How to make google spreadsheet refresh itself every 1 minute? - google-apps-script

My google spreadsheet is using GOOGLEFINANCE('symbol','price) function to retrieve stock prices of my portfolio. Unfortunately, I have to refresh manually now. How can I make the spreadsheet refresh itself every 1 minute?
Thank you for your help.

If you're on the New Google Sheets, this is all you need to do, according to the docs:
change your recalculation setting to "On change and every minute" in your spreadsheet at File > Spreadsheet settings.
This will make the entire sheet update itself every minute, on the server side, regardless of whether you have the spreadsheet up in your browser or not.
If you're on the old Google Sheets, you'll want to add a cell with this formula to achieve the same functionality:
=GoogleClock()
EDIT to include old and new Google Sheets and change to =GoogleClock().

If you are only looking for a refresh rate for the GOOGLEFINANCE function, keep in mind that data delays can be up to 20 minutes (per Google Finance Disclaimer).
Single-symbol refresh rate (using GoogleClock)
Here is a modified version of the refresh action, taking the data delay into consideration, to save on unproductive refresh cycles.
=GoogleClock(GOOGLEFINANCE(symbol,"datadelay"))
For example, with:
SYMBOL: GOOG
DATA DELAY: 15 (minutes)
then
=GoogleClock(GOOGLEFINANCE("GOOG","datadelay"))
Results in a dynamic data-based refresh rate of:
=GoogleClock(15)
Multi-symbol refresh rate (using GoogleClock)
If your sheet contains a number of rows of symbols, you could add a datadelay column for each symbol and use the lowest value, for example:
=GoogleClock(MIN(dataDelayValuesNamedRange))
Where dataDelayValuesNamedRange is the absolute reference or named reference of the range of cells that contain the data delay values for each symbol (assuming these values are different).
Without GoogleClock()
The GoogleClock() function was removed in 2014 and replaced with settings setup for refreshing sheets. At present, I have confirmed that replacement settings is only on available in Sheets from when accessed from a desktop browser, not the mobile app (I'm using Google's mobile Sheets app updated 2016-03-14).
(This part of the answer is based on, and portions copied from, Google Docs Help)
To change how often "some" Google Sheets functions update:
Open a spreadsheet. Click File > Spreadsheet settings.
In the RECALCULATION section, choose a setting from the drop-down menu.
Setting options are:
On change
On change and every minute
On change and every hour
Click SAVE SETTINGS.
NOTE External data functions recalculate at the following intervals:
ImportRange: 30 minutes
ImportHtml, ImportFeed, ImportData, ImportXml: 1 hour
GoogleFinance: 2 minutes
The references in earlier sections to the display and use of the datadelay attribute still apply, as well as the concepts for more efficient coding of sheets.
On a positive note, the new refresh option continues to be refreshed by Google servers regardless of whether you have the sheet loaded or not. That's a positive for shared sheets for sure; even more so for Google Apps Scripts (GAS), where GAS is used in workflow code or referenced data is used as a trigger for an event.
[*] in my understanding so far (I am currently testing this)

GOOGLEFINANCE can have a 20 minutes delay, so refreshing every minute would not really help.
Instead of GOOGLEFINANCE you can use different source. I'm using RealTime stock prices(I tried a couple but this is the easiest by-far to implement. They have API that return JSON { Name: CurrentPrice }
Here's a little script you can use in Google Sheets(Tools->Script Editor)
function GetStocksPrice() {
var url = 'https://financialmodelingprep.com/api/v3/stock/real-time-
price/AVP,BAC,CHK,CY,GE,GPRO,HIMX,IMGN,MFG,NIO,NMR,SSSS,UCTT,UMC,ZNGA';
var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url);
// convert json string to json object
var jsonSignal = JSON.parse(response);
// define an array of all the object keys
var headerRow = Object.keys(jsonSignal);
// define an array of all the object values
var values = headerRow.map(function(key){ return jsonSignal[key]});
var data = values[0];
// get sheet by ID -
// you can get the sheet unqiue ID from the your current sheet url
var jsonSheet = SpreadsheetApp.openById("Your Sheet UniqueID");
//var name = jsonSheet.getName();
var sheet = jsonSheet.getSheetByName('Sheet1');
// the column to put the data in -> Y
var letter = "F";
// start from line
var index = 4;
data.forEach(function( row, index2 ) {
var keys = Object.keys(row);
var value2 = row[keys[1]];
// set value loction
var cellXY = letter + index;
sheet.getRange(cellXY).setValue(value2);
index = index + 1;
});
}
Now you need to add a trigger that will execute every minute.
Go to Project Triggers -> click on the Watch icon next to the Save icon
Add Trigger
In -> Choose which function to run -> GetStocksPrice
In -> Select event source -> Time-driven
In -> Select type of time based trigger -> Minutes timer
In -> Select minute interval -> Every minute
And your set :)

I had a similar problem with crypto updates. A kludgy hack that gets around this is to include a '+ now() - now()' stunt at the end of the cell formula, with the setting as above to recalculate every minute. This worked for my price updates, but, definitely an ugly hack.

use now() in any cell. then use that cell as a "dummy" parameter in a function.
when now() changes every minute the formula recalculates.
example:
someFunction(a1,b1,c1) * (cell with now() / cell with now())

Related

Apps Script - How could this code be streamlined?

I've recently started working with Apps Script to improve the scope of what my google sheets can do, and I wanted to ask more experienced people how I might make my script more efficient. I used a mixture of tutorials, documentation, and trial & error to make it. I find that although it usually completes the task it's meant for, sometimes it takes an unreasonably long time or exceeds its runtime and simply stops.
I would like to know which best practices I could implement to make it run more quickly overall, and which things I might be able to include in future scripts to avoid any pitfalls I'd landed in here.
Scope:
The script is meant to take each day's new data and apply it to a new sheet called 'TODAY.' It works as follows.
Rename the tab labeled 'TODAY' to the previous workday's date (if today is 2.3, it renames the sheet to 2.2.)
Hide this renamed tab.
Duplicate the 'TEMPLATE' tab, and rename it to 'TODAY.'
Pull data from the 'RAW DATA' tab, and paste it into the new 'TODAY' tab.
Paste a formula into the new 'TODAY' tab and drag it down to the bottom of the table so that the correct values populate and the conditional formatting occurs.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I really just need some direction for how to improve my work.
Here is a link to an example sheet with editing permissions enabled: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1F7bAd2DjKgk53e-haPgjWfFphMfu5YBn8iRQ3qwC3n0/edit?usp=sharing
In my humble opinion, a good Google Sheet App Script doesn't need to use activate to control the source or destination of data. The sheet and script developer should know what and where they want the data to come from and go. Activate is like using the mouse to click on something.
I've taken your script and rewritten to minimize the use of variables. I have only one sheet variable and reuse it throughout. In fact for the majority of the time it is the copy of the TEMPLATE called TODAY.
Also unless I have to use a sheet last row many times, I avoid using a variable and instead just use sheet.getLastRow(). Same for columns.
I always wrap my code in a try catch block as a matter of habit.
As a last note, unless you change the notation in column C and N you could have used your script to fill in column B.
function myDailyUpdate() {
try {
let spread = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
// Step 1
let sheet = spread.getSheetByName("TODAY");
let oldDate = sheet.getRange("Q4").getValue();
let prevDate = Utilities.formatDate(oldDate,"GMT-5","M.d");
// Renames old 'TODAY' sheet to previous workday's date.
sheet.setName(prevDate);
// Sets the color to red.
sheet.setTabColor("990000");
// Hides the old 'TODAY' sheet
sheet.hideSheet();
// Step 2
sheet = spread.getSheetByName("TEMPLATE");
// Copies the contents of the 'TEMPLATE' sheet to a new sheet called 'TODAY.'
sheet = sheet.copyTo(spread);
sheet.setName("TODAY");
sheet.activate(); // required to move to 1st position
// Move TEMPLATE to first position
spread.moveActiveSheet(1);
// Step 3
// Colors the 'TODAY' tab green to signify it being active.
sheet.setTabColor("6aa85f")
// Identifies the 'RAWDATA' sheet for later use.
let source = spread.getSheetByName("RAWDATA");
// Identifies ranges and values for later use.
let values = source.getDataRange().getValues();
// sheet is still the "TODAY" sheet
// Identifies 'TODAY' sheet as the recipient of 'RAWDATA' data, and identifies the range.
// Sets the values from 'RAWDATA' into 'TODAY.'
sheet.getRange(12,2,values.length,values[0].length).setValues(values);
// Step 4
// sheet is still the "TODAY" sheet
let range = sheet.getRange("C12");
range.setFormula(
'=IFERROR(IFERROR(IFS(VLOOKUP($B12,INDIRECT'
+'('
+'"'
+'\''
+'"'
+'&$Q$4&'
+'"'
+'\''
+'!"&"!"&"A1:O2000")'
+',15,false)="D","D",$N12="Quote","Q",$N12="Important","I",$N12="On Hold","H",$N12="IN TRANSIT","T",$N12="REQUEST","R",$N12="INCOMPLETE","N",$N12="COMMENT","C"),VLOOKUP($N12,$B$3:$C$9,2,FALSE)),"")');
// Pastes the above formula into cell C12.
let fillRange = sheet.getRange(12,3,values.length,1);
range.copyTo(fillRange);
sheet.activate();
}
catch(err) {
console.log(err);
}
}

How do you track automated data inputs in Google Sheets over time?

I have a google sheet that runs a report on data that is automatically updated. What I would like to do is compare the new inputs with the old inputs to determine if the changes were positive or negative. How would you go about automating a sheet to track these changes?
Changes happen monthly
there would be a score 1-100; 100 being the best
would like to store this data over time for a historical view
Any advice would surely be appreciated
The numbers in each criteria change every month producing a score at the end of the table called Current Score
This score is then pulled into the historical tab as the "Current Score"
What I would like to see happen is that the Current score be saved every month and processed with a percentage change month over month
So I would need a function that stores a copy of the results before they change, processes a new score, and then calculates the difference between the two. Example here is the Dec score (stored values) compared to the most recent score.
Here is a link to the working example
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ImbRhWqGjvIx2CFRKapZ2wmxC9qpSKxxCbHr5tPOBOs/edit#gid=0
Solution
You can automate this process by using Google Apps Script. Open the script editor by clicking on Tools > Script Editor. It is based on JavaScript and allows you to create, access and modify Google Sheets files with a service called Spreadsheet Service.
In addition, you can use Time-driven triggers to run the script automatically once a month. To set it up, click Triggers in the left bar, then Add Trigger and select Time-driven in Select event source. You can now specify the month timer and the exact day and hour you want the script to run. However, I recommend that you do some testing before setting up the trigger to check that you get the desired results. You can test the code by clicking Run in the Editor.
Explanation of the code
There are three functions in the code. The main function is called updateScores and it does what you described in the question. It takes the current score, stores it in a new column and calculates the difference from the last month. Try this function and if you like the result, you can put the trigger in the main function. This way, the trigger calls main which its only responsibility is to call the other two functions. The first is updateScores, which I have already explained, and the second is clearScores, which clears all the values of Reports so you don't have to do it manually and you can start writing the new values for the new month.
I have added some comments so you can understand what each line does.
var lr = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('report').getLastRow()
function updateScores() {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Historical')
var currentValues = ss.getRange('B2:B'+lr).getDisplayValues() // get current score
ss.insertColumnsAfter(2,2) // insert two new columns (current score and percent difference)
ss.getRange('D2:D'+lr).setValues(currentValues) // paste stored score
ss.getRange('C2:C'+lr).setFormula('=if(D2=0,"N/A",B2/D2-1)') // apply formula for last stored scores
ss.getRange('E2:E'+lr).setFormula('=if(F2=0,"N/A",D2/F2-1)') // correct formula reference
ss.getRange('E2:E'+lr).copyFormatToRange(ss,3,3,2,lr) // copy format percent
ss.getRange('F2:F'+lr).copyFormatToRange(ss,4,4,2,lr) // copy format scores
var month = new Date().toString().split(' ')[1] // get current month
ss.getRange('D1').setValue(month + ' score') // write current month on last stored scores
var diff = ss.getRange('E1').getDisplayValue() // get diff symbol
ss.getRange('C1').setValue(diff) // write diff
}
function clearScores(){
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('report')
ss.getRange('B2:G'+lr).clear()
}
function main(){
updateScores()
clearScores()
}

Creating a time controlled trigger on Google Sheets

I am importing JSON data to Google Sheets using this solution (https://blog.fastfedora.com/projects/import-json).
It is vital that this data is accurate all the time, however, I have noticed that the data provided through this function lags behind the actual API feeds.
The issue can be sorted if I delete and Ctrl+Z, but obviously I am not available 24/7 to constantly do that :).
A solution I have is that in the cells with the IMPORTJSON function, I have placed the following before it: IF(A1=1,"",IMPORTJSON....
So if 1 is entered in A1, everything is deleted, and once the 1 is deleted, the feeds refresh with the correct data.
Again the issue is that I have to manually enter this 1. I would like to create a method of this one is entered automatically. Like every minute or five minutes.
How do I go about creating this time triggering cell?
function updateCell() {
var range = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName("Name of Sheet").getRange("A1");
range.clear({contentsOnly: true});
range.setValue(1);
}
And set that function to trigger on a timer every x minutes.
See the documentation for further information if you need finer revisions.

Google Apps Script to count number of emails received yesterday, that has certain label, then save # daily to spreadsheet

Basically what the title says, but I want to:
1) Automatically count the number of emails received to my gmail account, that has a certain label on it
2) Count once everyday, even if zero
3) And report daily to a Google Spreasheet
4) So I can make a monthly report like such:
Date / #
Date / #
Date / #
.
.
.
Total for October / #
Average per day / #
I'm sure this is piece of cake using Google Script for script gurus, but I have no clue. Please teach me!
Open a new Untitled spreadsheet and go to Tools -> open Script editor and paste the code given below.
function CountEmail()
{
var label = GmailApp.getUserLabelByName("LabelName");
var labelname = label.getName();
var mails = label.getThreads();
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName("Sheet1");
var date = new Date();
sheet.appendRow([labelname,date,mails.length]);
}
To run the script daily you will need to set a project trigger in the app script.For that follow the steps given below:
Resources -> Current Project's Trigger -> Add trigger -> Time driven -> Hour timer -> select the time when you want the script to run.
The total number of emails and the average emails/day can be calculated in the spreadsheet itself by just using the Sum() function.
Referencing the code Suyash Gandhi has posted (citing it here in case it gets removed so there is no confusion).
NOTE: not my code!!! Credit to Suyash Gandhi
function CountEmail()
{
var label = GmailApp.getUserLabelByName("LabelName");
var labelname = label.getName();
var mails = label.getThreads();
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName("Sheet1");
var date = new Date();
sheet.appendRow([labelname,date,mails.length]);
}
NOTE: not my code!!! Credit to Suyash Gandhi
See the picture below
What you see here are 2 threads, 1 email in the bottom one, 3 emails in the top one and 1 draft in the top one. That given code will return a 2 here. If you wish to count all 4 (or 5 if you want the draft) you will need to use Gmail API (see reference here).
I have a script that gets all emails (every message) for a specific time period and outputs the receive date, sender, recipient and title to a spreadsheet. This is the code that actually fetches the emails. The rest of the code is mostly creating files, generating the query string and reset the script if it runs too close to 6 minutes.
queriedMessages =
Gmail.Users.Messages.list(userInfo.mail,
{
'q': queryString,
'pageToken': execProperties.nextPageId
});
userInfo.mail is the email address you are fetching the emails from. This is simply written like this because the script can be run with any account
queryString is a string that is used to search for emails and is exactly the same as you use in the gmail search box. So you would have label:labelname
pageToken is a code of the page of the search (basically what is needed when you click the next page button in gmail). It is returned as part of this function so you would be able to access it from queriedMessages.nextPageToken. So if you get more than 1 page, then you will need it to access the rest of the messages.
Also, keep in mind that you are getting all the messages fitting the query, so if you do this daily, you may want to include a trigger. Also, keep in mind that functions firing from triggers ignore your timezone (known bug), but you can figure out how to create a query that works for only 1 day fairly easily. Personally I just grab +1 day on the beginning and the end and just filter those messages out.

Google spreadsheet custom function: How to get a continuously updated valued?

I wrote a custom google app script function in a script associated with my google doc spreadsheet. The function calls a third party service to get data. I can put the function in a cell:
=myfunction("something")
and it returns the correct value from the service. However, how can I keep this value updated so that it's showing the latest data from the service?
Update
For example:
=temperature("90120")
For getting the current temperature in a given zip code. Also my sheet may have dozens or hundreds of these so I'd prefer something that is performant and maintainable. It doesn't truly need to be continuous, polling once a minute or ideally more frequently could work. I'm wondering if there's some way from the script to set a timer to run to update a range of cells?
Not sure why you need dozens or hundreds.
1. Is the spreadsheet used by another process?
2. Is the spreadsheet visually reviewed by actual users?
If #1, you could replace the spreadsheet with a custom API via the content service to return JSON results for all temperatures.
If #2, you may hit limits or performance issues with so many functions firing so often. Why should fire the functions if no one is viewing the results. Alternatively, you could make it an on-demand with a custom menu option.
I have a similar problem.
This is how I am doing it atm, but its not the best solution. I am looking for a better one.
If any value at sheet Prices and column D changes.
Meaning if any cell value changes in the whole column it updates the custom function value.
//Search Price sheet with the given name. Return price. dummy param updates google ss once the "Prices" sheet values changed.
function searchPrice(price,dummy)
{
var SPREADSHEET_NAME = "Prices";
var SEARCH_COL_IDX = 2;
var RETURN_COL_IDX = 3;
var values = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName(SPREADSHEET_NAME).getDataRange().getValues();
for (var i = 0; i < values.length; i++)
{
var row = values[i];
if (row[SEARCH_COL_IDX] == price)
{
return row[RETURN_COL_IDX];
}
}
}
This is how you call it =searchPrice(B8,Prices!D:D)
Just give your custom function a dummy param. It doesn't do anything in the custom function.