I’m working with the Google Sheets API and trying to make columns automatically resize to fit their content. I’ve been searching through the documentation but can only find ways to set specific pixel values for column widths. Is there a method in the API that works like the AutoFit feature you get when you double-click column borders in the regular Google Sheets interface? I need the columns to expand or shrink based on the actual text content inside them. Any suggestions on how to achieve this programmatically?
Had the same problem about six months ago when building a report generator. You’ll want to use the autoResizeDimensions method in a batchUpdate call. Key thing is getting the dimensionRange config right - you need to specify the sheetId and exact column range with startIndex and endIndex. Leave the range undefined if you want all columns to resize. The auto-resize runs server-side and factors in font size, cell padding, bold headers, different fonts - all that stuff gets handled automatically. Works well even on large sheets since Google’s doing the heavy lifting.
yeah, autoResizeDimensions is what u want, but make sure to set the dimension prop to ‘COLUMNS’ in ur req. I forgot that once and it kept resizing rows instead. also heads up - it gets weird with merged cells sometimes.
Use the autoResizeDimensions request in a batchUpdate call. Had the exact same problem last year and wasted hours hunting for a direct autofit method before I found this. Here’s what works: create a batch update request with autoResizeDimensions, specify your sheet ID and the column range you want, then run it. The API calculates optimal width based on content - just like double-clicking manually. One gotcha: make sure your data’s already in the cells first. If you run this on empty cells, it’ll resize based on nothing. Works for both expanding and shrinking columns depending on content length.