Google Calendar API authorization - stuck

[selphie8]

Hi mendhak, thanks for writing such a detailed tutorial. I really appreciate it and as it is my first Raspberry Pi project, and I have zero coding experience.

I have been stuck at this section for 3 weeks now, where I can't seem to get the authentication process right.

When I run .venv/bin/python3 screen-calendar-get.py, I get a URL in the Terminal that starts with "https://accounts.google.com/v3/signin/rejected?access_type=offline&app_domain=http://localhost:8
080&client_id=.......".

When I copy pasted that into a Chrome browser, it states "Couldn't sign you in. The browser that you're using doesn't support JavaScript, or has JavaScript turned off. To keep your Google Account secure, try signing in on a browser that has JavaScript turned on.

Thing is, I have set Javascript to be on for all sites, and even added google.com to the sites allowed for Javascript. I have tried different browsers, or ran Google's quickstart.py to test other programs, but experienced the same error.

I even reformatted the SD card and restarted the project twice with the same results. Let me know if you have any idea or need more information of my settings.

Thank you

[mendhak]

Hi I assume in general when logging into G services Chrome works fine?

Assuming yes — I think, looking at that partial URL you posted, this probably doesn't have much to do with the Raspberry Pi/SD card itself, so you probably don't need to reformat. I'm thinking this might have to do with how the application has been set up in Google Cloud Console.

Could you try redoing the project in Google Cloud Console, I've also got a post with screenshots here: #19 (comment)

Create a new project in Google Cloud Console even.

[selphie8]

Hi mendhak, yes logging into G services Chrome works fine.

OK, I have created a new Google Cloud console project just to be sure. And retried as per your instructions with Desktop app.

The Google URL link I received is (updated to remove some details): https://accounts.google.com/v3/signin/rejected?access_type=offline&app_domain=http://localhost:8080&client_id=xxxxxxxxxxgo.apps.googleusercontent.com&continue=https://accounts.google.com/signin/oauth/legacy/consentauthuser%3Dunknown%26part%3DAJi8hANLxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxgo.apps.googleusercontent.com%23&ddm=1&dsh=xxxx1233456&flowName=GeneralOAuthLite&o2v=1&opparams=%253F&rart=ANgoxxxxx&redirect_uri=http://localhost:8080/&response_type=code&rhlk=js&rrk=47&scope=https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.readonly&service=lso&state=xxxx

When I copy pasted the URL to a browser anyway, it states the same thing "Couldn't sign you in. The browser that you're using doesn't support JavaScript, or has JavaScript turned off. To keep your Google Account secure, try signing in on a browser that has JavaScript turned on."

[mendhak]

@selphie8 since so many people have trouble going through GCP's convoluted interface, I've done some setup work today to create an application and I'll see if I could distribute it with this application.

Could you try this now:

Get the latest code, then switch to my testing branch:

git checkout new_google_client_application

After you do that, try running:

.venv/bin/python3 screen-calendar-get.py

And see if it takes you through the process and doesn't complain about javascript.

Note that the main difference here is I've set up the authorization workflow, I don't actually see any of the data, all of that happens between your Raspberry Pi and Google Calendar. I think if this works this would be simpler for users because you're not the first to run into issues with their setups and arbitrary differences. This isn't an uncommon way of distribution usually it's done for desktop applications.

[selphie8]

Hi @mendhak thanks for this.

I'm feeling quite daft as I I'm still encountering issues trying to checkout the new_google_client_application branch. After running "git fetch origin", then running the checkout, i get the error of "error: pathspec 'new_google_client_application' did not match any file(s) known to git"

I can see the branch listed on the GitHub website's branches page, so what am I missing to try this?

I tried to use ChatGPT to help me understand what is going on, and tried their solution of "git checkout -b new_google_client_application origin/new_google_client_application" to checkout the branch, but I am still receiving errors, because the branch is not visible to git.

Super grateful if you can dig me out of this probably simple hole.

[mendhak]

No problem @selphie8

I just tried it on my rpi, so I'll show you what I did, try this:

git fetch --all
git checkout new_google_client_application 

I see this output:

(Worst case, if none of this works, delete the folder and git clone it again then: )

Then, checkout the branch:

git checkout new_google_client_application

To eliminate errors, do some cleanup:

rm -f cache_*
rm token.pickle

Then I ran

.venv/bin/python3 screen-calendar-get.py

A URL appeared, I clicked it, went to the browser. The brower went through the above screenshots.
I ended up on a localhost URL, I opened a new session to the Raspberry Pi. Did the

curl "http://localhost:8080/.....

Then back in the first session, eventually the calendar entries appear.

[selphie8]

Thanks so much for the detailed step-by-step instructions. I did 'git fetch all', somehow don't receive the same "*[new branch] ...." line like yours showed.

And when I checked with git branch -r, the output is:
pi@home:~/waveshare-epaper-display $ git branch -r
origin/HEAD -> origin/master
origin/master

So I think I'll delete and try again. Will report back

[selphie8]

Hi @mendhak , some better news! I redid everything, made sure I enabled popups and Javascript.

When I first did .venv/bin/python3 screen-calendar-get.py, I got the usual rejected sign in URL (at the end) as per the first post above. Upon interrupting and stopping the process, I noticed the 'correct URL' you were referring to when I first ran that code.

It states (URL changed for anonymity):
2025-03-29:21:00:45 INFO [screen-calendar-get.py:98] Fetching Google Calendar Events
Please visit this URL to authorize this application: https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?response_type=code&client_id=xxxxxxx-yyyyy.apps.googleusercontent.com&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%3A8080%2F&scope=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fcalendar.readonly&state=xxxxxyyy&access_type=offline

This was actually the first line of the code before it went to show me a rejected sign in URL due to Javascript.

I progressed to getting the http://localhost ... , did the curl on the URL on a separate terminal screen, but somehow (after 5 minutes) I still didn't get the confirmation that the authorisation is completed. I think I must have messed up the order of how things are done, and the second screen is still running the screen-calendar-get.py without much change (i.e. showing my the rejected sign inURL due to Javascript).

I'm not sure what to expect in either screen as both are stuck and feel that I must be missing something. Hope I explained this issue clearly. Not sure if this is normal, I'm using Pi Zero W H and a 128mb SD card.

[mendhak]

So to be clear, you get that good URL to visit, only after you stop the process on first screen? The reason for asking, that first process sets up a listener on localhost 8080, so if that's interrupted, there's nothing listening.

But what's confusing me is you're saying you get the JavaScript issue again? Even before the correct URL shows?

Something just feels really off.
Could you post some screenshots of that beginning bit. I couldn't understand if you're getting two URLs to visit.

[mendhak]

When you did the second screen to curl localhost, remember to enclose the URL in double quote. Just mentioning it in case.

[selphie8]

Hi @mendhak , I only noticed the good URL that said "2025-03-29:21:00:45 INFO [screen-calendar-get.py:98] Fetching Google Calendar Events
Please visit this URL to authorize this application: https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?response_type=code&client_id=xxxxxxx-yyyyy.apps.googleusercontent.com&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%3A8080%2F&scope=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fcalendar.readonly&state=xxxxxyyy&access_type=offline" AFTER I interrupted the process as the last bit of the screen I'm seeing is the rejected Google sign in URL. It was there the first time I successfully ran the code.

After that, I thought I could reuse that same URL to get authorisation, but apparently the http://localhost... details generates different links each time which I suspect why the process was stuck with both screens despite doing curl (in double quotes).

In my hope to recreate this issue, I removed the waveshare-epaper-display folder and restarted the whole process again, but unfortunately this time I didn't get the "Please visit this URL to authorize this application ... "

See screenshot below. I found that I needed to use "git checkout -b new_google_client_application" to switch branches.

[selphie8]

To add context, in my first run (that was semi successful), the "Please visit this URL for authorisation ... " sentence appeared between the "Fetching Google Calendar Events" and the purple words "Sign in-Google Accounts".

Unfortunately, this time I couldn't recreate that and I'm back to being stuck here. Hope this makes sense.

[selphie8]

On your other question on cookies, I managed to capture 2 out of the 3 cookies questions I get asked (which I clicked Yes each time) once I run .venv/bin/python3 screen-calendar-get.py.

After these 3 permissions, then I get the rejected Google Sign In URL (due to Javascript permission) which you can see above.

[mendhak]

Oh that git checkout -b is actually revealing something - the "b" argument creates a new branch, it doesn't actually switch branches to an existing one! So that means to me you still don't have the repo with all its branches (there are in fact 10 branches in the repo currently).

There's a lot of unusual stuff I'm seeing, that "priority=high allow" bit you've pasted, and the cookie screenshot, I've never seen prompts like those ever! 😲 I don't understand what they are or where they're coming from.

ok 2 minutes...

[mendhak]

OK please remove that repo folder, here's another way to directly get that branch down:

# remove the old directory
cd ~
rm -rf waveshare-epaper-display

# get that specific branch when cloning
git clone --recursive -b new_google_client_application  https://github.com/mendhak/waveshare-ep
aper-display.git

cd waveshare-epaper-display
git status  #  This should show "On branch new_google_client_application"

# install packages
python3 -m venv --system-site-packages .venv
.venv/bin/pip3 install -r requirements.txt

# moment of truth...
.venv/bin/python3 screen-calendar-get.py

Here's the expected output from the last line:

/home/mendhak/projects/waveshare-epaper-display/screen-calendar-get.py:81: DeprecationWarning: datetime.datetime.utcnow() is deprecated and scheduled for removal in a future version. Use timezone-aware objects to represent datetimes in UTC: datetime.datetime.now(datetime.UTC).
  today_start_time = datetime.datetime.utcnow()
2025-03-30:22:01:06 INFO     [screen-calendar-get.py:98] Fetching Google Calendar Events
Please visit this URL to authorize this application: https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?response_type=code&client_id=872428123454-jjp9mvs2ha4at913874ik2ua6fosi23d.apps.googleusercontent.com&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%3A8080%2F&scope=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fcalendar.readonly&state=xxxxxxxxxxxxx&access_type=offline
gio: https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?response_type=code&client_id=872428123454-jjp9mvs2ha4at913874ik2ua6fosi23d.apps.googleusercontent.com&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%3A8080%2F&scope=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fcalendar.readonly&state=xxxxxxx&access_type=offline: Operation not supported

Notice the "872428123454-jjp9mvs2ha4at913874ik2ua6fosi23d.apps.googleusercontent.com" - that's the Client ID I created.

Importantly you'll know it's the right branch when that URL you go to has "Mendhak Waveshare Epaper Display" written on it.