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Download a Google Doc as a new blog post .qmd

google_doc_to_qmd.Rd

Downloads a Google Doc as Markdown, converts its metadata block (Blog Title, Publish date, Authors, etc.) into Quarto YAML front matter, and saves the result as `index.qmd` inside a new post folder, matching the post-folder layout [crosspost_blog()] and [verify_post_images()] expect. Image files referenced by the doc's `Image:` field and any body `image_name:` blocks are downloaded from the doc's own parent Drive folder into the post folder – the doc and its images are expected to live together in one Drive folder per post. See [download_doc_images()] for details.

Usage

google_doc_to_qmd(doc, post_name, blog_dir, base_url, overwrite = FALSE)

Arguments

doc

A Google Drive file, as anything [googledrive::as_id()] accepts – typically the full share URL copied from the browser.

post_name

Name of the post folder to create, e.g. "2026-09-09-my-title". Must start with a `YYYY-MM-DD` date (`-` or `_` separated), used as the post's `date` and as part of `citation.url` when the doc doesn't specify its own.

blog_dir

Path to the blog's root folder that `post_name` will be created under, e.g. "website-new/blog".

base_url

Base URL the post is published under, e.g. "https://openscapes.org/blog/". Used to build `citation.url` as `<base_url><post_name>`.

overwrite

If FALSE (default), errors when the post folder already exists. If TRUE, replaces the `index.qmd` inside it.

Value

Invisibly, the path to the created `index.qmd`.

Details

The Google Doc is expected to start with a metadata block of plain-text lines, one field per line, e.g.:

“` Blog Title: My post title Publish date: Location: openscapes.org/blog, cross-post: URL: Authors: Ronny, Julie Image: A description of the cover image Categories: blog, NASA “`

Recognized fields are consumed into YAML front matter; everything from the first unrecognized line onward is kept as the post body, except for image placeholder blocks. See [parse_doc_header()] and [build_qmd_front_matter()] for the header parsing rules.

Anywhere in the body, three consecutive lines of the form:

“` image_name: cover.jpg caption_text: A caption describing the image alt_text: A longer accessible description of the image “`

are replaced with a centered Quarto figure div referencing `./<image_name>`. The image file itself must already exist in the post folder – this function does not create or move it. See [render_image_blocks()] for details.

Examples

if (FALSE) { # \dontrun{
google_doc_to_qmd(
  doc = "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QY_OrDsVcWy25eP8JmYAaRCegSsjprr9Jwz_fbAbUBw/edit",
  post_name = "2026-09-09-openscapes_esip_summer_2026",
  blog_dir = "website-new/blog",
  base_url = "https://openscapes.org/blog/"
)
} # }