Embed Google Docs

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#1

Hi, I’ve been wondering for a while if it would be possible to embed Google Docs in apps, i.e. by providing a URL. More generally, adding the option to view any webpage within the app could achieve the same effect. I regularly need to add google docs to apps, which I do by downloading them as PDFs and then uploading them to Tulip. This is slow and I often do it multiple times per day. If I could reflect the current contents of the google doc in Tulip (i.e. by viewing it “live” from within the app), that would save a lot of time in my workflow. I’m pretty sure there’s no way to do this currently, so thanks for considering this as a future possible feature.

Best,
Dylan

#2

Hey Dylan, sorry for missing this. Do you have the iframe widget available on your account? If not, I can enable it for you- that should solve this!

#3

Hi Kevin, thanks for the follow-up! I don’t know whether I have the iframe widget enabled - can you talk me through setting this up? I would love to give it a try.

#4

Sure thing- just enabled on your account. It will be available under the “Embed” menu in the App Builder.

One thing to keep in mind- Google Docs must be made available to the web in order to be viewed in iframes.

Check out more details here: Embedding Google Docs, Presentations, Spreadsheets and Forms

1 Like
#5

Hi Kevin, interesting topic here. I’ve a question : is the iframe widget different to the webpage widget ? I only have the latter and if I cannot paste the iframe code in the URL section :sweat_smile: So i’m able to display docs/sheets (using url link) but I cannot modify them.

#6

Hmmm Patxi, I am confused on what you mean. The iframe widget is the same as the webpage widget.

Can you attach a GIF or video to show what you mean? Google Docs should give you a URL when you publish to the web. Within that modal in Google Docs, there is a checkbox that allows the content to automatically update:

image

#7

Hi Kevin,

In your screenshot I see you have an option to “restrict access to Tulip.” Is that something anybody can do? I was able to embed URLs in apps after you enabled that feature for me, but my company cannot publish our instruction documents to the web for obvious security reasons. I’m wondering if there’s a way to allow Tulip to access them via the iframe while still keeping them essentially “private?”

#8

Hmmm yeah, this is a limitation of the feature that I don’t think we can easily solve since it relates to web standards.

And if you limit access to just your company, I imagine users will be asked to sign in to Google within the iframe widget. Do your operators have accounts within your Google directory?

Another solution we have seen- setting up a local webserver, and then using the iframe widget to access docs that are served on the local webserver that can only be accessed within your company’s network.

#9

Our operators do have Google accounts with appropriate access for our documents, but when linking to the documents with the iframe, I don’t even see an option to sign-in - the window just appears blank. I don’t have access to make the documents “available on the web” (since this is controlled by our IT dept.), but this wouldn’t be desirable for us anyway. So it seems that this option won’t work for us in its current state. Thanks for sharing the info though - I would be curious if Tulip develops a better way to view google docs that must be kept private within a company.