Organize Creative Assets in Google Drive with Auto-Tagging and Version Control

Stop searching for "Final_Final_V2.pdf". Automatically rename, tag, and sort creative assets in Google Drive using Apps Script.

Creative teams lose 20% of their day searching for files. "Is it in the shared drive?" "Did you Slack it?" "Which V3 is the real V3?"

Digital Asset Management (DAM) software costs $500/month. Google Drive is free, but it's dumb. It doesn't enforce naming conventions.

...Unless you teach it to.

Here's The Solution

Set up an uploads folder that triggers a script. Drop a file in named Nike_Social_Q4.png and the script auto-renames it with a date and version (2025-12-26_Nike_Social_Q4_V1.png), moves it to the right folder structure (/Nike/Social/), and logs it in a spreadsheet.

The Code: The Drive Sentinel

1. Setup

Inbox Folder: ID INBOX_FOLDER_ID.
Root Folder: Where client folders live.
Log Sheet: A sheet to track every asset.

2. The Script

// CONFIGURATION
const INBOX_ID = "YOUR_INBOX_ID";
const ARCHIVE_ROOT_ID = "YOUR_ARCHIVE_ID";
 
function organizeAssets() {
  const inbox = DriveApp.getFolderById(INBOX_ID);
  const files = inbox.getFiles();
  
  while (files.hasNext()) {
    const file = files.next();
    const name = file.getName();
    
    // Naming Logic: "Client_Campaign_Type.ext"
    // e.g., "Nike_AirMax_Social.jpg"
    const parts = name.split('_');
    
    if (parts.length < 3) {
      Logger.log(`Skipping ${name} - invalid format`);
      continue;
    }
    
    const client = parts[0];
    const campaign = parts[1];
    
    // 1. Find/Create Client Folder
    const clientFolder = getOrCreateFolder(ARCHIVE_ROOT_ID, client);
    
    // 2. Find/Create Campaign Folder
    const CampaignFolder = getOrCreateFolder(clientFolder.getId(), campaign);
    
    // 3. Rename with Date
    const datePrefix = Utilities.formatDate(new Date(), Session.getScriptTimeZone(), "yyyy-MM-dd");
    file.setName(`${datePrefix}_${name}`);
    
    // 4. Move File
    file.moveTo(CampaignFolder);
    
    // 5. Log it (Optional)
    // logToSheet(file.getUrl(), client, campaign);
  }
}
 
function getOrCreateFolder(parentId, name) {
  const parent = DriveApp.getFolderById(parentId);
  const folders = parent.getFoldersByName(name);
  
  if (folders.hasNext()) {
    return folders.next();
  } else {
    return parent.createFolder(name);
  }
}

3. Set the Trigger

Run organizeAssets every 10 minutes.

Version Control Hack

Google Drive actually has version history built-in, but most people create duplicates (V1, V2). Better way: Right-click a file > Manage Versions > Upload New Version. This keeps the URL the same. You can update the PDF behind the link without breaking the link you sent the client.