Connect the editor to Google Drive

The editor runs on GitHub Pages. Maps live in Google Drive. Google sign-in checks each visitor’s permission to read or save the files in a shared folder.

  1. In Google Cloud Console, create or select a project and enable the Google Drive API.
  2. Configure Google Auth Platform’s branding, audience and data access. Add your Google account and collaborators as test users for the first rollout. Request the https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive scope.
  3. Create an OAuth client of type Web application. Add https://kaleaon.github.io as an authorized JavaScript origin. Do not append /MnxMindMaker/; origins have no path. For development add http://localhost:8000. The popup token flow does not need a custom redirect endpoint.
  4. Copy the public client ID ending in .apps.googleusercontent.com. Set googleClientId in main/docs/config.js to configure the published site for all visitors. Or enter it in the editor’s Settings to test in this browser. Never enter a client secret.
  5. Click Connect Google Drive, paste a shared folder URL, select a .mnxj map, edit it and click Save to Drive.

Drive access

The folder-first workflow needs the Drive scope. Google’s narrower drive.file permission only exposes app-created or explicitly app-authorized files. Selecting a folder does not authorize all its children. No Google Picker API key or custom backend is needed.

The editor uses only the folder and map you select, but the granted scope is account-wide. Public production distribution of this restricted scope may require Google OAuth verification and a security assessment. Testing mode works with named test users; it is not unrestricted public sign-in. Workspace policy may block the app or public link sharing.

Sharing and conflicts

Share copies an editor URL and preserves Drive permissions by default. A user with sharing permission may explicitly choose view or edit access for anyone with the link. Visitors still sign in to Google. Sharing a file does not expose every file in its parent folder.

The editor checks the Drive version before saving. Download a conflicting draft, reopen the current map, and apply your changes. This is manual shared-file editing, not live multiplayer. Without a usable ETag, simultaneous check/write races remain possible. Drive revisions are an additional recovery path.

Data handling

Tokens stay in tab memory and are sent only to Google. There is no map backend, analytics or AI submission. Unsaved drafts disappear when the tab closes; save or download them first. A public client ID may be stored as a browser setting. File IDs and resource keys live in editor-link fragments. Map attributes, dimensions and unknown envelope fields are retained.

Drive maps are working copies. They do not bypass review or write accepted revisions to the SQLite core.