. If you see a "token expired" or "authentication required" message, simply sign in again when prompted. Your projects and linked Sheets will reconnect automatically.

Permission Denied

If you cannot access a shared file, verify that the file owner has granted your Google account at least "Viewer" permission (for Sheets sync) or "Editor" permission (for saving projects). You can check sharing settings in Google Drive.

Unlinking Google Drive

To disconnect your Google account from Chitmunk, go to your account settings and click Unlink Google Drive. This revokes Chitmunk's access tokens. Your projects already saved to Drive remain there; you can delete them manually from Google Drive if desired. Local copies of your projects are not affected.