When do values get written to a Google Sheet cell? - google-apps-script

Question

I'm experiencing a weird issue. When I type text in a Google Sheet cell, then run a custom script (below) to get those values, it doesn't get the values I just type in. The values only become available once I move away from that cell (tab or enter).
var data = dataRange.getValues();
I'm not sure when the values actually get written to the cell. If I script a move away from that cell (below), I get the same issue.
var newRange = sheet.getRange("C4");
sheet.setCurrentCell(newRange);
Is there a way to write all the data to the sheet?
Can test using this code. Write some text to A1, run custom script and check the logs. If you don't move away from A1 before running script, logs will be empty.
function moveTest(){
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
var newRange = sheet.getRange("A2");
sheet.setCurrentCell(newRange);
var cellOfInterest = sheet.getRange("A1").getValue();
Logger.log(cellOfInterest);
}
Edit: same issue with setActiveSelection instead of setCurrentCell

Answer 1

When do values get written to a Google Sheet cell?
When you press tab, arrow keys, enter or any other method that takes the focus away from the cell, the value gets written or committed.

Answer 2

I'm not sure if it would work for you, but if you are checking for 1 exact cell, an if statement checking if the input is recognized before running the script would be alright:
function checkwritten(){
var app = SpreadsheetApp;
var ss = app.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var sheet = ss.getActiveSheet();
var ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();
var InterestCell = sheet.getRange("A1");
var cellOfInterest = sheet.getRange("A1").getValue();
if (InterestCell.isBlank()) {
Logger.log("missing value");
ui.alert('There are missing values');
}
else {
Logger.log(cellOfInterest);
/*
enter code here
*/
}
}
The other solutions proposed, such as making the button a menu option, or greying out the button until all entry is filled is also viable.
If you are checking for a range, the following two options are viable:
Option 1: create a cell with countblank in your sheet and it would be the cell of interest.
function checkwritten(){
var app = SpreadsheetApp;
var ss = app.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var sheet = ss.getActiveSheet();
var InterestCell = sheet.getRange("A6");
var cellOfInterest = sheet.getRange("A6").getValue();
if (cellOfInterest == 0) {
Logger.log("success");
}
else {
Logger.log(cellOfInterest);
/*
enter code here
*/
}
}
Option 2 - allow the script to ensure that there is no blank cells before running.
function checkwritten(){
var app = SpreadsheetApp;
var ss = app.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var sheet = ss.getActiveSheet();
var CellCheckCount = 100; // 1 above the total number of rows to check
var ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();
var BlankCellCount = 0;
var CheckCell = null;
for (var i = 1; i < CellCheckCount; i++){
CheckCell = sheet.getRange(i,1); //currently set to check column 1 up till 100-1 row
if (CheckCell.isBlank()){
BlankCellCount++;
}
else{
}
}
if (BlankCellCount == 0) {
Logger.log("success");
/*
enter code here
*/
}
else {
Logger.log("fail" + BlankCellCount);
}
}