Warning
Google Docs Viewer is no longer accessible at https://docs.google.com/viewer. (2015-10-11T00:59:08Z)
Google Docs Viewer helper for local documents (gdv.py) is a Python script which provides an easy way to use Google Docs Viewer to view documents on your hard-disks.
Note
I am no longer using this method after I discovered PDF.js in Firefox and I’ve switched to MuPDF since 2014-04-02. (2015-10-11T00:46:58Z)
gdv.py will start a HTTP server and open a new tab in web browser with a URL to Google Docs Viewer, which contains a link back to the HTTP server gdv.py just starts, so Google Docs Viewer can download the document file from that server.
2 Download the code
The Python code gdv.py (New BSD License) can be downloaded on GitHub.
3 Why I wrote this
Because xpdf gives me Segmentation fault which I don’t know the cause after updates, and openmotif is only depended by xpdf. I had so wanted to unmerge openmotif, now I finally can.
After Segmentation fault occurred, I needed to view a PDF file, but I didn’t have any other viewer installed. An immediate solution is using python -m SimpleHTTPServer and manually composed of a URL for Google Docs Viewer to access. If you have many documents you need to read, that would be very !@#$%^&*.
Moreover, you have to start a server, go to Google Docs Viewer’s page, enter the URL, click the generation button, then click on the link to view. Too many steps!
I want the similar old way with xpdf: xpdf pdf_file. With gdv.py, I only run gdv.py doc_file. Simple and easy.
The best thing is it supports every file format which Google Docs Viewer supports.
4 Behind the scene
How this works?
- Getting an external IP using http://icanhazip.com/.
- Checking if port is opened.
- Starting HTTP server.
- Using webbrowser to open an URL, which is at Google Docs Viewer and contains a URL of HTTP server.
- Waiting for request to come in, of course, we hope that’s from Google. Once a request in, server checks if the file name matches. If not, deny the request and exits.
- Once document file is sent, the program ends.
Note that the server only complete one request only. It will not stay, there is no need for serving forever.
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