Extend Google Sheets with Perigon Data

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

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 Articles data.

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 Perigon OData services:

Connect to Perigon

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

1. First, navigate to the Connections page.
2. Click Add Connection and then search for and select the Perigon connection.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Perigon.

   Using API Key Authentication

   To use the Perigon API, you need to obtain an API key from your Perigon account. Navigate to the Perigon dashboard and generate an API key from your account settings.

   After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
   • APIKey: Set this to your Perigon API key.

   Example connection string:

   Profile=C:\profiles\Perigon.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings="APIKey=your_api_key"
   

   Available Tables

   The Perigon profile provides access to the following tables:

   • Articles - News articles retrieved from the Perigon news intelligence API
   • Headlines - Story clusters grouping related headline articles
   • Sources - News sources tracked by the Perigon news intelligence API
   • Journalists - Journalist profiles tracked by the Perigon news intelligence API
   
4. After configuring the connection, click Save & Test to confirm a successful connection.

Configure API Server Users

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

1. On the Users page, click Add User to open the Add User dialog.
2. Next, set the Role, Username, and Privileges properties and then click Add User.
3. 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 Perigon

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

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

Gather the OData Url

Having configured a connection to Perigon data, 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 Perigon Data

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/Articles?select=Id,,,";
  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 articles = JSON.parse(json).value;

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

  row=2;
  for(var i in articles){
    for (var j in articles[i]) {
      switch (j) {
        case "Id":
          a1.offset(row,0).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "":
          a1.offset(row,1).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "":
          a1.offset(row,2).setValue(account[i][j]);
          break;
        case "":
          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:

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

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

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.