Google Sheets: Hiding Columns based on date in row 1 - google-apps-script

Question

I have no experience with scripting in Excel or Google Sheets, so I'm trying to branch out a bit and see if there's a solution to my problem. We use Google Sheets for a weekly calendar at our kitchen remodeling business. We organize the weeks from left to right and list the jobs we're currently working on in those columns. I would like to automatically hide all columns that have a date older than 4 weeks, so when the sheet opens, we're not starting with a date from a year ago. I can hide these columns manually each week, but when I do need to go back and look at previous weeks, I'm forced to unhide all thosecolumns and then highlight all of the columns I want to rehide. Having a script seems like the better solution.
Is there a way to have a script run every time the file is open so that we're always only displaying the previous 4 weeks and everything in the future? If so, would you be willing to help me understand how I might write that and get it working? Again, I'm a novice when it comes to anything beyond formulas, but very interested in learning more about the scripting capabilities.
Thank you!

Answer 1

With Apps Script via Tools->Script Editor, you could create a menu with an onOpen() function. The function in the menu (e.g. hidePast), would then need to check a given value in each column (to see what date that column refers to), and then flag it to be hidden or not. The onOpen function, because it is a "simple trigger", cannot do anything that requires "authorization" (such as interacting with non-local Spreadsheet data), hence the intermediate method. By creating a menu, you can make it easy for anyone using the spreadsheet to authorize and activate the function.
Example:
/* #OnlyCurrentDoc */
function onOpen() {
SpreadsheetApp.getActive().addMenu("Date Tools",
[{name:"Hide Past", functionName:"hidePast"},
{name:"Show All", functionName:"showAll"}]);
}
function showAll() {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
var sheet = ss.getActiveSheet();
sheet.unhideColumn(sheet.getDataRange());
ss.toast("All columns unhidden.");
}
function hidePast() {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
var sheet = ss.getActiveSheet();
// Acquire the 1st row of all used columns as an array of arrays.
var datelist = sheet.getSheetValues(1, 1, 1, sheet.getLastColumn());
// Drop the hours, minutes, seconds, etc. from today.
var now = new Date();
var today = new Date(Date.UTC(now.getUTCFullYear(), now.getUTCMonth(), now.getUTCDate()));
// Inspect the datelist and compare to today. Start from the rightmost
// column (assuming the dates are chronologically increasing).
var col = datelist[0].length;
while(--col >= 0) {
var then = new Date(datelist[0][col]);
if(then < today) {
break;
}
}
// Bounds check, and convert col into a 1-base index (instead of 0-base).
if(++col < 1) return;
// col now is the first index where the date is before today.
// Increment again, as these are 2-column merged regions (and
// the value is stored in the leftmost range). If not incremented,
// (i.e. hiding only part of a merged range), spreadsheet errors will occur.
sheet.hideColumn(sheet.getRange(1, 1, 1, ++col));
ss.toast("Hid all the columns before today.");
}

Answer 2

Because you don't have a "database like" source it will be very difficult, but you can try to create a very complicated
QUERY()
you should filter the dates in another sheet (and you may face a dead end).
So I will suggest using this kind of structure and it will also allow you to make other kinds of filters (or Pivot Tables) in the future (maintainable and scalable).