The get methods for several color objects in the Spreadsheet Service have been deprecated in favor of a new naming convention. The functionality remains the same. For example, the getFontColor() method from the Range class has been replaced with getFontColorObject().
Check out the source link for details of which Spreadsheet Services have been updated.
No Google Apps Script SDK for your favorite API? No problem!
I’ve never seen a Google Apps Script SDK made available as part of an API, as, surprise surprise, it’s not the most popular choice for professional development. It’s time to start changing that, so we will learn to build our own!
[Editor note: Really impressive work from Dmitry providing a framework you can use to develop your own service for interacting with 3rd party APIs. The post includes lots of clear instructions and guidance to help you understand and learn about approaches for structuring your Google Apps Script code projects]
A simple and small Google Apps Script library for quickly and easily finding and updating records in Google Sheets with a familiar ORM-like syntax
Following our previous post on Converting Google Sheets cell values to an object array, Vance Lucas (@vlucas) got in touch to highlight the SheetQuery library he has created which as well as being able to get Google Sheet data as an object array has some additional nice features for updating cell values. As Vance highlights:
sometimes working with spreadsheets to find and update specific rows of data can be awkward and tedious. There is no direct built-in way to search for specific values in rows by headings. To do this with the Google-supplied APIs, you have to keep track of row index numbers, column index numbers, and arrays of row data while planning your updates. It’s not fun code to write, and it’s relatively error-prone, especially if you are deleting rows, which causes the row index numbers to shift dynamically.
The library includes a .where method which can be used to apply a filtering function to select the rows of a spreadsheet to be read and/or updated. If you are regularly developing scripts that interact with Google Sheets data this can be a great library to keep in mind.
This is a sample script for converting the values of Google Spreadsheet to an object using Google Apps Script.
I have a minor obsession with methods for converting Google Sheets data to an object array. Over the years I’ve documented various approaches I’ve developed on my personal site, like this one, but this solution from Kanshi Tanaike has to be my new favourite:
For the first time, Google Forms has an API and we are going to show you how you can use it and what’s in it. The new Google Forms API joins the large family of APIs available to developers under the Google Workspace Platform. The Forms API provides programmatic access for managing forms, acting on responses, and empowering developers to build powerful integrations on top of Forms.
Some additional resources to support the general availability of the Google Forms API have been published. This post includes information on the key use cases which are supported by the API:
Automated form creation and editing: Enables automated form creation and editing. Enables rapid form generation from large volume question banks or other data backends.
Reaction to Form responses: The API also enables developers to build automations for acting on incoming responses. Examples include developing real-time dashboards or visualizations and triggering business workflows based on response data.
Given the existing widespread use of Google Forms in education it was nice for this to be acknowledged and also to see Automagical Forms getting mentioned.
The Google Forms API provides programmatic access for managing Google Forms and acting on responses— empowering developers to build powerful integrations on top of Forms.
Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers and users with personal Google Accounts
We’ve shared a couple of updates on the new Google Forms API previously here on Apps Script Pulse. The good news is the Forms API is now out of beta and available for testing and deployment. For Google Apps Script devs I’m sure you are thinking ‘but we can use the Forms Service?’ You can and likely in most instances to be the first port of call, but the new API brings some additional functionality not supported in Forms Service, in particular, a trigger when a Google Form is edited.
This article will look at some of the opportunities you’ll have when you pull in your libraries inline rather than leaving them as references to external files, all without leaving the IDE
For the more advanced Google Apps Script developer this is a great article to get your teeth into which should also hopefully give you some tips to help manage and maintain complex Apps Script projects.
Google Cloud Innovator’s inaugural event, Innovators Hive is a virtual, global, and free event limited to 1,000 developers and practitioners. Organized for and with the Cloud community, it focuses on deep technical content presented by Champion Innovator and Google thought leaders and luminaries.
Google Cloud Innovators is a new program created by Google for anyone using Google Cloud to come together as a community to learn, share and collaborate:
You know Google Cloud. Now it’s time for Google Cloud to get to know you.
Join the program by claiming the Innovators Program badge on your developer profile. From the beginning, you will receive invitations to hear from Google Cloud executives and Developer Advocates, roadmap presentations, and a chance for an invitation to join our new series of Innovator community events.
We’re just getting started. We are working on customizing experiences across Google Cloud to incorporate your identity as an Innovator, and make your time with Cloud a more personal and collaborative journey.
As part of the Google Cloud Innovator program Google is hosting ‘Innovators Hive’, 29-30 March 2022. This is a free event where you can hear from Google and community contributors about the latest developments in Google Cloud. There isn’t a published programme yet but you can get a sense of what will be talked about from the featured speakers page.
A number of Google Workspace experts will be contributing sessions to Innovator Hive, many of whom we’ve featured regularly here in Apps Script Pulse, including:
Charles Maxson
Christian Schalk
Clay Smith
Adam Morris
Alice Keeler
Jasper Duizendstra
Scott Donald
Sourabh Choraria
There will be a couple of community meetups for folks who build solutions on Google Workspace or for folks who are curious about what the possibilities are. One of these will be a Totally Unscripted reunion where I’ll be joining Charles Maxson which will be an opportunity to ask a question or share your ideas about Workspace Development.
To join this event if not already a Google Cloud Innovator check out the Google Cloud Innovators program page to become a member, then register for Innovators Hive 2022. Both Google Cloud Innovator and Innovator Hive are FREE!
I’ve long been interested in using one of the big office productivity platforms to build an embedded add-on. For a solo developer it’s a no-brainer: the platform takes care of the requirements above, and when the platform has a marketplace, there’s even a ready to go distribution channel to take it to market! The only real reason I’ve resisted it so far is fear of the slog of platform approval processes and required collateral. In this story I’ll explain how I felt the fear and did it anyway 😀
Google OAuth verification and Workspace Add-on app review can be quite daunting the first time you go through the process. In this post from Gareth Cronin he shares his own personal journey getting his JIT Time Google Calendar Add-on verified and approved. There are some great tips and resources shared in the post including how to show the OAuth client ID in the add-on demo video submitted as part of the verification processes.
Amit Agarwal has recently been busy continuing to publish lots of incredibly useful Google Apps Script tips and snippets on his ‘Digital Inspiration’ blog. Three recent posts might be of particular interest to Google Workspace administrators:
[This Google Apps] Scripts gets the name and email address of users in the organization and saves the list inside a Google Spreadsheet. This script can only be executed by the domain administrator.
Learn how the Google Workspace admin can change the Google account passwords of multiple users in their organization automatically with Google Apps Script.
