Extend Google Sheets with JSON Services

Make calls to the API Server from Google Apps Script.

Interact with JSON services from Google Sheets through macros, custom functions, and add-ons. The CData API Server enables connectivity to JSON services from cloud-based and mobile applications like Google Sheets. The API Server is a lightweight Web application that produces OData services for JSON.

Google Apps Script can consume these OData services in the JSON format. This article shows how to create a simple add-on that populates a Google Spreadsheet with people data and, as you make changes, executes updates to JSON services.

Set Up the API Server

If you have not already done so, download the CData API Server. Once you have installed the API Server, follow the steps below to begin producing secure JSON OData services:

Connect to JSON

To work with JSON services from Google Sheets, we start by creating and configuring a JSON connection. Follow the steps below to configure the API Server to connect to JSON services:

First, navigate to the Connections page.
Click Add Connection and then search for and select the JSON connection.
Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to JSON.
See the Getting Started chapter in the data provider documentation to authenticate to your data source: The data provider models JSON APIs as bidirectional database tables and JSON files as read-only views (local files, files stored on popular cloud services, and FTP servers). The major authentication schemes are supported, including HTTP Basic, Digest, NTLM, OAuth, and FTP. See the Getting Started chapter in the data provider documentation for authentication guides.

After setting the URI and providing any authentication values, set DataModel to more closely match the data representation to the structure of your data.

The DataModel property is the controlling property over how your data is represented into tables and toggles the following basic configurations.
- Document (default): Model a top-level, document view of your JSON data. The data provider returns nested elements as aggregates of data.
- FlattenedDocuments: Implicitly join nested documents and their parents into a single table.
- Relational: Return individual, related tables from hierarchical data. The tables contain a primary key and a foreign key that links to the parent document.
See the Modeling JSON Data chapter for more information on configuring the relational representation. You will also find the sample data used in the following examples. The data includes entries for people, the cars they own, and various maintenance services performed on those cars.
After configuring the connection, click Save & Test to confirm a successful connection.

Configure API Server Users

Next, create a user to access your JSON services through the API Server. You can add and configure users on the Users page. Follow the steps below to configure and create a user:

On the Users page, click Add User to open the Add User dialog.
Next, set the Role, Username, and Privileges properties and then click Add User.
An Authtoken is then generated for the user. You can find the Authtoken and other information for each user on the Users page:

Creating API Endpoints for JSON

Having created a user, you are ready to create API endpoints for the JSON tables:

First, navigate to the API page and then click Add Table .
Select the connection you wish to access and click Next.
With the connection selected, create endpoints by selecting each table and then clicking Confirm.

Gather the OData Url

Having configured a connection to JSON services, created a user, and added resources to the API Server, you now have an easily accessible REST API based on the OData protocol for those resources. From the API page in API Server, you can view and copy the API Endpoints for the API:

Retrieve JSON Services

Open the Script Editor from your spreadsheet by clicking Tools -> Script Editor. In the Script Editor, add the following function to populate a spreadsheet with the results of an OData query:



function retrieve(){
  var url = "https://MyUrl/api.rsc/people?select=Id,[ personal.name.first ],[ personal.name.last ],[ personal.name.last ]";
  var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
    headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
  }); 
  var json = response.getContentText();
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var a1 = sheet.getRange('a1');
  var index=1;
  var people = JSON.parse(json).value;

  var cols = [["Id","[ personal.name.first ]","[ personal.name.last ]","[ personal.name.last ]"]]; 
  sheet.getRange(1,1,1,4).setValues(cols);

  row=2;
  for(var i in people){
    for (var j in people[i]) {
      switch (j) {
        case "Id":
          a1.offset(row,0).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "[ personal.name.first ]":
          a1.offset(row,1).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "[ personal.name.last ]":
          a1.offset(row,2).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "[ personal.name.last ]":
          a1.offset(row,3).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
      }      
    }
    row++;
  }
}

Follow the steps below to add an installable trigger to populate the spreadsheet when opened:

Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers -> Add a New Trigger.
Select retrieve in the Run menu.
Select From Spreadsheet.
Select On open.

After closing the dialog, you are prompted to allow access to the application.

Post Changes to JSON Services

Add the following function to post changes to cells back to the API Server:



function buildReq(e){
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var changes = e.range;
  var id = sheet.getRange(changes.getRow(),1).getValue();
  var col = sheet.getRange(1,changes.getColumn()).getValue();
  
  var url = "http://MyServer/api.rsc/people("+id+")";
  var putdata = "{\"@odata.type\" : \"CDataAPI.people\",  \""+col+"\": \""+changes.getValue()+"\"}";;
  UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
    method: "put",
    contentType: "application/json",
    payload: putdata,
    headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
  });

}

Follow the steps below to add the update trigger:

Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers.
Select buildReq in the Run menu.
Select From Spreadsheet.
Select On edit.

You can test the script by clicking Publish -> Test as Add-On. Select the version, installation type, and spreadsheet to create a test configuration. You can then select and run the test configuration.

As you make changes to cells, the API Server executes updates to JSON services.

Ready to get started?

Learn more or sign up for a free trial:

CData API Server