I have read all Google documentation on managing and creating libraries, yet I still do not know if they are an appropriate option for the problem I am trying to solve.
I know how to save a version of a standalone script. I know how to add the library to a spreadsheet via the script editor. But I don't understand, very simply, how to trigger the library script within the new spreadsheet.
I have a spreadsheet that serves as an often-copied template within my organization. The template contains a script that (onOpen) accesses data on a separate spreadsheet (a master database) and sets those values on a tab called "admin." The desired result is to have a copy of the master database living within the template sheet (and every subsequent copy of the template sheet). At this point, there are thousands of copies of the template sheet, each running that same script.
Whenever I have to change the script, I have to change it within thousands of sheets. Can I use a library instead? I'd like to be able to create a new version of the script in the library and have all sheets connected to that library experience the change. I understand that the library needs to be in development mode (within each sheet) to do this. I also understand that in order to make this switch, I will probably still have to go into each sheet to add the library. I'm just hoping it will be the last time I have to do such a tedious task.
Any advice or links to solid info is appreciated.
besides making an add-on (already covered in another answer) I will answer your libraries question. They will work for you. What you are missing is the "connect" part.
For this you want to trigger the library code from say, onOpen. The onOpen in the library is not enough and not detected by apps script. Instead each of your spreadsheet's script needs an onOpen(e) which just calls yourlibrary.onOpen(e).
since those "hook" calls rarely change, specially once you stabilize your library api, and using it in "development" mode will let you modify just the library.
whenever one of those hooks needs to change (say a callback from an html GUI needs a new parameter) you need to update all the spreadsheets. to avoid this, make all your callbacks receive a single json object instead of multiple parameters.
Sorry if I am repeating other answers, but I would like to sum up and add something:
You can access your library functions as follows:
From the app using the library you go to the Resources/Libraries. You can see the library name under "Identifier". On the same line where you can select Development mode.
Library name found in resources
Now in your library you have for example a function
function onOpen(e)
{
Browser.msgBox("HELLO!");
}
In the spreadsheet app you wish to access it you use the library name found in the resources, for example "testlibrary"
function onOpen(e)
{
testlibrary.onOpen(e);
}
Now if you have development mode on, the modifications to functions in the library update automatically to your application (spreadsheet) as long as the user using the application has edit access in your library script.
If anyone using your spreadsheet has a restricted access to your library script (meaning only view access) or development selection is off in the application, you have to go to the application's script, Resources/Libraries and select the most recent version of your library to be used in the app everytime you update the library and save a new version of it.
Still, especially if you are using mostly only the onOpen function , I would recommend using the library rather than copy-pasting the function to the script of each spreadsheet, as it is easier to track which scripts are up to date and it is easier to avoid errors and differences between the scripts.
Even in the more restricted case, if you update function in library - as long as you are already calling it in the app - all you have to do is select the new version of the library used.
I hope I had anything to give in this conversation and my language was appropriate, this was my first answer..
A good question Melly. I've been through a bunch of the documentation and some tutorials on this subject but haven't tried adding any libraries yet. My understanding is that once you are connected to a library all you have to do is call the applicable functions. That once a library is connected the functions in the library become an extension of all the other Apps Script classes available in the script editor.
Related
Need help using a google script across all google spreadsheets without copying script to each sheet. I've converted the script project to a cloud-managed platform and enabled all the APIs that I think are required.
I've deployed the script as add on and I see it on the add ons menu in sheets but I can't call my functions, etc.
Within one project you can have several different script files (You can create them by going to File>New>Script file). I suggest you distribute your functions and your logic across them the way you most prefer. Afterwards, any of those functions can be accessed by any of the other files declared in the project, so you should have no issue on calling them from i.e. your Add-on.
Additionally, you can use libraries. To do so:
Create a new Project (which will serve as a library). It may have multiple gs files, with multiple functions.
From the guest script, the one that will use the library, go to Resources>Libraries. There, insert your library project's id, and the identifier that will be used (variable name) to reference it. For the example below, I have set it to be MyMathLibrary (see example usage in Invoicing.gs).
Example project:
Project link: https://script.google.com/d/1kNeHHS7M19ILwcbbootMfZFNtg0NdE27WtkElXFBgOVR6haUUKPYqOBL/edit?usp=sharing
Library link:
https://script.google.com/d/12x33E1q3Uk2dgx5SfVTllVel8PeHcudQ-Czwhnu7aJPU5-tFpICuEcMM/edit?usp=sharing
Sorry for the dumb question, I have tried to search but did not find an answer. Please point if the answer is already been answered.
I am practicing writing my first google scripts (apps). If I create them from within a sheet they are only available to that sheet (bound). I can create them by creating a new script but I don't know how to make them available to all of my spreadsheets (not just one). THe scripts I downloaded from the store show up but how do I add my scripts.
I do not want to publish these to the world, I just want them available to me so I can access them from any sheet I am working with.
Basic question but I am having trouble understanding the process.
Thanks,
A script bound to a spreadsheet is only available from that sheet, you won't be able to access it from another sheet.
You can also create a script file (not related to any other document) but this will not be available from sheets.
This is how it is meant to be.
One thing you can do to use functions you eventually develop in a script is to make a Library of it, the functions in that library will be available to other scripts if you explicitly link the new script to the library (in the script editor > ressources>library) but this procedure is not as simple as the workflow you imagine in your question : each document will have to contain a minimal piece of code that will call the script library functions.
The last option to get create a "spreadsheet-with-script" and to simply make copies of this original spreadsheet (that has a script) and that copies will have the script copied as well.
I have created a standalone Apps Script from Google Drive, but when I try to access it from a Google Spreadsheet, I don't see a way to access the script (even though when I created the script, I created it as a spreadsheet script).
In the spreadsheet, the "Tools->Script manager..." menu item doesn't show my script, nor does the "Tools->Script editor...". The latter has a section for 'recent projects', but it doesn't list my newly created script, nor its associated project.
If I create a new script from inside the spreadsheet (i.e .Tools->Script editor...) and cut and paste the code from the standalone script, it works fine. However, this can only be used in the single spreadsheet -- to use it from another one, I have to cut and paste / go through auth again.
Is there a way to do this without publishing the script to the gallery, which I assume makes it public (I don't have a problem making it public, but it seems like there must be a better way)? The script is here -- it is world readable with the link. It adds a menu to a google spreadsheet that lets you run a query in BigQuery and dumps the results into your spreadsheet.
The behavior you describe is exactly how it is intended to work... the script you wrote can only work if it is bounded to a spreadsheet.
The fact that you wrote it in an independent script makes it indeed a standalone app but it can only be executed from within the script editor and in this context an onOpen function like the one you wrote doesn't make sense (it runs on opening a document/spreadsheet, not the script).
For now a script can only be bounded to a spreadsheet by copy/pasting the code, at least a script that you want to use as you do (with a menu and direct function calls and activeSheet calls), maybe one day Google will expand the concept of libraries to make your script function available from different document directly (read also the doc about libraries).
There are actually 2 types of standalone Apps Scripts, the one you tried that runs only from within the editor and webapps that are deployed and run in a browser window by themselves. The latter are always build around a doGet function that represents an entry point for the application. You should read the documentation on the subject to get all the details.
To summarize : if you want to access your spreadsheet using getActiveSpreadsheet() and similar methods then you have to write (or paste) the script in the script editor bounded to the spreadsheet.
If you want to have a standalone script you can also interact with spreadsheets (and other document as well) but you have to access them by their ID and the spreadsheet will only be viewable from another browser window, without link between them, and there will be no "active spreadsheet" nor "active sheet"...
A webapp can of course also do that with the advantage of a user interface that you can adapt to your needs but this is becoming a bit too far from the scope of your question.
Hoping I've made it (a bit) more clear, at least I tried to make it simple ;-)
I worked this out with Jordan, following the instructions here:
https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guide_libraries
First, he had to share his standalone script with me, so I had read access to it (probably setting the script as public read would work too).
Then he told me his project key.
I took his project key and inserted it in "Find a Library", in the "Manage Libraries" menu.
For this to work, Jordan had to export "a version" of his library - so third parties can rely on stable code and upgrade at their own rhythm.
As Jordan's script runs automatically on onOpen(), my code had to define a function onOpen() that called his script onOpen(). To do this, the library manager gave me an identifier for the imported library.
Sample code once the library is imported and the library manager gives you an identifier for the library:
function onOpen() {
GivenLibraryIdentifier.onOpen();
}
You can also use installable triggers. If you install an installable trigger (such as onOpen) from your standalone script into the document, it gets similar privileges as if it were a simple trigger.
And better yet, when the installable trigger calls its function from your standalone script, it executes WITHIN your standalone script! So it can call any other function in your standalone script. Its Logger.log() entries can even be viewed from your standalone script, even though it was executed from your sheets document.
So basically, if your script installs an onOpen() trigger tied to one of its functions, it's as good as if your Sheets document had required() your whole standalone script file.
(Assuming the owner of the script has edit privileges to the file.)
I will be maintaining Google spreadsheets for 100 different schools. Each school's spreadsheet will have similar functions (e.g., jumping to a certain cell based on the date or creating a note in a certain cell based on inputted text) and multiple people will have access to edit it (e.g., principal, teachers, coaches, etc). I imagine that creating a library is easiest for this purpose since the functions are the same for each spreadsheet! For example, the script file for each document uses the onOpen() event to call .addMenu(). Then .addMenu calls a wrapper function and this function calls the "jumpToToday" method in my library. (I saw the posts about how the library method cannot be called directly from the menu, so that is why I did it this way). I have two questions:
When I (the owner) share the spreadsheet with an editor, the menu shows up, but when the editor selects one of the menu options, the script returns the error:
You do not have access to library ExternalSupport, used by your script, or it has been deleted.
After I saw this, I shared the library file (Can View) with the spreadsheet editor and then it worked. Do I have to share the library (view only) with ALL editors of the spreadsheet so that they can run the functions? If so, that's fine (I was just trying to avoid it because most principals/teachers/coaches are not techie, so I didn't want to confuse them by sharing a file of code...I just want them to use the spreadsheet).
Because the editors of the spreadsheet will only be able to view the library, it seems like they only have access to the Version that is selected (even if dev mode is on).
When I update my library to another version, do I have to go into the Script Editor of all 100 spreadsheets and then go to Resources > Manage Libraries and update the version? Or is there a way to make all files use the latest version of the library?
1) Yes. According to the documentation
you must grant at least a read-level access to your project for all potential users.
I agree that this may be confusing for other users but at the moment it is necessary.
2) There is no way to make a file use the latest version of a library. Though, there is a way to make a file use the development version of a library. For this to work you need to grant editor-level access to your library to the user. However, bear in mind that any changes that you make to the library will be reflected immediately at the user's end. You can find more information in the documentation.
I'm creating a spellchecker using the Google Docs API in an Apps Script (just a script that extends the functionality of a Google Doc), and I wan't to make this service available to users whom download it as a Web App. Problem is that when I've made my (Container-bound) script in the script editor, it is only available in the Google Document through which I created it - that is, if i open a new document, I cannot use the script.
If I "Deploy as Web App", make it available to everyone and paste the given URL, I get an error message saying that the script needs a function called doGet(), which is not in my script.
How do I go about to publish my script as a regular web app?
I would proceed by creating two scripts:
the core functionality would be deployed as a Web App and a simple container-bound script would offer an interface to call the Web App.
Since the Web App is not bound to a document you may want to follow this scheme:
function doGet(e){
if(e.parameter.docId){
doStuff(DocumentApp.openById(e.parameter.docId));
}
}
Now when you deploy the app you will get a link that gives you access to the functionality.
From the container-bound script you can add some UI (e.g. an Anchor element in a side-panel) that links to the web app with the appropriate parameters
ScriptApp.getService().getUrl() + "?docId=" + DocumentApp.getActiveDocument().getId()
or use UrlFetchApp to get the results and display them in the UI.
Unfortunately this is not the same as adding the functionality across all your documents automatically, but rather a way to install only a relatively lightweight hook in each document where you want to add the functionality, instead of the full script.
I am not aware of any method that can achieve that. Note that when you make a copy of a document, the copy will contain all its scripts so you can create a template for documents that need the additional functionality. This can get ackward though if you wish to mix and match multiple scripts.
The advantage of my method is that if you modify the core functionality, the change is immediately available to all your documents making use of it, with no need to update their scripts. On the other hand if the container-script needs to interact heavily with the UI it may get complicate and reduce the usefulness of separating it in two scripts.
The answer is in your question : the main function of your script (the one that builds the UI) must be called doGet() (this is the conventional entry point of any GAS webapp, the function that you implicitly call when opening the webapp url)... but I'm afraid this will not solve your problem...
Even if I don't know what is in your script and how you wrote it I guess that it refers to the doc in which you bound it as the "active document" and that will probably be the most important issue since a webapp has no document attached to it.
Beside that, how would a spell checker work as a standalone app ? could you explain more clearly what you want to do ?