Update a space

This guide explains how to use the patch method on the Space resource of the Google Chat API to update a space. Update a space to change attributes about a space, like its user-visible display name, description, and guidelines.

The Space resource represents a place where people and Chat apps can send messages, share files, and collaborate. There are several types of spaces:

  • Direct messages (DMs) are conversations between two users or a user and a Chat app.
  • Group chats are conversations between three or more users and Chat apps.
  • Named spaces are persistent places where people send messages, share files, and collaborate.

Prerequisites

Python

Node.js

Update a space

To update an existing space in Google Chat, pass the following in your request:

  • Specify the chat.spaces authorization scope.
  • Call the patch method on the Space resource. In your request, you specify the space name field, the updateMask field with one or more fields to update, and a body with the updated space information.

You can update things like the display name, space type, history state, and more. To see all the fields you can update, see the reference documentation.

Here's how to update the spaceDetails field of an existing space:

Python

  1. In your working directory, create a file named chat_space_update.py.

  2. Include the following code in chat_space_update.py:

    from google_auth_oauthlib.flow import InstalledAppFlow
from googleapiclient.discovery import build

# Define your app's authorization scopes.
# When modifying these scopes, delete the file token.json, if it exists.
SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.spaces"]

def main():
    '''
    Authenticates with Chat API via user credentials,
    then updates the specified space description and guidelines.
    '''

    # Authenticate with Google Workspace
    # and get user authorization.
    flow = InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(
                      'client_secrets.json', SCOPES)
    creds = flow.run_local_server()

    # Build a service endpoint for Chat API.
    chat = build('chat', 'v1', credentials=creds)

    # Use the service endpoint to call Chat API.
    result = chat.spaces().patch(

      # The space to update, and the updated space details.
      #
      # Replace {space} with a space name.
      # Obtain the space name from the spaces resource of Chat API,
      # or from a space's URL.
      name='spaces/SPACE',
      updateMask='spaceDetails',
      body={

        'spaceDetails': {
          'description': 'This description was updated with Chat API!',
          'guidelines': 'These guidelines were updated with Chat API!'
        }

      }

    ).execute()

    # Prints details about the updated space.
    print(result)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

  3. In the code, replace SPACE with a space name, which you can obtain from the spaces.list method in the Chat API, or from a space's URL.

  4. In your working directory, build and run the sample:

    python3 chat_space_update.py

Node.js

  1. In your working directory, create a file named update-space.js.

  2. Include the following code in update-space.js:

    const chat = require('@googleapis/chat');
const {authenticate} = require('@google-cloud/local-auth');

/**
* Updates a Chat space with the description and guidelines.
* @return {!Promise<!Object>}
*/
async function updateSpace() {
  const scopes = [
    'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.spaces',
  ];

  const authClient =
      await authenticate({scopes, keyfilePath: 'client_secrets.json'});

  const chatClient = await chat.chat({version: 'v1', auth: authClient});

  return await chatClient.spaces.patch({
    name: 'spaces/SPACE',
    updateMask: 'spaceDetails',
    requestBody: {
      spaceDetails: {
        description: 'This description was updated with Chat API!',
        guidelines: 'These guidelines were updated with Chat API!'
      },
    }
  });
}

updateSpace().then(console.log);

  3. In the code, replace SPACE with a space name, which you can obtain from the spaces.list method in the Chat API, or from a space's URL.

  4. In your working directory, run the sample:

    node update-space.js

The Google Chat API returns an instance of the Space resource reflecting the updates.