Organize with Metadata

This guide shows how to use Drive Toolbox's labels and info fields to build an organizational system for your files — going beyond what folders alone can offer.

Why Metadata?

Folders give each file one location. Labels and info fields let you organize files across multiple dimensions. A file can be in the "2026" folder and tagged with the "tax" label and have a "Status" info field set to "Complete" — all at the same time.

Example: Project Tracker

Step 1: Create Labels

Create personal labels for each project: project-alpha, project-beta, project-gamma.

Step 2: Create Info Fields

Go to Settings → Personal Info Fields and create:

• Status (Text) — values like "Active", "Review", "Complete"
• Priority (Number) — 1-5 scale
• Due Date (Date)

Step 3: Tag Your Files

1. Filter to find project files: descendant_of:equals:"Project Alpha" or name:contains:alpha
2. Select all matching files
3. Apply the project-alpha label
4. Apply info field values (Status, Priority, Due Date)

Step 4: Browse and Filter

Now you can find files in multiple ways:

What You Want	How
All Project Alpha files	Click project-alpha in the Viewpoints Panel → Labels tab
Active files across all projects	Filter: info:has:Status:matching:eq:Active
High-priority files due soon	Filter: info:has:Priority:matching:gte:4 AND info:has:"Due Date":matching:before:2w
All projects by status	Browse the Viewpoints Panel → Info Fields tab → Status

Step 5: Generate Reports

Create a script to produce a project overview:

let projects = ["project-alpha", "project-beta", "project-gamma"];
let doc = report_text_new();
report_text_title(doc, "Project Overview");

for proj in projects {
    let tagged = files(filter("label:\"" + proj + "\""), sort_order("name asc"));
    report_text_heading(doc, 2, proj + " (" + tagged.len().to_string() + " files)");

    let table = report_table_new();
    report_table_column(table, "File");
    report_table_column(table, "Type");
    for f in tagged {
        report_table_add_row(table, [f.name, f.mime_type]);
    }
    report_text_embed_table(doc, table);
}

report_set_text(doc);

Example: Department Filing

For teams, use shared labels and info fields so everyone sees the same organization:

1. Create shared labels: hr, finance, engineering
2. Create a shared info field group "Document Management" with fields: Document Type (Text), Retention Date (Date)
3. Tag files collaboratively — anyone with edit access can add shared metadata
4. Browse by department in the Viewpoints Panel → Shared Labels

Tips

• Start with labels, add info fields later — labels are simpler and cover most tagging needs
• Use Viewpoints as your home base — the Viewpoints Panel gives you a live view of your filing system
• Combine with filters — metadata filters work alongside all other filter conditions (size, date, type, sharing)
• Batch apply — use Select All Matching + Apply Labels to tag large sets of files at once

Learn More

• Getting Started with Metadata — Labels and info fields basics
• Personal Filing System — Private metadata
• Shared Filing System — Collaborative metadata
• Viewpoints Panel — Browsing by metadata
• Reports — Generating reports with scripts