Getting started with Google Drive

Google Drive is a free, online productivity suite that includes 15 GB of cloud storage. The apps in Google Drive let you create text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms and drawings. You need not purchase expensive productivity software; for most people, Google apps are powerful enough for almost all personal and business computing tasks. For more information, please see The new Google Drive.

To help you get started with Google Drive, this document explains how to:

• Access Google Drive so that you can use its online apps and storage.
• Create folders in which you can store files and other folders.
• Create files through Google apps. Note: If you use the Google Chrome browser, you can view and edit Google-apps files offline. For details, see Access your files offline.
• Upload files and folders from your computer.
• Download files and folders to your computer.
• Move (relocate) files and folders.
• Name files and folders so that you can easily find them.

Accessing Google Drive

Before you can access (open) Google Drive online, you need a Google account. If you don't already have one, go to Create your Google account. You can access Google Drive by doing either of the following:

• Clicking the Google Drive icon in the Chrome App Launcher if you use Google Chrome as your web browser on a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
• Going to drive.google.com through Chrome or any other browser.

Creating Google Drive folders

Google Drive lets you store files within online folders that are similar to the offline folders on your computer.

Creating folders

A folder can contain files and/or other folders (subfolders). To create a new folder in Google Drive, do the following:

1. Open Google Drive through to display its existing folders (if any) in the My Drive column (the second column in the Google Drive window) as shown in Figure 1. Note: the My Drive column always displays its folders above (ahead of) its files. Also, within any folder, it displays its subfolders above its files.

   

   Figure 1 - Typical Google Drive folders.
2. Click New, click Folder, and then type the name of your new folder, such as "001Examples."
3. Click Create to add your new folder, 001Examples, to the My Drive column as shown Figure 2.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each new folder you wish to add to My Drive.

   

   Figure 2 - Adding a new folder, 001Examples.

Creating subfolders

A subfolder is a folder within any other folder; any folder or subfolder can contain multiple subfolders. To create a new subfolder in Google Drive, do the following:

1. Double-click the target folder within which you wish to create a subfolder. For example, you might double-click the 001Examples folder to select it as shown in Figure 3.

   

   Figure 3 - Selecting your 001Examples folder, which is initially empty.

2. Click New, click Folder, and then type the name of your new subfolder, such as a school subject, "Biology."
3. Click Create to add your new subfolder, Biology, within your 001Examples folder as shown Figure 4. Note: Immediately above its listing, the My Drive column displays the path to your currently-selected subfolder and its contents.

   

   Figure 4 - Adding a Biology subfolder within your 001Examples folder.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each subfolder you wish to add within your 001Examples folder. For example, as shown in Figure 5, you might add new subfolders for other school subjects, such as Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy.

   

   Figure 5 - Adding Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy
   subfolders within your 001Examples folder.

Creating files through Google apps

Google Drive lets you create files directly through the following Google apps:

• Docs (text documents)
• Sheets (spreadsheets)
• Slides (presentations)
• Forms
• Drawings

To create files in Google Drive, do the following:

1. Double-click the folder, or subfolder, in which you wish to create one or more files. For example, you can double-click the 001Examples folder to select it and display its subfolders, and then double-click the Biology subfolder to select it for new files.
2. As shown in Figure 6, click New, and then click the Docs, Sheets, or Slides app icon to open that app. Note: Clicking New, and then More, displays additional apps: Forms, Drawings, and My Maps.

   

   Figure 6 - Creating files through Google apps.

3. Use the app to create a new file (document, spreadsheet, presentation, form, drawing, or map). For example, you might use the Google Docs app to create a new document file, such as Frogs.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each new file you wish to create within your Biology subfolder. For example, as shown in Figure 7, you might: 
• Use the Google Sheets app to create a new spreadsheet file, such as Frog expense calculations.
• Use the Google Docs app to create a new document file, such as Trees.

Figure 7 - Creating new Google app files in the Biology folder.

Uploading files and folders

You can upload files and folders from your computer into Google Drive.

Uploading files

To upload one or more files, do the following:

1. Open Google Drive to display its folders as shown above in Figure 1.
2. Select the folder or subfolder into which you wish to upload a file.
3. As shown above in Figure 6, click New and then click File upload to display an Open files window. the folders and files stored on your computer hard drive.
4. Select the file you wish to upload. Note: You can select more than one file for upload.
5. Click Open to upload your selected file(s). 

Uploading folders

The procedure for uploading files is similar to that for uploading files. To upload a folder, do the following:

1. Open Google Drive.
2. Select the folder or subfolder into which you wish to upload a file.
3. Click New and then click Folder upload to display a Select Folder to Upload window.
4. Select the folder you wish to upload. Note: You can select only one folder for upload.
5. Click Upload to upload your selected folder.

Downloading files and folders

You can download files and folders from Google Drive to your computer. To download a file, folder, or subfolder, right-click it to display its menu, and then click Download.

Google app files download as MS Office files. For example, the Docs file named Frogs downloads as an MS word file named Frogs.docx. Note: If you prefer, you can use LibreOffice Writer to open a docx file and then save it as an odt file.

Folders and subfolders download as compressed folders. For example, the folder named 001Examples downloads as a compressed folder, 001Examples-2015-03-28.zip.

Moving files and folders

If you accidentally place a file or folder in the wrong folder or subfolder, you can easily relocate it. For example, assume that you've uploaded a Snakes.docx MS-word file into your Chemistry subfolder. You would need to move Snakes.docx from your Chemistry subfolder into your Biology subfolder as follows:

1. Open Google Drive to display its folders as shown above in Figure 1.
2. Double-click your 001Examples folder to display its contents in the My Drive column, and then double-click your Chemistry subfolder to display its contents.
3. Right click Snakes.docx to display its menu, and then click the Move to icon to display its menu.
4. Within the Move to menu, double-click your 001Examples folder to display its contents.
5. As shown in Figure 8, select your Biology subfolder, and then click Move.

   

   Figure 8 - Moving a file into the Biology subfolder.

Naming files and folders

The names you give your files and folders can make them easier to organize and find within Google Drive. To sort files and folders by Name in the My Drive column, you can click the Sort-options icon (AZ), and then click Name. In an alphanumeric listing, item names prefaced with numerals appear ahead of names with only letters (alpha characters).

If you create many files for multiple projects, consider using numbers to preface the names of your most important files and folders. Two examples:

• Use a simple number, such as 001, to place items ahead of others. For example, see the listing in Figure 2, which includes several folders prefaced with 001.
• Use numeric dates. For example, if you write a document about tigers on September 8, 2017, you might name its file 2017-09-08_Tigers. Note: Sorting files by date facilitates creating archive folders. You could quickly find any "Tiger" file in an archive folder named 2017Tigers.

Using Python to help write villanelle poems

Python can help you write a villanelle, which is a 19-line poem that contains five tercets (three-line stanzas) and one quatrain (four-line stanza). After you start your villanelle by writing two rhyming refrains, Python generates the correct pattern for writing the remainder of your villanelle, its other rhyming lines.

Starting your villanelle

Start your villanelle by typing two rhyming refrains (repeating lines) into your Villanelle Helper Python program, which generates the correct pattern for your entire villanelle. As shown in Figure 1, it places all refrains correctly and indicates how the other lines should rhyme.

Figure 1 - After you type two rhyming refrains into the Villanelle Helper window,
Python generates the pattern for your villanelle poem, automatically populating
all refrains, and indicating where it will place other rhyming lines.

Note: Figure 1 is part of my villanelle:Fix the seasons.
I took this screenshot while still writing the villanelle.

To start writing your villanelle, do the following:

1. Install Python 3 and IDLE for Python 3. For details, see Getting Started with Python Programming. You also need the Tkinter (ttk) graphical user interface. Note: IDLE is the Python integrated development environment (IDE).  
2. Start Python 3 to display it Shell window, click File, and then click New Window.
3. Click File, click Save As, type VillanelleHelper into the File-name field, select a convenient location, such as Desktop, and then click Save.
4. Copy VillanelleHelper, paste it into your VillanelleHelper.py window, and then click Save. For more information, see RunningPython Examples.
5. Click Run, and then click Run Module to display a Villanelle Helper window similar to that at the top of Figure 1.
6. Type your first refrain (refrain01), press Tab, type your second refrain (refrain02), and then click Display Refrains to generate Python Shell text similar to that in Figure 2. Note: This generated text is the pattern for your villanelle, which has two portions. The top portion is the reference area; the bottom portion is the working area, which contains upper-case lines that you replace by typing over them. Do not type over the top portion; use it as a reference. Type only in the working area.
7. Finish writing your villanelle according to the procedure below.
   

   

   Figure 2 - After you copy the pattern of your villanelle poem to
   your word processor, you can type in the other rhyming lines.

Finishing your villanelle

To finish your villanelle, do the following:

1. Copy all text, the pattern of your villanelle, from the Python Shell into your word processor.
2. Scroll to the working area that begins with COMPLETE YOUR VILLANELLE BY TYPING OVER THE INDICATED LINES.
3. As shown in Figure 2, type a line into stanza 1, line 2, and type a line into stanza 2, line 1.
4. Type a line into stanza 2, line 1, and type a line into stanza 2, line 2 that rhymes with stanza 1, line 2.
5. Type a line into stanza 3, line 1 that rhymes with stanza 2, line 1, and type a line into stanza 3, line 2 that rhymes with stanza 1, line 2.
6. Similarly type over the indicated lines for stanzas 4, 5 and 6.
7. Add a title to your villanelle poem, and then publish it.

Using LibreOffice Calc to create pivot tables

A pivot table lets you provide various data viewpoints for analyses and reports. You can create pivot tables through a spreadsheet application, such as Calc in the LibreOffice productivity suite. This document can help you use Calc to:

1. Create a practice spreadsheet
2. Create practice pivot tables
3. Refresh pivot tables

For more information, please see Pivot Table in LibreOffice help.

Creating a practice spreadsheet

A practice spreadsheet can help you learn to create pivot tables. To create your practice spreadsheet, do either of the following:

• Click Stooge Computers potential profit, click File, click Download as, and then click OpenDocument format (.ods).
• Open a LibreOffice Calc spreadsheet, and then type a source-data worksheet similar to Figure 1.

  

  Figure 1 - The main (SourceData) worksheet in your practice spreadsheet.
  You can analyze this information through pivot tables.

Creating practice pivot tables

After you create your practice spreadsheet according to the section above, you can create one or more practice pivot tables as worksheets within your spreadsheet. For example, to view potential profits, you might create two pivot tables:

• Potential-profit data in Warehouse rows and Product columns
• Potential-profit data in Product rows and Warehouse columns

Example Warehouse rows and Product columns

To create a practice pivot table that displays potential-profit data in Warehouse rows and Product columns, do the following:

1. As shown in Figure 2, your SourceData worksheet, select the rows and columns that you wish to make available to your pivot table. In this example, I selected rows 2 through 14 and columns A through H.

   

   Figure 2 - Starting a pivot table.

2. Click Data, click Pivot Table, click Start, select Current selection, and then click OK to display a Pivot Table window.
3. As shown in Figure 3, drag Warehouse into the Row Fields frame, drag Product into the Column Fields frame, and then drag Potential Profit into the Data Fields frame.

   

   Figure 3 - Defining a pivot table through a Warehouse row field,
   a Product column field, and a Potential Profit data field.
4. Click OK to display a pivot table similar to Figure 4. This pivot table contains Warehouse rows, Product columns, and Total Results for both.

   

   Figure 4 - A pivot table that displays potential profits
   through Warehouse rows and Product columns.
5. As necessary, adjust column widths so you can see all data correctly.
6. Rename the pivot-table worksheet according to its content, such as PotentialByWarehouse.
7. Create a second example pivot table according to the procedure below.

Example Product rows and Warehouse columns

To create a practice pivot table that displays potential-profit data in Warehouse rows and Product columns, do the following:

1. As shown in Figure 2,  your SourceData worksheet, select the rows and columns that you wish to make available to your pivot table. In this example, I selected rows 2 through 14 and columns A through H.
2. Click Data, click DataPilot, click Start, select Current selection, and then click OK to display a DataPilot window.
3. As shown in Figure 5, drag Product into the Row Fields frame, drag Warehouse into the Column Fields frame, and then drag Potential Profit into the Data Fields frame.

   

   Figure 5 - Defining a pivot table through a Product row field,
   a Warehouse column field and a Potential Profit data field.

4. Click OK to display a pivot table similar to Figure 6. This pivot table contains Product rows, Warehouse columns, and Total Results for both. Note: Figure 6 shows information that is 'pivoted' from that in Figure 4.

   

   Figure 6 - A pivot table that displays potential profits
   through Product rows and Warehouse columns.
5. As necessary, adjust column widths so you can see all data correctly.
6. Rename the pivot-table worksheet according to its content, such as PotentialByProduct.

Refreshing pivot tables

When you create a pivot table, it contains only information that is current at that moment. Therefore, you need to refresh a pivot table after you update its source data. To refresh a pivot table, do the following:

1. Select the worksheet of the pivot table you wish to refresh. For example, you might select your PotentialByProduct worksheet as shown in Figure 6.
2. Right-click Filter to display its menu.
3. Click Refresh to update pivot-table information.

Promoting Blogger posts through LinkedIn

If you use Google Blogger, you might wish to promote your work through LinkedIn. This document explains how to:

1. Promote a Blogger post through a LinkedIn post.
2. Copy a Blogger-post image to a LinkedIn post.

Promoting a Blogger post through LinkedIn

To promote a Google Blogger post through your LinkedIn account, do the following:

1. In your Chrome web browser, open the Blogger post you wish to promote. Note: Open only a single post. For example, if you are promoting your newest post, open your blog and then click on the most recent post title.
2. In a new, separate tab, open your LinkedIn Home page.
3. In the Share an update field, click Create a Post (the pencil icon) to display a Your Posts page similar to Figure 1.

   

   Figure 1 - Creating a new LinkedIn post.

4. Type over the Write Your Headline text to create a headline that differs from your Blogger post title. These should only be similar because your LinkedIn post will contain a link to your Blogger post. For example, my LinkedIn post, Chromebook's photo editor applies to my LinkedIn post that includes a link to my Blogger post, Using the Chromebook built-in photo editor.
5. As shown in Figure 2, type some text that briefly describes your Blogger post.

   

   Figure 2 - Describing and linking to your Blogger post.

6. Click your Blogger-post tab, copy its URL (web link). 
7. Click your LinkedIn-post tab, and then create a link as follows:
1. Type some link text, such as Please see my recent document, Using the Chromebook built-in photo editor.
2. Select that link text.
3. Click Add link (chain icon) to display its dialog.
4. Paste Your Blogger-post URL into the dialog, and then click Add.
8. If you wish to add an image from your Blogger post, copy that image according to the section below, click Add image (camera icon), click Upload Image, and then click Open.

Copying a Blogger-post image

If you wish to copy a Blogger-post image to a LinkedIn post, you should first copy that image to your desktop, as follows:

1. In your Chrome web browser, open the Blogger post from which you wish to copy an image.
2. Right-click the image you wish to copy.
3. Click Save image as to display a Save File window.
4. Select your desktop folder, and then click Save to download the image to your desktop.

Using LibreOffice Calc to create an idea matrix

An idea matrix, also called a verb-noun matrix, can help you organize your initial thoughts about almost any unfamiliar subject. This document explains how to:

1. Create an idea matrix through Calc, the spreadsheet application within the LibreOffice productivity suite. 
2. Generate new and unexpected ideas through your idea matrix.

Although you can use pencil and paper to create an idea matrix, using a spreadsheet application is easier and faster.

Note: Procedures in this document specifically apply to LibreOffice Calc, and generally apply to other spreadsheet applications, including Google Drive Sheets and MS Office Excel.

Creating an idea matrix

To create an idea matrix through LibreOffice Calc, you need to format matrix cells and then set up matrix concatenation.

Formatting matrix cells

Formatting matrix cells make them easier to use. To format your matrix cells, do the following:

1. Open a new Calc spreadsheet. 
2. As shown in Figure 1, select cells A1 through F6, and then:
1. Click Format, click Cells, and then click the Alignment tab.
2. Under Properties, select Wrap text automatically.
3. In the Horizontal dropdown menu, select Left, in the Vertical dropdown menu, select Middle, and then click OK.
4. Click Format, click Cells, and then click the Borders tab.
5. Under Spacing to contents, set all four sides to 4.0pt, which makes the cells easier to read.

   

   Figure 1 - Selecting cells A1 through F6.

3. Select cells A2 through A6, click Format, click Cells, click the Alignment tab, and then, in the Horizontal dropdown menu, select Center, and then click OK. 
4. Select cells B1 through F1, click Format, click Cells, click the Alignment tab, and then, in the Horizontal dropdown menu, select Center, and then click OK. 

Setting up matrix concatenation

An idea matrix generates each possible idea by using the CONCATENATE() function to combine a verb, a blank space, and a noun into a phrase. To set up matrix concatenation, do the following:

1. Format matrix cells according to the section above. 
2. As shown in Figure 2, select cell A1, type Nouns at right and Verbs below, and then adjust the width of column A.

   

   Figure 2 - Typing the CONCATENATE() function into cell B2.

3. In cells A2 through A6, type five placeholders for verbs, v1 through v5; and in cells B1 through F1, type five placeholders for nouns, n1 through n5.
4. Select cell B2, and then type =CONCATENATE($A2," ",B$1) to display "v1 n1" in cell B2. Note: This cell is displaying the placeholder verb from A2, a blank space, and then the placeholder noun from B1.
5. As shown in Figure 3, copy cell B2 and then paste it into cells B3 through B6.

   

   Figure 3 - Copying the CONCATENATE() function into cells B3 through B6.

6. As shown in Figure 4, copy cells B2 through B6 and then paste them into cells C2 through F6.

   

   Figure 4 - Copying the CONCATENATE() function into cells C2 through F6.

7. Rename the worksheet to Base 5 by 5 and then copy it one or more other sheets, such as Idea 1, Idea 2, and Idea 3. Note: You can make a larger idea matrix by simply copying and pasting new rows and/or columns.

Generating ideas through your matrix

Assume that a professor has asked you to write an essay about steam-locomotive maintenance. Unless you have recently worked on a steam locomotive, you can use your idea matrix to generate new or unexpected ideas that help you start your research. You might use a procedure similar to the following:

1. Create an idea matrix according to the sections above.
2. As shown in Figure 5, type as many as five verbs (or verb phrases) into cells A2 through A6, overtyping the placeholders for verbs.

   

   Figure 5 - An example idea matrix for 'steam-locomotive maintenance.'

3. Type as many as many as five nouns (or noun phrases) into cells B1 through F1, overtyping the placeholders for nouns.
4. Examine the idea matrix to see whether any of its generated ideas are worth keeping. If so, either write down those ideas or print the idea matrix and then circle its best ideas. If not, repeat steps 2 through 4 until you see one or more useful ideas.

Using the Chromebook built-in photo editor

Your Chromebook has an easy-to-use, built-in photo editor that launches automatically when you select a photo or other graphics image to view and/or edit. This document can help you learn to use your Chromebook photo editor.

The Chromebook photo editor lets you make basic edits. For more advanced editing, such as converting image file types, you will also need to use a separate editor such as the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP). Please also see How to use the Free Online Photo Editor.

Selecting an image

To select an image, do the following:

1. Log onto Chromebook.
2. Click the Apps launcher, at the lower left, to display its window.
3. Click the Files app to display its window and your Downloads folder.
4. Find an image file you wish to select for viewing or editing. Note: The file need not be in Downloads; it can be in any folder.
5. Double click the image file to launch the photo editor and simultaneously display your selected image as shown in Figure 1. Note: You can use the forward and backward arrows to display other images within the same folder.

Figure 1 - Viewing an image file

Editing an image

To edit an image, do the following:

1. According to the procedure above, select an image you wish to edit.
2. Click the pencil icon to display seven editing tools centered under the image as shown in Figure 2.

   

   Figure 2 - Editing-tool icons

   Left to right, these editing-tool icons are:
• Auto-fix (lightning bolt)
• Crop
• Brightness (also lets you adjust Contrast)
• Left (rotate)
• Right
• Undo
• Redo
3. Click an editing-tool icon to make a change to your image.  For example, you can click Crop, press Enter, and then select a rectangular image segment as shown in Figure 3.

   

   Figure 3 - Cropping an image

4. Close the Chromebook photo editor to save your edited image, such as Figure 4, in the same folder in which you have been working.

   

   Figure 4 - Cropped image

How to use the Free Online Photo Editor

You can use the Free Online Photo Editor to edit your photos and other graphics images quickly and easily. You need only upload an image file, edit it, and then download it.

Uploading an image file

Before you can edit an image through the Free Online Photo Editor, you need to upload an image file into the editor as follows:

1. Go to FreeOnlinePhotoEditor.com.
2. Select an image file: from either your computer or the internet:
• To select an image from your computer, click Browse to find an image file and display its name in the Choose file field.
• To select an image from the internet, type the URL of the image file in the Enter URL field.  
3. Click OK to upload your selected image file into the Free Online Photo Editor as shown in Figure 1.
4. Edit your image file according the Editing an image file section below.

Figure 1 - An image file uploaded into the Free Online Photo Editor

Editing your image file

After uploading your image file, you can edit it in the Free Online Photo Editor. Its toolbar has six menus (Basic, Enhance, Colors, Borders, Filters, and Effects) and a Text utility. To edit an image file, use the following general procedure.

1. Click a toolbar item, such as Basic, to display its menu.
2. Click a menu item, such as Crop, and then follow its instructions.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to make adjustments to your image until you are satisfied with your edits.
4. Download your edited image file according the Downloading your edited image file section below.

Note: To create Figure 2, I used the Basic menu to make Resize, Crop, and Brightness/Contrast adjustments; and the Borders menu to add a Colored border.

Figure 2 - An edited image file

Downloading your edited image file

After editing your image file through the Free Online Photo Editor, you need to download it into your Downloads folder on your computer as follows:

1. In the Free Online Photo Editor, click File to display its menu.
2. Click Save as (file type) to download your image file. For example, you could click Save as JPG.
3. Go to your Downloads folder, and then open your edited image file to verify it downloaded correctly.