An introduction to Google Apps Script. It is a technology that allows you to write in JavaScript and HTML, and execute the code within Google's Cloud. It revolves around the Google Account. In this presentation, we go through a demo app called Good Morning World. This app goes through the current day's Calendar events, puts a summary of those events to a Google Document, shortens the URL to the Document, and emails it to you. It also covers how to schedule it to run every morning. For more details, go to: http://www.modmonstr.com/search/label/code

1. Google Apps Script
Introduction
01-17-2013
ModMonstR.com

2. What is Google Apps Script?
● A Google Cloud-based scripting technology
used in the Google Apps/Drive ecosystem
● Write code in JavaScript and HTML
● Has native APIs to most Google services,
except Google+, Blogger, and YouTube
● Has Web Service support
● Has App Engine integration support

3. Script Execution
● Invocation Methods:
○ Google Drive
○ Google Spreadsheet
○ Web (Sites or Web App)
● Scheduling Capabilities
○ By Specific Times
○ By Time Interval
● Quotas
○ Goes against the executor's Google Account

4. Container-Bound vs Standalone
● Container-Bound scripts
○ Resides within a Google Spreadsheet
○ Goes away with the spreadsheet
● Standalone scripts
○ Resides in Google Drive
○ Can be scheduled to execute
○ As a Web App, it can be deployed to the Chrome
App Store

5. Google API Support
Default and Experimental Google APIs

6. Default Google APIs
● Blob ● Finance ● Script
● Browser ● Gmail ● ScriptDb
● Buttons ● Groups ● Sites
● Cache ● Html ● Soap
● Calendar ● Jdbc ● Spreadsheet
● Charts ● Language ● Ui
● Contacts ● Lock ● UrlFetch
● Content ● Logger ● Utilities
● DocList ● Mail ● Xml
● Document ● Maps
● Domain ● Properties

7. Experimental Google APIs
These APIs need to be enabled by going to the
Resources>Use Google APIs menu
● AdSense
● Analytics
● BigQuery
● Prediction
● Tasks
● UrlShortener

8. Sample
Good Morning World

9. About Good Morning World
1. Gathers Calendar events for the current day
2. Write them in a Google Document
3. Shorten the URL of the Document via goo.gl
4. Email the shortened URL
5. Schedule the script

10. Create the Script
1. Go to Google Drive
2. Click Create>More>Script
3. Click Blank Project
4. Rename Untitled project to your
project's name 1
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11. Initialize
function myFunction() {
//Get current Date and format as a string
var today = new Date();
var todayString = today.getFullYear().toString() + lPad
(1+today.getMonth())+lPad(today.getDate());
}
function lPad(i){
return i<10?"0"+i:i;
}
● The current date is obtained and saved as a
string in yyyymmdd format for file naming
● The lPad function pads a zero to the left if
the input is a single-digit number

12. Step 1. Gather Today's Calendar Events
var cal = CalendarApp.
getDefaultCalendar().
getEventsForDay(today);
● CalendarApp is used to reference the end-
user's Calendar
● getDefaultCalendar() obtains the end-
user's default calendar
● getEventsForDay(Date) obtains all
events for the specified date
● today is the current date from previous slide

13. Step 2. Write them in a Document
//Create a Google Document,
//filename starts with the current date
var doc = DocumentApp.create(todayString+'-Good Morning');
● Create the Google Document
● The filename begins with the current date in
yyyymmdd format
● Doing so enables the Document filenames to
sort naturally

14. Step 2. Write them in a Document
//Header part of the document
doc.appendParagraph("Good Morning World");
doc.appendParagraph("Below are the activities for today, "
+ today);
doc.appendHorizontalRule()
● The header is composed of three parts:
○ A greeting
○ Language to indicate today's events
○ A horizontal rule to delineate the Calendar Events
from the header

15. Step 2. Write them in a Document
//Iterate through the Calendar and write to the Document
var i = 0;
for(i = 0;i<cal.length;i++){
doc.appendParagraph(basicTime(cal[i].getStartTime()) + '
to ' + basicTime(cal[i].getEndTime()) + ' - ' + cal[i].
getTitle() + ' in ' + cal[i].getLocation());
}
● The Calendar events are stored as an array
of CalendarEvent objects
● Iterate via a for loop
● Inside, add a paragraph to the Document
with the time range, title, and location of the
event

16. Step 2. Write them in a Document
function basicTime(t){
var output = lPad(t.getHours()) + ":" +
lPad(t.getMinutes());
return output;
}
● basicTime formats the input time in hh:mm
format
● This function is called in the previous slide to
format the Start and End time of the
calendar event

17. Step 2. Write them in a Document
//Save and close the Document
doc.saveAndClose();
● We are done with the Google Document
● Save changes and Close it

18. Step 3. Shorten Document URL
// Get the URL of the document
var url = doc.getUrl();
// Shorten the URL
var toShorten = UrlShortener.newUrl().setLongUrl(url)
var shortUrl = UrlShortener.Url.insert(toShorten);
● getUrl() gets the Document's URL
● toShorten gets a url object by converting
from getUrl's output (string)
● shortUrl contains the shortened Url

19. Step 4. Email the shortened URL
// Get the email address of the active user - that's you
var emailAddress = Session.getActiveUser().getEmail();
// Send yourself an email with a link to the document
GmailApp.sendEmail(emailAddress,
'Today's Calendar Events',
'Attached is a link to Document containing ' +
'today's activities ' +
shortUrl.getId());
● emailAddress contains the end-user's
email address
● sendEmail sends the email
● the ' results in a ' character

20. Step 4. Email the shortened URL
● We need to enable the URL Shortener API
● Click Resources
● Click User Google APIs...

21. Step 4. Email the shortened URL
1. Set URL Shortener API to on
2. Click OK
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22. Step 5. Schedule
1. Go to Resources
2. Click Current script's triggers...
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23. Step 5. Schedule
1. Click No triggers set up. Click
here to add one now.
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24. Step 5. Schedule
● Run - Pick the main function in the script
● Events - Configure the scheduling
● Click Save

25. Step 5. Schedule
● Authorization is similar to Android apps
● Each Google service accessed by the script
is listed in the authorization request

26. Step 5. Schedule
● Click Grant access

27. Step 5. Schedule
● Confirmation of authorization

28. To Run
1. Select the goodMorningWorld function
2. Click on the play button to run
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29. Output
● Email sent containing the shortened URL

30. Output
● Google Document generated by the script

31. Resources
● This Presentation:
○ http://goo.gl/2dGhW
● Sample Source Code:
○ http://www.modmonstr.com/search/label/Apps%20Script
● Google
○ http://script.google.com
○ https://developers.google.com/apps-script/articles
○ https://developers.google.com/apps-script/videos
● Stack Overflow
○ http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/google-apps-
script

32. Next Time
● Container-bound Apps Script
● Web App
● Chrome Web Store deployment