Data Storage & Migration
Overview
Snippets Express relies on Google Sheets files located on your Google Drive (which includes any shared sheet to which you've been granted edit rights) to store your snippets and other data about them. This means that your library of snippets always resides under your control, making bulk operations like migrations and back-ups easier to handle. This also provides for a simple way to create and manage multiple libraries of snippets, each of which can be called up from within Google Docs while using Snippets Express.
The add-on refers to each Google Sheet used to store snippets for use with Snippets Express as a Library File. Each such Library File is specifically formatted for use with Snippets Express. When you first run Snippets Express, the first such file is created automatically by the add-on. However, you can create additional Library Files by duplicating this formatting and pointing the add-on to any one of those files to access different sets of snippets, for example.
Creating a New Library
If you wish to create a new Library File for use with Snippets Express, you will need to create a Google Sheets file properly formatted to work with the add-on. This can be achieved by creating a copy of a template Google Sheet already created for you, as detailed below:
1. Open the Google Sheet located at the following link (click here).
2. In the menu at the top of the sheet, click on File. This will open the File Menu.
3. In the File Menu, click Make a Copy. This will bring up a dialog.
4. In the dialog, enter a name for the new document and choose a location in your Google Drive to save it. Then click OK.
5. Navigate to the new file in your Google Drive to retrieve its URL and follow the steps below to use it as your new Library File in Snippets Express.
Switching Your Library File
At times you may find it desirable to maintain different sets of snippets across a number of separate Library Files. By following these steps, you can configure Snippets Express to display the snippets stored in a Library File different from the one than originally specified:
1. Click the gear icon at the top right corner of the sidebar menu. This will open the configurations menu.
2. In the configurations menu, click Change Library. This will open a dialog in the active tab.
3. In the text input of the dialog, enter the URL of the Google Sheet you wish to use as your Library File. Click the OK button. This will close the dialog.
4. Click Resume in the Google Docs sidebar. Snippets stored in the newly loaded Library File should now be displayed in the sidebar.
Performing Bulk Operations
Storing snippets inside of Google Sheets makes it simple for users of Snippets Express to share their libraries with one another, perform mass imports or exports of data, or make wholesale edits to snippets in the library.
To get started working on your Library File outside of Snippets Express:
1. Navigate to the Google Sheet in your Drive containing the snippets of interest and open it.
2. Edit, compose, delete, or re-order the snippets and their respective titles by changing the contents of cells in each of the correspondingly-titled columns in the Sheet. Be careful not to revise the first row as its reserved for column titles only.
