Short description of what I am looking for:
A way to automatically import data from a dynamic Google Sheets document (using the Google Analytics add on) in another static Google Sheet, where the data will be automatically filled out in the right spot, but also stay there whenever the dynamic sheet changes.
A bit of context:
I am using Google's Analytics add on in Google Sheets (DOC1) to run reports about e.g. the number of users visiting my website every day. Due to the high amount of data, I can only run reports for about a month without sampling taking place.
For 2020 I would like to create an overview sheet (DOC2) to share with other people which gives an overview of the whole year. In other words, the cells of January in DOC2 should be filled when the data for January are rendered in DOC1. However, when data from February are being rendered in DOC1, the data from January should stay in DOC2.
I know it would be possible by copy and pasting the run reports to a non-dynamic sheet, but as I will need this for multiple parameters, this is not really a workable solution.
What I've tried
Multiple combinations of lookup and importrange functions, but the true difficulty stays in keeping the data once they are removed in the dynamic document. I have not found a solution to this problem yet...
If you are familiar with Apps Script, your request can be achieved with the method setValues()
Sample:
function myFunction(){
var origin=SpreadsheetApp.openById("ID of origin Spreadsheet").getSheetByName("Name of the Sheet");
var destination=SpreadsheetApp.openById("ID of destination Spreadsheet").getSheetByName("Name of the Sheet");
var range=origin.getDataRange();
var values=range.getValues();
var A1notation=range.getA1Notation();
destination.getRange(A1notation).setValues(values);
}
Fill into the code the IDs of your origin and destination spreadsheets, as well as the correct names of the origin and destination sheets.
Links to other useful methods:
SpreadsheetApp
getDataRange()
getA1Notation
getValues
Related
I feel like a bit of a chump, but I cannot work this out...
I have been given the job of producing a new master analysis sheet each month from a supplied XML file that combines with various columns of our (multiple) sheets. No problems, so far. I have got all of that working the way I want. :-)
My issue is that we also have about 6-8 filters saved with a specific sheet that allow our auditors to focus on specific areas (and as you can understand, our auditors want these to work EXACTLY as they specify).
I have tried using createFilter() but there doesn't appear any way to save multiple filters to that sheet (maybe I am missing something). No joy! :-(
I have tried recording a macro which I could then run to create the filters. No joy here either :-(
Do I have to tell these pesky auditors to create there own filters each month (they do know how, but it's beneath them), or is there a way I can script them up and get them off my back?
Unfortunately (as much as I would like to) I cannot share our sheets or scripts as we have significant IP embedded there.
I would really appreciate some guidance as to how you might approach this (if it is possible).
Kind regards
Ian
If you're indeed talking about the 'Create new filter view', I suggest making an template sheet. So instead of creating a new sheet every month, make one template spreadsheet and add all the filter views your auditors desire. Then copy that spreadsheet, and paste the new data in it.
The correct way to create a filter using Apps Script and the createFilter() is this one:
function setFilters() {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
var rangeFilter = ss.getRange("INPUT_YOUR_RANGE_HERE");
var filter = rangeFilter1.createFilter();
var filterCriteria = SpreadsheetApp.newFilterCriteria();
filterCriteria.ADD_YOUR_CRITERIA_HERE;
filter.setColumnFilterCriteria(columnPosition, filterCriteria.build());
}
As you can see, you must use build() in order to build the criteria for the filter you have created.
You can also use the Sheets advanced services and create the filters using the Sheets API, something similar to this:
var filterSettings = {
//YOUR FILTER SETTINGS
};
var request = [{
"setBasicFilter": {
"filter": filterSettings
}
}];
And as for calling the Sheets service and applying the above filter, you can use this:
Sheets.Spreadsheets.batchUpdate({'requests': request}, SPREADSHEET_ID);
Reference
Range Class Apps Script createFilter();
Filter Class Apps Script;
Apps Script Google Advanced Services.
For a quick background, I'm using a single google sheet as a daily "dashboard" for my managers' shift reports. I'm using a few time driven scripts to export each report to pdf and email it to our ops team every night, and another script to clear the data so the report is ready for the next day.
This works well for day-to-day review, but we lack the capability to store daily stats we want to reference months-years down the road. We used Google Forms for this in the past, but I'm determined that we can consolidate both processes.
As imaged, the circled fields on the "dashboard" sheet are the data points I want to export to an archive sheet. Ideally, the data would export to a spreadsheet adding 1 row of MB data followed by CAD data in the next row.
I've played around with a few scripts playing with 'HTML Google Form Submissions', but I couldn't find a solution which could pull in data from another sheet. To make this work, I would need to be able to reference specific cells/ranges as entries to specific form questions.
I've also tried some scripts which copied data to the next empty row of another sheet similar to Google Forms, but it became super buggy and difficult to fine tune.
This sounds like what you are asking for.
function backup(){
var data = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet().getRange("a7:g8").getValues();
var backupss = SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl("backupsheeturl");
var backupsheet = backupss.getSheetByName("backupsheet");
backupsheet.appendRow(data[0]).appendRow(data[1]);
}
Reference:
https://developers.google.com/apps-script/reference/spreadsheet/spreadsheet-app#openById(String)
https://developers.google.com/apps-script/reference/spreadsheet/spreadsheet-app#openByUrl(String)
I've been promoted into developing & maintaining a Google Sheets database at work. I know very little about Google Sheets scripting & from asking around, and researching it's looking like GAS is probably the avenue that I need to start heading down.
So we have 3 Workbooks in Google Sheets; 2 contain large amounts of data, the other workbook provides a UI for our sales dpt. to access the data. I really wish I could share these with you, as describing them is difficult. In the UI workbook, separate pages are paired with sheets in the one database (lets call it database A).
A salesman will go to the UI sheet for the product he's selling a device for; the top section of the sheet allows him to select, essentially, a row from database A. After the selection is made, the rest of the sheet is populated with products we manufacture that work with the choice made in the top section; the products we make are stored in the other database ("B"). We have to have two databases, as we've earlier hit the cell-limit in sheets with the two databases combined.
On average each UI page has about 150 Importranges. Looking up done with Query.
Our problem is that this UI is getting pretty slow, initial load time makes it worthless for salesmen on the road, and annoying to the salesmen here in the office. The delay when making the initial selections (querying database A) is usable, but still much slower then we'd like. And we're not finished building UI pages.
I've seen online that most people recommend using Apps Script to replace importrange, but knowing nothing about Apps Script, I haven't been able to understand what is being done, or mainly how to take the apps script and actually put the data in the cells.
So I'd appreciate any help I could get in speeding this up.
First let me say that the Google Apps script documentation has improved greatly over the years and I find it pretty easy to use now. If you open up a code editor in Google Sheets and go to Help menu and select API reference then that links you up to just about everything you need to know. If you go to the Google Apps reference for spreadsheets and look at the SpreadsheetApp object you'll see that there's three commands to open up another Spreadsheet not a sheet but a Spreadsheet. You can do it by file, by id or by URL.
If you click on the Url command it will take you to an example like this:
// The code below opens a spreadsheet using its id and logs the name for it.
// Note that the spreadsheet is NOT physically opened on the client side.
// It is opened on the server only (for modification by the script).
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl(
'https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/abc1234567/edit');
Logger.log(ss.getName());
As it points out, it doesn't actually open the file on the client-side it just opens it up on the server. So it may be necessary for you to open them up manually at first just to get an idea of what they look like. Once you know how they are organized then you can use the open command to get a Spreadsheet Object and from it select a specific sheet and then a data range. Once you have a range then you can load an array like this.
var myArray = rng.getValues();
This will load the entire range in one fell swoop into a JavaScript array and of course it would be nice if you can filter out unwanted data from the array and then put it into your current sheet at a desired range. Note that the range sizes have to be exact matches and also please realize that ranges start from 1 and arrays start from 0 so that can cause you some grief. Also let me add a few caveats that I've run into.
If your dealing with a one row or one column range array then you have to get the array's in the correct form. I tried writing them here but the Stack Overflow text converter keeps messing them up so I'd recommend you go to my reference on that issue here.
If you've coded in JavaScript in the past I'm guessing that you'll have no problem coming up to speed with Google Apps Scripting with the new documentation and an occasional visit to Stack Overflow for a question or two. I've gotten some great answers here from other users. If you need a JavaScript reference here's one that I use.
You are probably best off using a WebApp served from Google Apps Script for the UI which I'd be happy to help with if you had some sample data. If you wanted to still use the sheets, then you could replace the importRanges with some Google Apps Script function that runs every 10 minutes or so to keep the UI sheet updated. It should speed up load times. Something like this would work for you:
function importSheetA() {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var database = SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl("DATABASE_A_URL");
var dataToCopy = database.getSheetByName("DATABASE_A_SHEET_NAME").getDataRange().getValues();
var copyToSheet = ss.getSheetByName("UI_SHEET_NAME");
var copyData = copyToSheet.clearContents().getRange(1, 1, dataToCopy.length, dataToCopy[0].length).setValues(dataToCopy);
}
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);