New Year, Cleaner Docs List

Do you organize your Google Docs based on cyclical activities such as school semesters or business quarters? Have you tried using Collections paired with the "Don't show in Home" feature of Docs?  Try it!

The idea is that you want to keep these Google Docs but you don't want them showing up in Home.  The goal is somewhat similar to the "Archive" feature in Gmail.  This is for those who like a clean Docs List.

For students, a new year means new classes which hopefully means new Google Docs! But first let's clean the existing Docs List.  Let's take this from the student's standpoint.

The Cleaning
First off, we need to create little bins for last semester's Docs.  If you haven't already, I suggest creating a collection for each class.   Click on the Create button and choose Collection.

Creating a New Collection

Next, name the Collection.

Naming a Collection

You're done!  Now, we must find the Google Docs to put in our new Collection.  Find these Docs, select their check boxes, choose More and then Organize.

Applying Docs to a Collection

Navigate to the Collection and click on the check box to show a blue check.

Choosing the Collection

Repeat these steps until you are happy with your Docs and Collections.  Cleaning done!

The "Archive"

The final step is to keep the Docs from showing up when Home is selected from the left pane.  This is the default selection when the Docs List is opened.

Select the Collection you would like to "Archive" from the left menu.  Select all Docs in that Collection by choosing the uppermost check box.  Choose More and Don't show in Home.

Now these Docs have been "Archived."  They will no longer show up in Home even if they are edited by you or other collaborators.  This is different from Gmail, in that if someone responds to an archived message it will reappear in your Inbox.

This method can easily be undone by completing the last step again.  "Don't show in Home" will be replaced by "Show in Home" in the More menu.

Cheers!

Current healthz/404 Redirect Problem

There is a rather major issue right now affecting some users of consumer (maybe apps) accounts when it comes to accessing the Docs List.  The Docs List is accessed by clicking on Documents from your Gmail or by going to docs.google.com and signing into your account.  Users affected are being redirected to docs.google.com/healthz which results in a 404 Error.

For those of you posting on the forum, please know that Google is aware of the issue and trying to isolate the problem.

If you are experiencing the problem please post on the main thread that I have targeted here:


Healthz/404 Error Redirect Help Forum Thread

Rebecca is requesting IP addresses of those experiencing the issue.  In addition, please include whether you are on a free consumer account (@gmail.com @yahoo.com etc.) or Apps account (@yourdomain).

In the meantime, if you are unable to access your Docs List try accessing your browser history.  When you open a Google Doc this is like going to a webpage and each Google Doc has a unique URL.  You should be able to click on the URL from your browser history to access your Google Doc.


Just a quick note about writing on the forums:  I do my best to keep the forums organized but you will see quicker responses by posting in the correct section.  For example, this is a problem affecting the Docs List which means the appropriate place for a thread of this nature is in the Docs List section under Report a Problem.

Hopefully this gets resolved soon!  And always, if you have any suggestions or information you would like to provide about this problem please do so on the forum thread.  The more information the better!

Cheers!

New Docs List UI - Viewing Density

Ok so this is wonderful.  Today Google Docs is fully rolling out the new UI for the Docs List.  But the thing I am most excited about is Viewing Density!  You have the ability to choose how dense your Docs List appears.  This works by changing the amount of white space between Docs in the Docs List.  Currently there are three settings Comfortable, Cozy, and Compact.  Personally, I enjoy the least white space between Docs as possible (Compact View).  To change the viewing density click on the little gear in the top right corner (not the complete upper right corner).  The mouse over should say "Settings."  You can then choose your density and see a real-time change.

Enjoy!

Tip for Finding "lost" Docs

Occasionally users will not be able to find their Docs in the their Docs List. As much as people think Google does something to remove their Docs they rarely disappear because of something Google did.  Below are a few tips for finding these lost Docs.

1. Search for the Doc in the search bar in the Docs List by the title of the Doc (assuming you know it).
2. Search using "*" which will return all of the Docs in your Docs List regardless of whether or not you have chosen to "not show them in Home."
3. Check your browser history for recent viewings of your Google Docs.  Each Doc has its own URL which is saved in your browser history (assuming you don't delete browser history every so often).
4. Check the Trash.

Keep in mind that if you are NOT the owner of a Doc and the owner deletes it, the Doc is gone forever.

If you are still unable to find the Doc then maybe there is a problem on Google's end.  I've seen posts on the forums where Docs disappear only to reappear later. Sometime a little time shakes things out.

Cheers!