GoogleCL – finally, a Command Line tool for Google services
In Google code, the Google open-source project team has posted a new tool – dubbed GoogleCL – that empowers the geeks to actually access plenty of Google services from command line interface. Written in Python, the project is based on gdata-python-client library and is distributed with Apache 2.0 license.
The concept is pretty simple but innovative. In the era of advanced GUI designing, apparently a command line tool will hardly make any sense. But, for those who are more frequent to type a few letters and get the thing done than browsing through pages and clicking now and then, just for a routine task, this tool is sure to bring ’em some joy.
GoogleCL can be used to manage Gmail contacts, post in Blogger, manage Calender entries, use Docs, or upload pictures and videos to Picasa and YouTube respectively. The software uses Oauth protocol for the user authentication. For the first time usage of each Google service, when provided with the username, the interface will provide you with an Oauth link to paste it in a web-browser and get the tool authenticated for the operations. But from the next time, it’s just a piece of cake. For example, when you need to upload some pictures in your Picasa account, just type in –
$ google picasa create –title “album name” ~/path/to/pictures/*.jpg
for a detailed list and references, just head on to the project wiki page.