AppsScriptPulse

AppSheet, No Code

NEW AppSheet Admin Console in Public Preview! Key AppSheet licensing considerations for Admins

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Image credit: Google

Workspace admins with the AppSheet service privilege now have visibility into the activities of their users, apps and licenses via the new AppSheet Admin Console

The Google AppSheet team recently announced the public preview of a new AppSheet Admin Console. The new Console gives Workspaces Admins greater visibility of AppSheet usage within their domain, including AppSheet Core users. The new Console is a big step forward in providing admins a centralized platform to monitor and manage AppSheet usage, licensing, and governance.

Key features include:

  • Insights into popular apps and top creators
  • Detailed app ownership and usage data
  • Comprehensive view of app users across the organization
  • Easy access to app sharing settings, performance, audit history, and version history
  • Exportable lists of accounts, users, apps, and licenses
  • User role management within the organization
  • Verification of AppSheet licenses (purchased, assigned, and used)
  • Access to usage monitoring data, even without an enterprise license

The linked announcement page also highlights some planned new features for the new Console include: historical app usage, individual app copy or transfer, self-serve provisioning, external user licensing, and a default organization model for new Workspace customers who purchase AppSheet Enterprise.

A key addition to the new Console is the AppSheet licensing summary. There are some important considerations Admins should start thinking about around AppSheet licenses, in particular, the creation or sharing of AppSheet apps with Enterprise features to unlicenced or Core users.

Previously under the legacy Team licensing model it was possible for an AppSheet Core user to create and share apps with AppSheet Enterprise features. As Google moves to an assigned model Admins will need to reconcile the required licenses for their domain. The good news is Google has said

“In the short team, no users will be blocked. Admins will be given several months advanced notice before stricter license enforcement.”

There is also more information on How AppSheet Enterprise Plus licenses are provisioned.

Source: AppSheet Admin Console in Public Preview!

Add-on, Gotchas, Chat, Intermediate

Google Chat Apps: Publication experiences on the Google Workspace Marketplace

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Image credit: Anton Shevchuk

It has finally happened! Bot Bender 2.0 is now available for installation from the Google Workspace Marketplace. In this post, I will walk you through the steps needed to get to the marketplace.

We’ve shared a couple of journeys to Google Workspace Marketplace publication but this is the first I’ve seen for publishing a Google Chat App. For people who have gone through the process it’s probably a familiar story of back and forth with the Marketplace review team.

In this post Anton Shevchuk shares how his Chat App received multiple rejects due to issues with the location of the support/privacy pages. The moral of the story is to be persistent, and don’t hesitate to push back if you believe the reviewers are mistaken. The post from Anton also outlines the other steps involved, including connecting the Google Workspace Marketplace SDK and configuring app visibility settings.

Source: Google Chat Bot. Publication on Google Workspace Marketplace

Official News

Google Workspace Developer News: Create and organize Docs with the new ‘tabs’ API methods and more

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A slightly shorter Google Workspace Developer News episode this month from Chanel Greco (Google Workspace, DevRel). New features for developers include using the Google Docs API or Apps Script to create and organize documents with tabs. Google Meet Add-ons now have the ability to end collaborations programmatically. Google Chat apps have expanded card interface features, such as Material Design buttons and ChipList widgets.

Lastly, developers are encouraged to use Cloud Client Libraries when calling Chat API for improved efficiency. You can find out more about all these updates by following the source link.

Source: Create and organize Docs with tabs, more card interface features for Google Chat, and more!

Solutions, Calendar, Beginner

Supercharge your Google Calendars: Solve the multi-calendar dilemma with SyncFreeBusy

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Introduction Managing multiple calendars can be complex, particularly when it comes to accurately reflecting availability across different contexts—work, personal, and project-specific.

Use Cases

  • Multi-Calendar Management: Useful for managing both personal and work calendars, ensuring that colleagues or friends can see when you’re actually available.
  • Team Collaboration: Helps maintain clarity around availability in team environments.
  • Event Coordination: Assists in coordinating events across multiple calendars by providing a unified view of availability.

SyncFreeBusy is a handy solution published by Jasper Duizendstra designed to synchronize events between a primary and secondary Google Calendars. It can be used to provide a unified free/busy status across different calendars, preventing scheduling conflicts and reducing manual overhead.

The script works by fetching events from both calendars, creating corresponding “blocking events” in the other calendar to mark busy times, and periodically cleaning up obsolete events. The solution is achieved using Google Apps Script which can easily be setup to run on a timed trigger and also allows for easy customisation to your specific needs.

The script is available on GitHub for those interested in trying it out, just follow the source link below.

Source: SyncFreeBusy: Addressing Calendar Management Gaps

Library, Snippet, Solutions, V8, Advanced

Kickstart Your Apps Script Projects with the Pinnacle of My Development — The Apps Script Engine

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Welcome to the culmination of my Google Apps Script development journey — the Apps Script Engine. This isn’t just another template; it results from countless hours of refinement, driven by the passion to create the ultimate tool for Apps Script developers. Every ounce of my experience, every lesson learned, has been poured into building this robust, opinionated, yet highly configurable template. It’s designed to empower you to confidently and easily tackle even the most complex projects.

Developing Google Apps Script projects can be a pain, especially when dealing with modern JavaScript features like ES6 modules, the need for fast local development, and integrating NPM modules. The Apps Script Engine Template tackles these challenges head-on, offering:

  1. Seamless ES6 Modules Integration: Finally, you can use this missing JavaScript feature with Apps Script.
  2. Blazing Fast Local Development: Mock functions and promisified google.script.run calls make local development a breeze.
  3. Front-End Framework Support: Includes Alpine.js and Tailwind CSS out of the box, with easy TypeScript integration.
  4. NPM Module Support: Integrate NPM modules into front-end and back-end code effortlessly.
  5. Automated Testing: Set up with Jest, so you can ensure your code works as expected.
  6. CI/CD Integration: Easy integration with tools like GitHub Actions and Cloud Build ensures smooth, automated deployments.
  7. Environment Management: Easily manage different environments (DEV, UAT, PROD) with specific configurations.

[Editor] This post from Dmitry Kostyuk introduces the Apps Script Engine, a template designed to streamline Google Apps Script development. It addresses common challenges by providing seamless integration of ES6 modules, fast local development, support for front-end frameworks and NPM modules, automated testing, CI/CD integration, and environment management.

The template simplifies the setup process, allowing developers to quickly create new projects. It offers a well-structured file system, including folders for compiled files, environment management tools, and source code.
Key features include the ability to use NPM modules in both client-side and server-side code, a custom Vite plugin for bundling, and Git hooks for automated formatting and testing. The template also facilitates environment management, making it easy to deploy code to different Google Apps Script projects.

For web apps, the template supports local development with a development server, and it provides a promisified version of google.script.run for cleaner code even allowing the easy mocking of server-side functions for realistic testing. The template also allows you to build scripts for different environments and even supports deploying libraries to NPM.

This is an incredibly impressive piece of work and Dmitry is encouraging contributions: “Your feedback, fresh ideas, and contributions are not just welcome — they’re what will make this tool even better. Let’s push the boundaries of what we can achieve with Google Apps Script together!”

Source: Kickstart Your Apps Script Projects with the Pinnacle of My Development — The Apps Script Engine

AppSheet, Vertex AI, No Code

More than meets the AI: How AppSheet and the Gemini API can transform businesses

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Image credit: Google

I recently explored the transformative power of Generative AI (GenAI) and how it’s reshaping the business landscape in a thought leadership piece for my employer, Appsbroker | CTS. Drawing from my experience in Gemini for Workspace pilots and custom GenAI solutions using the Gemini API in Vertex AI, I highlighted how AppSheet, a no/low-code platform, can be a game-changer.

AppSheet simplifies the integration of GenAI capabilities, enabling rapid prototyping and tailored solutions that deliver real-world results, whilst still benefiting from integrations into Google Workspace. I believe it’s a cost-effective and impactful way to harness GenAI’s potential without blowing the budget. In the article, I share some examples and the benefits of using AppSheet for GenAI innovation.

Curious to learn more? Join me at the Google Workspace Developer Summit in Berlin on September 17th, where I’ll be discussing AppSheet integrations, Gemini Function Calling, and more.

Source: More than meets the AI: why planning ahead is vital to reap the rewards of GenAI

Community News

Celebrating 15 years of Apps Script 🎉 🥂

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Today is a special milestone for Google Apps Script, as it marks its 15th year anniversary of its release back on August 19th, 2009! 🎉 🥂Since its release back in the day when Google Workspace was still known as Google Apps, Apps Script has been regularly leveraged by literally millions of users ranging from standard end users to professional developers and everything in between to automate and customize solutions to make their work (and play) better. 👩‍💻

To note the occasion, Google Technical Writer (and renown Apps Script expert & biggest fan 😍) Kara Ireland and I [Charles Maxson] put out a little YouTube Short video that we’d love to get trending to let folks see how Apps Script is still appreciated after all those years, so give it a ‘like’ and share it along if you will please 🙂

It’s that time of year again when we celebrate the launch of Google Apps Script. As well as this YouTube short from Kara Ireland and Charles Maxson there is an accompanying LinkedIn post worth checking out, particularly the comments section which has attracted responses from the great and the good, as well as some Apps Script ‘archive’ materials.

In my early days of Apps Scripting I would often be asked, would the product survive. In many ways not only has Apps Script survived but in many ways thrived. That’s not to say it’s the perfect product. There are a number of areas where I’m sure myself and others would like to see Apps Script developed.

However, I still see many positive signs that Apps Script will be supported as a product. The advent of GenAI solutions like Gemini for Workspace have opened Apps Script up to a whole new audience, not only to people who are ‘gen creators’ and able to create script solutions mainly by prompts, but also developments in GenAI solutions to write and execute code.

So Happy Birthday Apps Script and here’s to many more!

Source: Charles Maxson – LinkedIn Post

Official News, Chat, Intermediate

Google Workspace Developer Preview Program: New Card UI in Chat

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You can apply to join the Google Workspace Developer Preview Program to get early access to certain features. Features in developer preview have already completed early development phases, so they’re ready for implementation. This program gives you the chance to shape the final stages of feature development with feedback, get pre-release support, and have your integration ready for public use on launch day.

The Google Workspace Developer Preview Program (DPP) gives you early access to new features. If you are developing Google Workspace products and solutions, it’s a great way to stay ahead of the curve and provide feedback before feature release. Anyone can apply to join the DPP, just follow the source link, but note that you can’t enroll with a gmail.com account.

New Google Chart Card UI has just been added for buttons, chips, collapsible sections, and overflow menus. These additions extend the capability of Google Chat, allowing the possibility for users to interact with external tools and services without leaving the chat and continually having to context switch.

The public documentation page includes a list of all active developer previews. While these pages don’t offer visuals of the features, existing DPP members received a nice set of visuals in the email update. This example includes chips and a customizable control button for a collapsible section:

I’d highly recommend registering for the DPP so you can see what is coming in Google Workspace.

Source: Developer Preview Program  |  Google Workspace  |  Google for Developers

Library, Solutions, Beginner

UtlApp: A Versatile Google Apps Script Library for array, binary, and string processing

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This is a Google Apps Script library including useful scripts for supporting to development of applications by Google Apps Script. In the current stage, the 3 categories “For array processing”, “For binary processing”, and “For string processing” are included in this library.

Google Apps Script developers often find themselves grappling with repetitive tasks particularly when handling Google Sheets data like array manipulation and A1 notation handling. Fortunately, this little versatile library from Kanshi Tanaike called UtlApp is here to help you simplify many of these common challenges.

Array Processing Made Easy

UtlApp includes a number of powerful array processing methods that can significantly streamline your code. Need to rearrange your data? The transpose method makes it effortless to flip your rows and columns. Want to extract specific data points? getSpecificColumns allows you to pinpoint and retrieve the exact columns you need. Dealing with large datasets? Quickly identify the first empty row or column using get1stEmptyRow and get1stEmptyColumn. And when it’s time to convert your array data into a more structured format, convArrayToObject can transform it into a JSON object, ready for further manipulation or integration.

Simplifying String Processing

UtlApp helps with common string processing tasks specifically for Google Sheets users. With columnLetterToIndex and columnIndexToLetter, you can convert between column letters and indices, making it simpler to work with spreadsheet data. UtlApp also offers convenient methods for managing A1Notations, such as consolidating scattered ranges using consolidateA1Notations or expanding them with expandA1Notations.

Handling Binary Data

UtlApp doesn’t stop at arrays and strings; it can also handle Blobs with the blobToDataUrl method. This function can convert Blob data into a convenient data URL format, making it suitable for embedding images or other binary content directly within HTML or CSS. This simplifies the process of working with Blobs in web-based Google Apps Script applications.

Effortless Integration

Adding UtlApp to your Google Apps Script project is a breeze! You have three convenient options: add the library directly using its project key, copy the individual script source files for array, binary, and string processing or copy individual functions  into your project.

To find out more follow the source link to the GitHub repository.

Source: GitHub – tanaikech/UtlApp

Solutions, AI, Forms, Sheets, Vertex AI, Intermediate

Using Google Forms and the Gemini API to automate creation of multiple choice questions (MCQs)

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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.

Source: A Novel Approach to Learning: Combining Gemini with Google Apps Script for Automated Q&A