Bluesky is gaining traction this end of 2024, and if you’re on the platform, you need to know your numbers. Want to track your Bluesky stats without the hassle? Google Apps Script and Google Sheets are here to rescue you with a simple, yet powerful solution.
In this blog post, Stéphane Giron provides a guide to tracking Bluesky social media statistics using Google Apps Script and Google Sheets. With the growing popularity of Bluesky it can be useful and interesting to understand the social media dynamic of the platform.
The script he offers tracks metrics such as the number of posts, followers, likes, reposts, and more. Stéphane also details how to install and set up the script, including copying and pasting the provided code, running initialization functions, and scheduling automatic data collection. The result is raw data that users can then use to create graphs and visualize their Bluesky activity over time.
Google Apps Script automates tasks like managing protections in Google Spreadsheets. These protections control user access to specific cells. While scripts exist for this purpose, users still encounter challenges, prompting this report. The report aims to introduce techniques for managing protections using sample scripts, helping users understand and implement this functionality.
Google Sheets aficionados are likely no strangers to the “Protect sheet” and “Protect range” options tucked away in the menus. These features offer a basic level of control over who can edit what within your spreadsheet. But what if you need more dynamic, automated control over these protections? That’s where the power of Google Apps Script and the Sheets API comes into play.
This post from Kanshi Tanaike provides a deep dive into how you can programmatically manage protections in your Google Sheets. While the traditional menu options are great for static scenarios, using Google Apps Script allows you to create more flexible and powerful protection workflows.
Why Go Script?
Dynamic Protections: Instead of manually adjusting protections, you can use scripts to change them based on specific conditions or events within your spreadsheet.
Automation: Integrate protection changes into larger automation workflows, streamlining processes and reducing manual intervention.
Granular Control: Achieve a level of control over cell-level permissions that goes beyond the standard menu options.
Some possible use cases for developers could include:
Approvals Automation: Imagine a scenario where certain parts of a spreadsheet need to be locked down once a manager approves them. With this solution, you could create a script that automatically protects those ranges upon approval.
Time-Limited Editing: Need to open up a section of a spreadsheet for editing only during a specific window of time? You could use Google Apps Script to handle this, automatically protecting
The scripts provided by Kanshi Tanaike offer a starting point for exploring these possibilities.
Quickly copy or move existing files into folders within Google drive via a Google Sheet.
Quickly copy or move existing files into folders via a Google Sheet
The following Google Apps Script tool allows you to quickly copy or move existing files into existing folders within Google/Shared drive. This is quite a niche tool so it is anticipated you would already have a Google Sheet of file IDs/URLs, though there is the option to select an existing Drive folder of files and automatically bring them into this tool.
You can continue to append further rows to the Google Sheet as existing ones will be skipped once the ‘Status’ column has automatically been marked as ‘Completed’. Alternatively you can clear the Sheet each time for a fresh start.
I use Google Apps Script to support staff and students in my job. I enjoy dabbling with creating tools to help with automation and I freely share my learning experiences on my blog, where I also have a number of useful Google Add-ons: www.pbainbridge.co.uk
Quickly append new permissions to existing files within Google Drive. Insert email addresses using a comma-space format with optional notifications.
Quickly append new file permissions via a Google Sheet
The following Google Apps Script tool allows you to quickly append new permissions to existing files within Google/Shared drive. This is quite a niche tool so it is anticipated you would already have a Google Sheet of file IDs/URLs, though there is the option to select an existing Drive folder of files and automatically bring them into this tool.
By inserting email addresses using a comma-and-space format you can optionally select to send a notification email to the new user(s)
You can continue to append further rows to the Google Sheet as existing ones will be skipped once the ‘Status’ column has automatically been marked as ‘Completed’. Alternatively you can clear the Sheet each time for a fresh start.
I use Google Apps Script to support staff and students in my job. I enjoy dabbling with creating tools to help with automation and I freely share my learning experiences on my blog, where I also have a number of useful Google Add-ons: www.pbainbridge.co.uk
Learn how to easily export your WooCommerce customers email, name and address to Google Sheets using Google Apps Script. The script will create a new tab in your Google Sheet and copy the data from the WooCommerce customers table.
If you are a WooCommerce store owner you might be interested in this solution by Amit Agarwal who provides a step-by-step guide on how to export WooCommerce customer data (email, name, address) to Google Sheets using Google Apps Script.
No more manual CSV exports or complex integrations, simply copy the provided script and follow the setup instructions. With this solution you can enhance your workflows, gain insights, and enhance your customer outreach. If you are not an existing WooCommerce user a solution for developers to keep in mind if you are seeking to optimise your Google Workspace add-ons customer experience.
Enhance your Google Sheets skills with this Visual Vocabulary template. Learn how to choose the right charts, create effective visualizations, and design professional-looking dashboards. This comprehensive guide includes 31 common chart types, tips for data organization, and step-by-step instructions for using the SUBTOTAL formula to create interactive “Show/Hide” rows. Perfect for data enthusiasts and spreadsheet users of all levels!
Friend and fellow GDE, Ben Collins, has recently announced a new ‘Sheets Insiders’ membership program where he’ll be sharing some exclusive members-only newsletters, new templates, deep-dive tutorials, and more for both Google Sheets and Apps Script.
If you would like to ‘try before you buy’ Ben has shared the first issue of the Sheets Insiders membership program, featuring a Visual Vocabulary template for Google Sheets. The template is designed to help you in chart selection and the accompanying videos include lots of great tips to help you cleanly format your spreadsheets.
Future Sheets Insiders issues will delve into chart tricks, dropdown menus, interactive elements, AI and Sheets integration, formula challenges, and Apps Script content. The newsletter content will be archived in the Sheets Insiders Content Library for future reference. Click through to read more about Sheets Insiders and get your copy of the Google Sheets Visual Vocabulary Template.
Loop through a Google Sheet cell of comma-space separated email addresses and check their format is valid, otherwise display a user popup.
The following Google Apps Script is designed to loop through a Google Sheet cell of email addresses that have been separated by a comma and space. It then uses a regular expression (regex) to confirm the email address meets the correct formatting criteria.
This code was developed as a way of implementing additional checks when asking users to be precise in how exactly they enter multiple email addresses. So if they were to forget the space for instance it could alert them, before the rest of the code risked failing as whatever task it was designed to do.
I use Google Apps Script to support staff and students in my job. I enjoy dabbling with creating tools to help with automation and I freely share my learning experiences on my blog, where I also have a number of useful Google Add-ons: www.pbainbridge.co.uk
This report proposes a novel learning method using Gemini to automate Q&A generation, addressing the challenges of manual Q&A creation. By integrating with Google tools, this approach aims to enhance learning efficiency, accessibility, and personalization while reducing costs.
The rapid advancement of technology has offered both opportunities and challenges to the education sector. While technology can be a valuable tool for supporting teaching and learning, concerns about its appropriate use have existed for a long time.
The education sector is witnessing an increase in AI tools, each promising to enhance teaching and learning. However, the quality of these tools varies significantly. Some are better designed and can – if used appropriately – can be beneficial, while others are poorly designed. This can make it challenging for educators to find the right solutions that meet their specific needs.
This blog post by Kanshi Tanaike sheds light on the inner workings of some commercial AI tools developed for educators. It demonstrates how these tools can use generative AI to create multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on a given topic. In this particular solution, Google Forms are used in the process, with questions and answers automatically generated by the Gemini API for the user to answer in a Google Form.
For educators who have experience with Google Apps Script, this project looks like a useful starting point to refine and create your own solution or simply used to gain insights into the functioning of similar commercial tools.
Create awesome Jira timelines for multiple projects in Google sheets – zmandel/timeline-jira-google-sheets
Viewing Jira timelines in Google Sheets can be beneficial in a number of ways including allowing you to use the features of Sheets for further analysis and exploration of the data. One such feature is Google Sheet timeline graphs. These can be customisable and let you configure timelines to display specific data, such as issue type, priority, or assignee.
To help with getting your Jira data into Google Sheets, Sig Mandel has recently published a Google Sheets template which you can copy and connect to your Jira data. Features of the template include:
Makes Timelines with Multiple Jira Projects – Create comprehensive timelines that encompass multiple Jira projects, enabling you to visualize and track the progress of related initiatives simultaneously.
Alerts When Issues Are Not Started or Ended on Time – Stay informed with timely alerts that notify you when issues are not started or ended according to their designated timelines. Proactively address potential delays and ensure projects remain on schedule.
View Timelines as Regular Sheets and as Native Timelines – View your timelines in two distinct formats: as traditional spreadsheets for detailed analysis and as visually appealing native timelines that offer a comprehensive overview of project progress.
One Click to View Issue Details or to Open in Jira – Seamlessly access issue details and navigate to the corresponding Jira issues with a single click. Quickly drill down into specific tasks to gain deeper insights and make informed decisions.
Works in “Epics & Stories” and “Stories & Subtasks” Modes for Issue Grouping – Customize your timelines by grouping issues based on “Epics & Stories” or “Stories & Subtasks.” This flexibility allows you to tailor the timeline presentation to your project’s unique structure and requirements.
Keeps All Previously Made Timelines for Easy Comparison – Maintain a historical record of all previously created timelines. Easily compare timelines to identify trends, progress, and areas for improvement over time.
Follow the source link to the GitHub repo, open the template preview link and click ‘Use Template’ to get started.
Search through Google Sheet data and correct the format of any date values to your choosing.
The following Google Apps Script is just one way you could search through data within a Google Sheet, pinpoint all date-values (no matter where they are), check their format (e.g. dd/mm/yyyy) and update it to a format of your choosing if necessary.
This function has been useful when American/British date formats have managed to make their way into a Google Sheet.
I use Google Apps Script to support staff and students in my job. I enjoy dabbling with creating tools to help with automation and I freely share my learning experiences on my blog, where I also have a number of useful Google Add-ons: www.pbainbridge.co.uk
