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Google Sheets API and Automation

27 posts · Nov 2006 – Jul 2023

What this trail covers

Google Sheets API has evolved to provide developers with programmatic access to create, manage, and retrieve data from Google Forms. This enables automation of form creation, data collection, and integration with other applications and workflows. Early efforts focused on the core functionality of Google Forms as a user-facing tool. Subsequent developments have focused on exposing this functionality through a developer API, allowing for more advanced use cases and integrations.

All Google trails
  1. What’s new for developers building solutions on Google Workspace - mid-year recap- Google Developers BlogThis post details updates to Google Workspace APIs, including enhancements to the Google Sheets API, the introduction of the Google Workspace API Dashboard and APIs Explorer for managing and testing APIs, and improvements to Apps Script with project history and the V8 runtime. It also covers new features for Google Chat API, Google Meet SDKs, and Calendar API.
  2. Code that final mile: from big data analysis to slide presentation - Google Developers BlogThis post details how to bridge the gap between big data analysis and slide presentations. It describes a workflow where data is analyzed using tools like Google Sheets, and then the results are programmatically transformed into a slide presentation. This involves using Google Apps Script to automate the process of fetching data from Sheets, formatting it, and populating slides in Google Slides. The post highlights the ability to create custom reports and presentations directly from data analysis, streamlining the workflow for communicating insights.
  3. Generating Google Slides from Images using Apps Script- Google Developers BlogThis post introduces the use of Google Apps Script to programmatically generate Google Slides presentations from images. It details how to iterate through images, create new slides, insert images onto slides, and format them, demonstrating a practical application of the Google Slides API for automated content creation.
  4. Adding text and shapes with the Google Slides API- Google Developers BlogThis post introduces the Google Slides API, enabling programmatic creation and manipulation of slides. It details how to add text and shapes to presentations, expanding the automation capabilities beyond Google Sheets.
  5. Formatting text with the Google Slides API- Google Developers BlogThis post introduces the Google Slides API, enabling programmatic creation and manipulation of presentations. It details how to format text within slides, including setting font families, sizes, colors, and applying styles like bold and italics, using the API. This expands the automation capabilities beyond Google Sheets to presentation software.
  7. Formatting cells with the Google Sheets API- Google Developers BlogThis post introduces the ability to format cells programmatically using the Google Sheets API. It details how to set cell values, apply formatting like bolding, italics, and font colors, and change background colors. It also covers how to set number formats and alignment, and how to apply conditional formatting rules. The post provides code examples in various languages to demonstrate these capabilities, enabling developers to automate the presentation and styling of data within Google Sheets.
  8. Introducing the Google Slides API- Google Developers BlogIntroduced the Google Slides API, enabling programmatic creation, editing, and manipulation of Google Slides presentations. This API allows for the creation of new presentations, insertion of slides, text formatting, image insertion, and more, extending the automation capabilities beyond Google Sheets.
  9. Introducing the Google Sheets API v4: Transferring data from a SQL database to a Sheet- Google Developers BlogIntroduces the Google Sheets API v4, detailing how to transfer data from a SQL database to a Google Sheet. This involves fetching data from a SQL database and then using the Sheets API to write that data into a Google Sheet, demonstrating programmatic control and automation for data integration.
  10. Change to Mail Service in Apps Script- Google Developers BlogIntroduced a change to the Mail Service in Apps Script, allowing developers to specify a custom 'from' address when sending emails. This enhances the ability to automate email notifications and communications directly from Google Sheets, improving the professionalism and branding of automated messages.
  11. Google Apps Script: Tracking add-on usage with Google Analytics - Google Developers BlogIntroduces the integration of Google Analytics with Google Apps Script to track add-on usage, providing developers with metrics on user engagement and application performance within Google Sheets.
  12. Google Drive: Uploading & downloading files plus the new v3 API redux- Google Developers BlogIntroduced the Google Drive API v3, which offers enhanced capabilities for uploading and downloading files, including support for resumable uploads and improved performance. Also announced the integration of Google Analytics for tracking add-on usage.
  13. Google Apps Script: An update to HtmlService- Google Developers BlogThis post updates the HtmlService for Google Apps Script, enabling developers to create more dynamic and interactive user interfaces within Google Sheets. It introduces features like templated HTML and client-side templating, allowing for richer UI elements and improved automation capabilities within spreadsheet applications.
  14. (A day at the office) Automating YouTube stats with Google Apps Script- Google Developers BlogThis post details how to use Google Apps Script to automate the retrieval and processing of YouTube statistics, specifically focusing on channel statistics. It provides a concrete example of writing a script to fetch data from the YouTube Data API v3 and then using Apps Script to log this data into a Google Sheet. The technical details include setting up the YouTube Data API v3, writing the Apps Script code to make API calls, and handling the response to populate a Google Sheet. This extends the automation capabilities of Google Sheets beyond simple data entry and manipulation.
  15. Run Apps Script code from anywhere using the Execution API- Google Developers BlogIntroduced the Apps Script Execution API, enabling developers to run Apps Script code programmatically from external applications. This allows for automated execution of scripts, enhancing the automation capabilities of Google Sheets and other Google Workspace applications.
  16. New Advanced services in Apps Script- Google Developers BlogThis post introduces new advanced services for Google Apps Script, enabling developers to programmatically interact with Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms. This expands the automation capabilities beyond basic spreadsheet manipulation to include document and form creation, editing, and data extraction, further empowering developers to build complex workflows and integrate Google's productivity suite.
  17. Control protected ranges and sheets in Google Sheets with Apps Script- Google Developers BlogIntroduced the ability to programmatically control protected ranges and sheets in Google Sheets using Google Apps Script. This allows for finer-grained access management and automation of spreadsheet workflows.
  18. Open attachments with your web app directly from Gmail- Google Developers BlogIntroduces the ability for web applications to open attachments directly from Gmail, enabling deeper integration and streamlined workflows for users. This expands the programmatic control and automation capabilities of Google Sheets and related services.
  19. Automate Google Analytics reporting using Google Apps Script- Google Developers BlogThis post introduces the use of Google Apps Script to automate Google Analytics reporting. It details how to connect to Google Analytics data, retrieve specific metrics and dimensions, and format this data for reporting purposes, thereby extending the automation capabilities of Google Sheets.
  20. Mail Merge in the Cloud with Google APIs- Google Developers BlogThis post introduces the capability to perform mail merges in the cloud using Google APIs. It details how to programmatically generate personalized documents by combining data from Google Spreadsheets with templates. This involves using the Google Documents List API to create and manipulate documents, and Google Spreadsheets API to access data, enabling automated document generation for various purposes.
  21. ​Documents List API: Upload any file type and more!- Google Developers BlogIntroduced the ability to upload any file type to Google Docs via the Documents List API, expanding its functionality beyond traditional document formats and enhancing its utility for developers managing diverse file assets.
  22. New GData API: Spreadsheets- Google Developers BlogIntroduced the GData API for Spreadsheets, enabling programmatic access to spreadsheet data. This allows for reading, writing, and manipulating spreadsheet content, facilitating automation and integration with other applications.