How to Integrate RapidAPI with Google Sheets for IMDB Data Retrieval

Other Questions RapidAPI
1

Integrating Google Sheets and RapidAPI

I am attempting to work with APIs for the first time and thought it would be a straightforward task to set up a Google Sheet that fetches movie details based on their titles.

I discovered that RapidAPI offers an add-on for Google Sheets, but I’ve struggled to find comprehensive documentation and have encountered some roadblocks.

What I’ve Discovered So Far

There appears to be a single implementation example using the =FETCH() function to pull financial data, demonstrated like this:

=FETCH("https://api.example.com/stock/{ticker}/info", "data.company", "YOUR_API_KEY", "ticker", "GOOGL")

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get this example functioning, and the code snippet for retrieving IMDB data looks a bit varied, particularly concerning the use of curly braces around {ticker}.

var fetch = require("node-fetch");

var settings = {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    'x-rapidapi-host': 'example-api.p.rapidapi.com',
    'x-rapidapi-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'
  }
};

fetch('https://example-api.p.rapidapi.com/title/search?q=Dredd', settings)
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data))
  .catch(err => console.error(err));

During a standard query on IMDB, I received a URL structured like this:

https://www.imdb.com/find?q=dredd&ref_=nv_sr_sm

I noticed the q parameter in the URL seems crucial.

  • I am unclear on how to shape the =FETCH() command to pull IMDB data since examples imply different formats. Specifically, the function takes the parameters: “FETCH(url, selectPaths, rapidApiKey).”
  • I’m puzzled about the purpose of the curly braces in the given URL example.
  • My attempts consistently return the same error message:

Error
Request failed for https://example-api.p.rapidapi.com returned code 400. Truncated server response: 400 - Bad Request (use muteHttpExceptions option to examine full response).

Request for Assistance

Could anyone provide a more effective tutorial for this setup or suggest some reading materials suitable for beginners?

2

Hi DancingBird,

Integrating RapidAPI with Google Sheets to fetch IMDB data can seem daunting at first, but let me simplify it for you. You’ve got the right idea using the =FETCH() function, but the settings need to match the specifics for querying IMDB data through RapidAPI.

Here’s a step-by-step approach:

  1. Install the RapidAPI add-on in Google Sheets: Ensure you have the RapidAPI add-on installed on your Google Sheet.
  2. Prepare your API request: The IMDB API request uses placeholders (like {id} or {q}) to dynamically input query terms or IDs directly in your Google Sheet.
  3. Modify the =FETCH() function: Your function should look like this:

=FETCH("https://imdb-api.rapidapi.com/title/find?q=" & A1, "selectPaths", "YOUR_API_KEY")

In this setup, replace A1 with the cell where your specific search term like "Dredd" is stored.

Key Points:

  • Ensure your API URL is correct and matches the endpoint provided by RapidAPI for the IMDB.
  • Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual RapidAPI key.
  • If you encounter a 400 error, check if your URL and headers are correctly formatted.
  • The curly braces are usually used for templating in URLs; adjust according to the documentation.

For complete and structured guides, I recommend checking RapidAPI’s official documentation, and forums like StackOverflow for troubleshooting similar integrations.

Happy automating!

David