I have a scheduled addon, which writes data periodically into a Google Sheet, without to open file. I have a formula, which should make some calculations on written data and write calculated values into the sheet, so then Data Studio with this sheet as data source updates the visualization.
What is the way to periodically run a formula calculation and write calculated values without manual steps like opening file?
I'm pretty new to this topic: my search approaches to find something like convert formula to app script or schedule formula execution brought me not to any fruitful idea.
PS_ the formula, which should do the calculation is:
=IFERROR(((VLOOKUP(A2,'[1]SV'!$A:$B,2.0))/B2)+(IF(B2=1,"33,9",IF(B2=2,"16,28",IF(B2=3,"10,36",IF(B2=4,"7",IF(B2=5,"5,64")))))+IF(B2=6,"4,13",IF(B2=7,"3,27",IF(B2=8,"2,61",IF(B2=9,"2,18",IF(B2=10,"1,82")))))+IF(B2=11,"1,77",IF(B2=12,"1,81",IF(B2=13,"1,85",IF(B2=14,"1,9",IF(B2=15,"2,04")))))+IF(B2=16,"1,68",IF(B2=17,"1,61",IF(B2=18,"1,65",IF(B2=19,"1,62",IF(B2=20,"1,59","0")))))),0)
If i would know, how to convert the formula to app script, i would manage the rest - i'm familiar with running scripts with time based trigger. Or, maybe, there is a method to run formula on the same scheduled way, like scripts...?
*Disclaimer: I have not tried this and it might not work, if it doesn't, comment and I will try to provide another solution
OK here's what i would try:
In google scripts there is a trigger function, manly used for testing. what it does is it runs your script and sends you an email if there is a error, and hypothetically, you could use this to run you script periodically.
A couple of other things I may try if this doesn't work, leave a comment if you would like me to go in depth about these:
depending on how you want this to work, you could set up a web app to do this, and instead of opining google sheets open the web app with a timer built into the script, that would trigger as long as you had the web page opened.
It might also be possible to run the script automatically with a JavaScript function, requires more research.
If Google Data Studio is not showing you the correct value then you could use a time-driven trigger to save the formula results in another cell. Example:
function respondToTimeDrivenTrigger(e){
var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
/** The range holding the formula */
var range = spreadsheet.getRange('Sheet1!A1');
/** The value returned by the formula */
var value = range.getValue();
/** Write the value to the cell to the right or the source cell */
range.offset(0,1).setValue(value);
}
Resources
https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/sheets
https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/triggers/installable
Related
I have a Google Sheet that uses an IMPORTRANGE query to combine data from multiple other sheets. This combined import sheet is read by Google AppSheet. We have realized that the data AppSheet is reading is always outdated. It only reads the data as of the last time the sheet was manually opened.
I followed the steps in this post to try to fix this issue by creating this function: function refresh() {SpreadsheetApp.flush()}. I then set up a timed trigger to activate it once an hour. Logs show the function is running, but the data is still not updating until I manually open the sheet.
This is my first time using Apps Script. Any tips/ideas? Is there a different or better way to have the formulas update without opening the file?
Thank you for reading.
SpreadsheetApp.flush() only works for the script execution that calls it. If you need to refresh the data results from a formula it's uncertain how exactly the spreadsheet will respond as most of the formula calculations are done on the client side. You could verify this by yourself by using your web browser developer tools.
Anyway, spreadsheet formulas have several caveats so it will not be extrange that at some point you will have to rethink your solution. Assuming that you want to keep using AppSheet:
Use AppSheet for your front end and some no-code / low-code automation. Keep your app small, if you need many forms / views consider to distribute them among several apps.
Use Google Sheets only for data storage for your AppSheet app. Please bear in mind that it has 10 million cells limit for the whole spreadsheet, so you might want to delete the unused sheets and delete the unused columns and rows on each sheet.
You might use Google Apps Script to do the data import and transformation tasks. If you need that something be updated based on actions done on the AppSheet app, you might use an installable change trigger or use webhook from the AppSheet side to and a "simple" web application using Google Apps Script (you could use GET / POST http requests to trigger some Google Apps Script functions).
Also you might use other programming platforms for the data import / transformation tasks and keep using Google Sheets as your AppSheet database by using the Google Sheets API or other automation tools like Zappier, IFTTT, Integromat among many others.
solution #1
You can try this solution :
define a checkbox (for instance in A1 in tab Sheet1)
set this script
function myFunction() {
var chk = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Sheet1').getRange('A1')
chk.setValue(false);
SpreadsheetApp.flush();
Utilities.sleep(500);
chk.setValue(true);
}
define a trigger on it
define the formula as follows
=if(A1,importrange("1n-rjSYb63Z2jySS3-M0BQ78vu8DTPOjG-SZM4i8IxXI","A:Z"),"")
when A1 is unchecked, the result will be empty, then check A1 to fill once again the result as expected
solution #2
by script, try for instance
function myFunction() {
var sh = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Sheet9')
var data = SpreadsheetApp.openById('1n-rjSYb63Z2jySS3-M0BQ78vu8DTPOjG-SZM4i8IxXI').getSheets()[0].getDataRange().getValues()
sh.getRange(1,1,data.length,data[0].length).setValues(data)
}
put a daily triger as needed
I originally asked this on WebApps, thinking that I was just missing a google trick. There I received the answer that it would require a custom function.
https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/129068/recalculate-google-sheet-on-demand
Here is my original question:
I have the following formula in a sheet:
=if(E1="HOLD",,query(Cust_Orders!B6:Z5000,"Select Y,G,I,H,K where H>0 "))
With E1 being a drop down with values HOLD and FETCH
The recalculation when I go to FETCH takes about 13 seconds.
But when it is in HOLD, the query doesn't exceute, and everything goes
blank. Not what I want.
I'm trying to avoid recalculating this query every time I make a
change in the Cust_Orders range, but keep the old values, as two
different pivot tables that are viewed by other people are dependent
on it.
Google spreadsheet recalc settings all are 'on change and foo'
Is there a way to do this?
Custom functions only update when one of their parameters changes. So if the function only depends on the HOLD/FETCH cell, but executes the formula is the query cell, I think I win.
My research:
This answer google sheets custom function built-in function is specific in telling the OP how to do what he wants in the script language. I suspect that rewriting the query in appscript would not be a net win.
This link Using Bound Google Scripts to Generate a Query Object
was proposed as a solution, but this in effect is rewriting my built-in function within the script. I want to use scripts as rarely as possible, and as generically as possible, as it makes long term maintenance and modification easier.
The query function above is an example. I am looking for a more general solution that allows me to use an arbitrary formula using the same script.
This discussion on google product forums: https://support.google.com/docs/forum/AAAABuH1jm01F-8MzzCxbY/?hl=en&gpf=%23!topic%2Fdocs%2F1F-8MzzCxbY says you can't call built-ins from scripts. But the question is almost 4 years old.
I have asked this question there too, but generally asking on Google Product Forums is a Hail Mary.
A viable solution:
An example of a script calling a built-in function.
A link to an add-on that allows recalculation of a range to be toggled on/off
A more general method than custom formulas to control recalc.
I do NOT want a script that emulates the desired built-in inside the script.
A more general method than custom formulas to control recalc.
What I'm doing on project for a client is to have the "expensive" formulas saved as variables on the script and have buttons to freeze/unfreeze the certain ranges (those that have a high impact on the recalculation time.
The "unfreeze" button adds the formulas to the spreadsheet
The "freeze" button put the formulas results over the range used by the formulas
There is a document property that stores the frozen/unfrozen spreadsheet state
A sidebar is used to show the buttons the spreadsheet status.
An example of a script calling a built-in function.
Scripts can get values, display values, formulas, and other stuff but they can not call built-in functions.
In the case of my client, they have one array formula (IMPORTRANGE, QUERY, FILTER, ARRAYFORMULA, etc) by sheet, all the formulas that are been included are on A1. The formulas are saved in an array of objects of the following form
var formulas = [
{
name:'Sheet1',
address:'A1',
formula:'=IMPORTRANGE(...)'
}
]
The address property, is included for future improvements.
The key code lines of the "freeze" function are
var dataRange = sheet.getDataRange();
dataRange.copyTo(dataRange, SpreadsheetApp.CopyPasteType.PASTE_VALUES, false);
Please note that the above lines copy-paste-as-values the whole data range.
The key code lines of the "unfreze" function are
formulas.forEach(function(item){
var sheet = spreadsheet.getSheetByName(item.name);
sheet.clear();
sheet.getRange(item.address).setFormula(item.formula);
});
Please note that the above lines clear the whole sheet.
I have a spreadsheet with different sheets in Google sheet, 3 users can edit each one a sheet (protections are set, each user can edit only one sheet). They all can execute a google script function that writes what they edited in a summary sheet. I don't want anyone to be abble to edit the summary sheet, so I set myself as the only available editor.
So my problem is to authorize the 3 users, only through the google script function, to write in the summary sheet. I tried to use the following function :
var unprotected = summarySheet.getRange('G3:G10');
protection.setUnprotectedRanges([unprotected]);
but since the users are not allowed to edit the summary sheet, and since the function is run with the active user, so they can't give themselves the right to unprotect a range in the summary sheet... Do you know how to workaround this problem?
Thanks a lot!
I see two script-based choices, one easy and one quite hard, and one sheet-based choice, that is easiest:
Easy:
You run the "summarize" script instead of them or, you set the summarize script run on a trigger out of your account. Then you actually leave protections alone. You could set the summarize script to run on open with error catching if the user doesn't have the necessary authority to unprotect the summary sheet and/or write to the summary sheet.
Hard:
When they run the "summarize" script it calls a published standalone script that has been given the authorization to make the necessary protection changes. I'll be honest, I wouldn't be able to code this but have seen/heard of similar implementations.
Easiest:
Finally, I want to make sure you've considered having the summary sheet itself contain the necessary formulas, parsing, etc. to summarize data from the other sheets without any need of scripts for this aspect of the sheet. The sheet could call custom functions as needed if the parsing or other summarization functionality is beyond built-in functions' capabilities. The sheet could stay fully protected and update itself in real time as users enter data (no need for users to trigger the summary creation, unless spreadsheet settings have auto-recalculate turned off).
Edited to add: put in A1 of Summary sheet something like:
=summarize()
And have that custom function return a 2-dimensional array of the summarized data.
I have created a form that pushes data to a Google Spreadsheet. The data is latitude, longitude, location, and other identifying data. The spreadsheet is then published as a .CSV file and imported into ARC GIS to be displayed on an interactive map. It works exactly as I wanted and I set it to republish after each change.
The problem is that when the spreadsheet has rows appended by the script, it is not seeing it as a change and republishing. In order to get the updated data imported to the map, I need to go in and manually republish. Is there anyway through the Google Apps Script that I could make a few lines of code to force a republish? I could then add that to the "on form submit" script I have or another time based one that already runs at 3 am everyday.
I have looked through the Google Apps Script documents and not found anything. When searching for help on the web, the overwhelming majority of responses are for how to publish your script as a template for other.
My testing sheet was republished after the following function was executed by either a menu entry or a time-based trigger.
function ChangeIt() {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
var t = new Date()
var x = 'upd: ' + t
var range = sheet.getRange('a3')
range.setValue(x)
}
If I were in your shoes, I'd add an extra column to the end of the sheet with some benign constant data that a script can change without affecting the systems consuming the data. If an extra column isn't an option, try modifying my sample to read in a current value, change it, and immediately change it back.
Also, I'd see if the spreadsheet onEdit() trigger fires when the form submit adds a new row. If so, tie your GAS function to it to force the republish. If not, setup a timed trigger to execute the GAS function.
A quick workaround for this issue that doesn't require scripting is to simply make an array copy of the data.
For example, I made a new tab and in A1 put this: =ArrayFormula('Form Responses 1'!A1:Z1000)
While the main Form responses tab will insert rows and not play nice with formulas this new tab stay nice and constant and updates automatically when new data is added.
I have a spreadsheet which extracts and accumulates all the required data from other 6 spreadsheets using Vmerge and Query formulas and all the consolidated data will be converted to pdf and emaild to mail ids using trigger event.
Here begins the problem every time the attachment mail posted consist all the headers and other format, but the data which is extracted does not appear. It seems to appear like - to open the same spreadsheet, after a while all the - (hyphens) are replaced by the data / Hope all the data updates after a while of opening the spreadsheet.
link for sheet
Can anyone direct me to make this issue sorted out.
For this solution should be -> all the data should be updated and then the email script should work; or either it should update before emailing script starts.
Or any other better ideas are appreciated.
Some spreadsheet formulas, like ImportRange and ImportXml (and also Apps Script custom formulas) are only evaluated when there's someone logged in the spreadsheet. It's like these functions need an account to be evaluated from, for example, in importRange the account logged in must have access to the range being imported, if you share this spreadsheet with someone but not the importRange source, when this person is viewing this spreadsheet, the importRange function will not work (well, unless you're also in the spreadsheet and the formulas have already been evaluated).
Bottom line is, you can't have this formulas and use a script triggered on time-driven (or other trigger that does not require someone logged in) and expect the script to be able to read this data.
The workaround though is quite simple. Do what the importRange function does inside your script! e.g.
var source = SpreadsheetApp.openById('source-spreadsheet-key');
var data = source.getSheetByName('List').getRange('I6:AT500').getValues();
//then save it somewhere
var s = Spreadsheet.getActive().getSheetByName('hidden-import');
s.getRange('I6:AT500').setValues(data);
SpreadsheetApp.flush(); //force the data to be written
//so all the other formulas on your spreadsheet get updated with the new data
All your "logic" formulas, like query and vmerge, which are difficult for the script to mimic, can be left on the spreadsheet, but reference this "hidden-import" sheet I just invented instead of nesting importRange directly.
[edit]
To copy only non-empty rows do like this:
var data = SpreadsheetApp.openById('source-spreadsheet-key').
getSheetByName('List').getDataRange().getValues();
Spreadsheet.getActive().getSheetByName('hidden-import').
getRange(1,1,data.length,data[0].length).setValues(data);