I’m looking for guidance on how to use the IMPORTXML function in Google Sheets to bring in data from a specific URL. My setup is as follows:
=IMPORTXML(I2,I3)
Where:
I2 holds the URL: https://example-finance.com/data/stocks?symbol=ABC123&category=price
I3 contains the XPath: //*[@class="price-container"]/div[1]/span[@class="current-price"]/text()
Initially, the data appears, but it doesn’t refresh when I reopen the sheet. I need this data to refresh automatically every time the spreadsheet is loaded. Currently, it just shows “Loading…” and doesn’t complete. Is there a solution to ensure that IMPORTXML pulls the latest data instead of relying on previously cached information?
try setting up query refresh triggers in google sheets. just go to extensions > apps script and create a time-driven trigger that runs every few mins. this way, it ll force recalculation automatically and is way more reliable than the url tricks, plus it won’t spam the server.
Indeed, caching issues with IMPORTXML can be frustrating. A common workaround is to add a unique parameter to your URL, like this: =IMPORTXML(I2&"&refresh="&RANDBETWEEN(1,999999),I3). This approach tricks Google Sheets into treating it as a new request, thus triggering a fresh data fetch. Another option is to use a helper cell with the =NOW() function, which could potentially force a recalculation. However, make sure that the website you’re pulling data from isn’t limiting requests, as many financial sites implement such measures.
I’ve had the same IMPORTXML headaches. Google Sheets’ auto-refresh is super unreliable. Here’s what fixed it for me: add a manual refresh trigger with =IMPORTXML(I2&"×tamp="&TEXT(NOW(),"yyyymmddhhmm"),I3) - this tacks on a timestamp that updates every minute. Also check if the site changed its structure or added anti-scraping protection. Financial sites love updating their security stuff. Test your XPath in browser dev tools first too, since sites constantly tweak their CSS classes without warning.