AppsScriptPulse

Uploading multiple records with the Salesforce API using Google Apps Script

Image credit: Eduardo Ramon Resser

Sometimes, when using Salesforce, we come across the situation of needing to upload several object records at once, such as accounts, contacts, tasks, etc.

There are several ways to resolve this issue. One approach that can be efficient is through Google Sheets, especially if you want to “convert” each row in a table into separate records in Salesforce.

In the example of this article, I will talk about an implementation for bulk exporting of tasks using information contained in a table in Google Sheets using the Salesforce API.

This post on interacting with the Salesforce API highlights the tricky situation of handling different user credentials. The author comes up with a clever solution of using user owned Google Docs as a way to store different identities. Another approach is to use Google Apps Script’s Properties Service. The Properties Service includes an option to store User Properties which are only accessible to the user running the script.  The downside of this approach is you then have to create UI for the user to input properties.

Source: Uploading Multiple Records Via Salesforce API Using Google Apps Script

Import CSV data into Google Sheet using Google Apps Script

Loop through CSV files in Google Drive and extract their contents into specific areas in Google Sheet files.

CSV File template to copy data into

CSV File template to copy data into

The following Google Apps Script is designed to loop through a folder of CSV files in Google Drive, extract the data, create a Google Sheet file per CSV, and insert the data into specific rows/columns.

Source: The Gift of Script: Import CSV data into Google Sheet files

An automatic random team maker using Google Apps Script

In this post, we’re going to look at a script to be able to make even teams from a selection of players. I play football every Sunday and every week my friends sign up to play and most weeks there are different players playing, so we end up having to make the teams, and trying to do it as fairly as we can, which inevitably takes some time.

Nice ‘weekend project’ from Baz Roberts highlighting how Google Apps Script can be used to do a weighted random shuffle of data. The post includes a line-by-line explanation of what the script is doing and a great resource if you are at the beginning of your Apps Script journey.

Source: Automatic Team Maker — Apps Script (also available on bazroberts.com)

Creating a custom workflows using Google Forms and Google Sheets for provisioning virtual machines (VM) in Google Cloud

Is it possible to integrate Google Workspace tools such as Calendar, Sheets, and Forms with Workflows? For example, can you trigger a workflow from a Google Form or a Sheet? Turns out, this is not only possible but also easier than you might think. Let me show you how with a sample use case.

One of the great things about Google Workspace is there is never ‘one’ solution, there is enough flexibility for you to implement one of many workflows. A case in point is this post highlighting a Google Forms/Sheets powered approval system for allocating virtual machines (VM) to your users. As part of this the workflow includes calling the Compute Engine API to create the VM in Google Cloud.

Source: Triggering Workflows from Google Sheets

AppSheet/PayPal integrated payment solutions and tips on handling data in Google Sheets

In this post I’ll provide an overview of how PayPal was integrated into AppSheet with the help of Google Apps Script. Even if you are not interested in payment integrations this post also hopefully pulls together useful tips, best practices and code patterns for reading/writing data to Google Sheets.

Hopefully this post illustrates not only just a method for integrating a PayPal payment processor into an AppSheet app, but also a method which can generally be used to extend AppSheet functionality with Google Apps Script powered Web Apps.

As a bonus you also get some of my top tips for interacting with data in Google Sheets including efficiently reading/writing data for multiple users without concurrent overwrites.

Source: AppSheet/PayPal integrated payment solutions and tips on handling data in Google Sheets

Search Google Drive for ‘Shared with me’ with Google Apps Script

Search Google Drive for all of the files found in the Shared with me space and collate the results into a Google Sheet.

Search Google Drive 'Shared with me' and collate the results

Search Google Drive ‘Shared with me’ and collate the results

It will collate the following information into a Google Sheet:

  • The file name as a direct clickable link,
  • The file ID,
  • The type of file eg PDF, Google Sheet/Doc,
  • The file creation date,
  • The file last updated date,
  • The folder path,
  • The file owner.

Source: The Gift of Script: Search Google Drive for Shared with me

Update Notion Databases from a Google Sheet (with Apps Script)

Phew — after two days of trying to find a solution for how to accomplish a popular, reasonable set of tasks in Notion’s API, I wanted to do my duties as a Google Developer Expert and blog the solution for others to use.

A familiar story for many developers is getting stuck on a problem. Max Brawer takes some time out to share how he solved a recent problem interacting with the Notion API with Google Apps Script. Max’s post includes lots of great tips for unpicking the steps required to get Apps Script talking to Notion.

Source: Update Notion Databases from a Google Sheet (with Apps Script)

Create a room availability dashboard for Google Workspace with onleetable and Apps Script

Make a Room availability dasboard for your Google Workspace domain wihtin a minute with onleetable and Google Apps Script

This post from Stéphane Giron caught my eye for a couple of reasons. Besides a quick and easy solution for displaying room availability in an attractive table as a bonus you can see/copy the script Stéphane uses to extract calendar data into a Google Sheet. Follow the source link for the code and more details.

Source: Create a room availability dashboard for Google Workspace with onleetable and Apps Script

Duplicate Filter Views in selected Google Sheet tabs with Google Apps Script

While there is not way to directly duplicate Filter Views into other sheet tabs in Google Sheets we can do this with a little bit of Google Apps Script magic.

In this tutorial, we will walk through how to duplicate all filter views from a source Google Sheets tab and duplicate them into selected sheets tab.

We’ll start off with an example sheet to better understand what we are going to achieve and then share the code along with a quick-use guide for those of you who want to to just get in and use the script in your own project.

This tutorial from Scott Donald is a great opportunity to learn more about manipulating Filtered Views in Google Sheets and as a bonus you may pick up some tips on how to use the Sheets Advanced Service.

Source: Duplicate Filter Views in Selected Google Sheet Tabs with Google Apps Script – Yagisanatode

Google Sheets gets named functions, XLOOKUP and more

In August 2022, Google announced named functions and 9 other new functions in Google Sheets. Named Functions let you save and name your own custom formulas, built with regular Sheets functions, and then re-use them in other Google Sheet files. It’s a HUGE step toward making formulas reusable. Learn about them all here!

Ben Collins is incredibly talented at communicating technical information in a non-technical way. This post is a great example where Ben covers the latest Google announcement on 10 new Google Sheets functions. The two standout ones are Named Functions which lets you make your own reusable function of functions, and something I’m sure many MS Excel users would appreciate, XLOOKUP.

Source: New Functions In Google Sheets For 2022