Updating Google Sheets from a web application using Apps Script

Other Questions Google Sheets
1

I’m working on a project where I need to create a web app that allows users to edit specific columns from a Google Sheets table. The goal is to have any changes made in the app reflected in the original spreadsheet. I’ve tried using the doPost function with sheet.getRange(row, col).setValue(value) to update cells, but it’s not working as expected.

Here’s a simplified version of what I’m trying to do:

function doPost(e) {
  var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.openById('your_spreadsheet_id');
  var sheet = spreadsheet.getSheetByName('YourSheetName');
  var data = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);
  
  sheet.getRange(data.row, data.col).setValue(data.value);
  return ContentService.createTextOutput('Updated successfully');
}

Can anyone help me figure out why the changes aren’t being applied to the original sheet? Is there a better way to handle this kind of data synchronization between a web app and Google Sheets?

2

I’ve been down this road before, and I can tell you it’s not always smooth sailing. One thing that helped me was implementing error handling and logging. It’s a lifesaver when debugging these kinds of issues.

Try wrapping your code in a try-catch block and log any errors to the Apps Script console. Something like this:

function doPost(e) {
  try {
    var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.openById('your_spreadsheet_id');
    var sheet = spreadsheet.getSheetByName('YourSheetName');
    var data = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);
    
    sheet.getRange(data.row, data.col).setValue(data.value);
    SpreadsheetApp.flush();
    
    return ContentService.createTextOutput('Updated successfully');
  } catch (error) {
    Logger.log('Error: ' + error.toString());
    return ContentService.createTextOutput('Error: ' + error.message).setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.TEXT);
  }
}

This way, you’ll get more insight into what’s going wrong. Also, make sure your web app is deployed with the right permissions. It should run as you and have access to the spreadsheet. Hope this helps!

3

hey there! have u considered using the SpreadsheetApp.flush() method after ur setValue() call? sometimes changes don’t apply immediately. also, double-check ur spreadsheet ID and sheet name. if that doesn’t work, try logging the data object to see if it’s formatted correctly. good luck with ur project!

4

I’ve encountered similar issues when working with Google Sheets and Apps Script. One approach that’s worked well for me is using batch updates instead of individual setValue calls. This can significantly improve performance and reliability, especially when dealing with multiple updates.

Here’s a modified version of your code that uses batch updates:

function doPost(e) {
  var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.openById('your_spreadsheet_id');
  var sheet = spreadsheet.getSheetByName('YourSheetName');
  var data = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);
  
  var range = sheet.getRange(data.row, data.col);
  var values = [[data.value]];
  range.setValues(values);
  
  SpreadsheetApp.flush();
  return ContentService.createTextOutput('Updated successfully');
}

This approach should be more efficient and reliable for updating your Google Sheet from a web application. Remember to properly handle authentication and permissions to ensure your script has the necessary access to modify the spreadsheet.