title: how to use the Google Docs API from PHP on a shared hosting plan?
body: <p>I would like to read-write specific cells in a Google Spreadsheet, but I'm puzzled by the lot of information on the internet about how to do it. I only have access to shared hosting (which means an FTP access and a control panel), not a virtual server.</p>
  
  <p>In the Google Docs official API page it only has PHP support in version 1, which says its deprecated, and it's already at version 3, so I shouldn't start using that. </p>
  
  <p>On this page: <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/docs/client-libraries.html" rel="nofollow">http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/docs/client-libraries.html</a> it says that the PHP client library is </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Distributed as part of zend.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>while on this page: <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/articles/php_client_lib.html" rel="nofollow">http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/articles/php_client_lib.html</a> it says </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>The client library is part of the
    open-source Zend Framework but can
    also be downloaded as a standalone
    version.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>My biggest problem is that I have never used Zend and I don't know how to use it or how to install/update its packages. Is it possible to install/update this framework and its packages from a simple shared hosting user? Or I'm stuck with what I find on a particular hosting company's servers?</p>
  
  <p>I've downloaded the latest version from this page: <a href="http://framework.zend.com/download/gdata" rel="nofollow">http://framework.zend.com/download/gdata</a> and in its INSTALL file it says: </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Zend Framework requires no special
    installation steps. Simply download
    the framework, extract it to the
    folder you would like to keep it in,
    and add the library directory to your
    PHP include_path. To use components in
    the extras library, add the
    extras/library directory to your PHP
    include_path, as well. If you would
    like to use Zend_Tool, simply add
    bin/zf.bat (for Windows) or bin/zf.sh
    (for anything else) to your system
    executable path.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I think include_path means some variable in php.ini, not something what I have access to. 
  <strong>Can I just simply download/extract zend to my folder and do include_once() at a start of my code?</strong></p>