Making Script Quicker/more efficient - google-apps-script

Question

I am attempting to have a script check sheet1 for first and last names (2 cells), use the first and last name of each person in sheet1, then in sheet2 check each person for a value in 4-5 rows greater than 0.
The issue is that certain names are in different columns and I need to check one column and have those names in that one column checked against a large (180 cells) list of names. This is the part where it times out.
I have the code fully functioning and working, but it uses some parts too heavily and ends up timing out. The getvalue function is used heavily and I am unsure of a better way to use it. I am looking for how to make it more efficient and or run better.
I may just have to input the names in the code to make it faster, but I was hoping for a more user-friendly approach so that names could change in sheet1 and format automatically in the script.
Thank you!
function getvalue(CellName) {
return SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('sheet2').getRange(CellName).getValues();
}
function getAdvisee(CellName) {
return SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('sheet1').getRange(CellName).getValues();
}
function teacher1() {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('sheet1');
var LastRow = ss.getLastRow();
var columns = 3;
var columnassignments = 3;
var columnEnrichment = 3;
var columnAmount = 3;
var advisoryStudent = getvalue('a' + columnEnrichment);
var studentEnrichment = getvalue('g'+ columnEnrichment);
var hours = Utilities.formatDate(studentEnrichment, 'EST', 'mm');
var minutes = Utilities.formatDate(studentEnrichment, 'EST', 'ss');
var teacherEmail = getAdvisee('b2');
var student1 = getAdvisee('b3');
var student1F = getAdvisee('b3');
var student2 = getAdvisee('b4');
var student2F = getAdvisee('b4');
var student3 = getAdvisee('b5');
var student3F = getAdvisee('b5');
var student4 = getAdvisee('b6');
var student4F = getAdvisee('b6');
var student5 = getAdvisee('b7');
var student5F = getAdvisee('b7');
var student6 = getAdvisee('b8');
var student6F = getAdvisee('b8');
var student7 = getAdvisee('b9');
var student7F = getAdvisee('c9');
var student8 = getAdvisee('b10');
var student8F = getAdvisee('c10');
var student9 = getAdvisee('b11');
var student9F = getAdvisee('c11');
var student10 = getAdvisee('b12');
var student10F = getAdvisee('c12');
var student11 = getAdvisee('b13');
var student11F = getAdvisee('c13');
for (columns; columns <= LastRow && columns <= 160; columns++) {
var advisoryStudent = getvalue('a' + columns);
var advisoryStudentSp = getvalue('b' + columns);
var reminderCount = getvalue('e' + columns);
var reminderLink = getvalue('m'+columns);
if (advisoryStudentSp == student1F || advisoryStudent == student2 && advisoryStudentSp == student2F || advisoryStudentSp == student3F || advisoryStudentSp == student4F || advisoryStudentSp == student5F || advisoryStudentSp == student6F || advisoryStudentSp == student7F && advisoryStudent == student7 || advisoryStudentSp == student8F || advisoryStudent == student9 && advisoryStudentSp == student9F|| advisoryStudent == student10 && advisoryStudentSp == student10F || advisoryStudent == student11 && advisoryStudentSp == student11F) {
if ( getvalue('e' + columns) > 0 ) {
reminders = reminders + getvalue('b' + columns) + ' ' + getvalue('a' + columns) + ': ' + reminderCount + '<br>Reminder Link: ' + reminderLink + '<br>';
}
}
}
for (columnassignments; columnassignments <= LastRow && columnassignments <= 160; columnassignments++) {
var advisoryStudent = getvalue('a' + columnassignments);
var advisoryStudentSp = getvalue('b'+columnassignments);
var assignmentCount = getvalue ('f' + columnassignments);
var assignmentLink = getvalue('n' + columnassignments);
if (advisoryStudentSp == student1F || advisoryStudent == student2 && advisoryStudentSp == student2F || advisoryStudentSp == student3F || advisoryStudentSp == student4F || advisoryStudentSp == student5F || advisoryStudentSp == student6F || advisoryStudentSp == student7F && advisoryStudent == student7 || advisoryStudentSp == student8F || advisoryStudent == student9 && advisoryStudentSp == student9F|| advisoryStudent == student10 && advisoryStudentSp == student10F || advisoryStudent == student11 && advisoryStudentSp == student11F) {
if (getvalue('f' + columnassignments) > 0) {
assignments = assignments + getvalue('b' + columnassignments) + ' ' + getvalue('a' + columnassignments) + ': ' + assignmentCount + '<br>Assignment Link: ' + assignmentLink + '<br>';
}
}
}
for (columnAmount; columnAmount <= LastRow && columnAmount <= 160; columnAmount++) {
var advisoryStudent = getvalue('a' + columnAmount);
var advisoryStudentSp = getvalue('b' + columnAmount);
var amountowed = getvalue ('i' + columnAmount);
if (advisoryStudentSp == student1F || advisoryStudent == student2 && advisoryStudentSp == student2F || advisoryStudentSp == student3F || advisoryStudentSp == student4F || advisoryStudentSp == student5F || advisoryStudentSp == student6F || advisoryStudentSp == student7F && advisoryStudent == student7 || advisoryStudentSp == student8F || advisoryStudent == student9|| advisoryStudent == student10 && advisoryStudentSp == student10F || advisoryStudent == student11 && advisoryStudentSp == student11F) {
if (getvalue('i' + columnAmount) > 0) {
amount = amount + getvalue('b' + columnAmount) + ' ' + getvalue('a' + columnAmount) + ': ' + '$' + amountowed + '<br>';
}
}
}
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Status Calculator');
var LastRow = ss.getLastRow();
var columns = 3;
var columnassignments = 3;
var columnEnrichment = 3;
for (columnEnrichment; columnEnrichment <= LastRow && columnEnrichment <= 160; columnEnrichment++) {
var advisoryStudent = getvalue('a'+columnEnrichment);
var advisoryStudentSp = getvalue('b' + columnEnrichment);
if (advisoryStudentSp == student1F || advisoryStudent == student2 && advisoryStudentSp == student2F || advisoryStudentSp == student3F || advisoryStudentSp == student4F || advisoryStudentSp == student5F || advisoryStudentSp == student6F || advisoryStudentSp == student7F && advisoryStudent == student7 || advisoryStudentSp == student8F || advisoryStudent == student9 && advisoryStudentSp == student9F|| advisoryStudent == student10 && advisoryStudentSp == student10F || advisoryStudent == student11 && advisoryStudentSp == student11F) {
if (Utilities.formatDate(getvalue('g' + columnEnrichment), 'EST', 'HH') > 0 || Utilities.formatDate(getvalue('g' + columnEnrichment), 'EST', 'mm') > 0){
enrichment = enrichment + getvalue('b' + columnEnrichment) + ' ' + getvalue('a' + columnEnrichment) + ': ' + Utilities.formatDate(getvalue('g' + columnEnrichment), 'EST', 'HH') + ' hours ' + Utilities.formatDate(getvalue('g' + columnEnrichment), 'EST', 'mm') + ' minutes <br>'
}
}
}
}
EDIT:
This portion just has a list of names in one column and searches for one word in the entire 200 row column and returns the rows with that word, then returns it again if it is greater than 5.
If I had it just looking for numbers greater than or equal to 5 and using a getvalue function, would that be the most efficient way to return names with values of 5 or more?
function getValues(CellName) {
return SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Sheet2').getRange(CellName).getValues();
}
function setvalue(CellName, value) {
return SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Sheet2').getRange(CellName).setValue(value);
}
function test(i) {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var sh2 = ss.getSheetByName('Sheet2');
var data = sh2.getRange('A1:C200').getValues();
var amount = sh2.getRange('c1:c200').getValues()
var findthis = sh2.getRange('e1').getValues();
var acol = sh2.getRange(1,sh2.getLastRow(),1,1).getValues();
var bcol = sh2.getRange(1,sh2.getLastRow(), 2, 1).getValues();
var test = acol.join().split(',');
var test2 = bcol.join().split(',');
for (i = 0; i<data.length; i++) { //search all rows
if ('wet' == data[i][0]) { //finds wet in the data column and returns row
Logger.log('testing' + ' row ' + (i+1))
if (amount[i][0] >= 5) { //search if c >= 5
Logger.log('Larger ' + ' row ' + (i+1))
}
}
}
}

Answer 1

I would suggest grouping your data into arrays by its natural grid ranges and then accessing the values by array index.
Something along the lines of:
function teacher1() {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var sh_1 = ss.getSheetByName('sheet1');
var sh_2 = ss.getSheetByName('sheet2');
...
// Get all related values into array & retrieve each row record by index
var student = sh_1.getRange("B3:C13").getValues(); // student[row][col] :ex: student11 => student[12][0]::student11F => student[12][1]
...
// remove the for loop & get all values in a col with one call per col
//(this could be optimized further)
var a_col = sh_2.getRange(1, sh_2.getLastRow(), 1, 1).getValues(); // col a rows 1-lastrow()
var b_col = sh_2.getRange(1, sh_2.getLastRow(), 2, 1).getValues(); // col b rows 1-lastrow()
// Flatten the array to make searching that column easier
var advisoryStudent = a_col.join().split(",")
var advisoryStudentSp = b_col.join().split(",")
// etc ...
// To check if student11 is in advisoryStudentSp: (can loop through students here)
// -1 means not found
// any other number is the index position of `advisoryStudentSp[i]`
// if 5 is returned then student11 matched the value in sheet2 colB row6
Logger.log("student11 is in position: %s", advisoryStudentSp.indexOf(student[12][0]))
}
edit: added the somewhat important .getValues()

Answer 2

Rather than retrieve the cell values one by one using your getValue() / getAdvisee() formulas you need to read the entire sheets or the relevant ranges all at once using Range.getValues(), then work with the data in the arrays.
The key issue here is that each individual call to Range.getValues() consumes a lot of time, whether you read in 100 cells at once or a single cell value. Thus your current approach of reading in one cell at a time is extremely slow (as you are seeing).
Refactoring in this way is too large to undertake as part of my answer, but once completed this script will run in just a couple seconds.