Extend Google Sheets with Smartsheet Data



Make calls to the API Server from Google Apps Script.

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

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 Sheet_Event_Plan_Budget data and, as you make changes, executes updates to Smartsheet data.

About Smartsheet Data Integration

CData provides the easiest way to access and integrate live data from Smartsheet. Customers use CData connectivity to:

  • Read and write attachments, columns, comments and discussions.
  • View the data in individuals cells, report on cell history, and more.
  • Perform Smartsheet-specific actions like deleting or downloading attachments, creating, copying, deleting, or moving sheets, and moving or copying rows to another sheet.

Users frequently integrate Smartsheet with analytics tools such as Tableau, Crystal Reports, and Excel. Others leverage our tools to replicate Smartsheet data to databases or data warehouses.


Getting Started


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 Smartsheet OData services:

Connect to Smartsheet

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

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

    Smartsheet uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, register an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties.

    However, for testing purposes you can instead use the Personal Access Token you get when you create an application; set this to the OAuthAccessToken connection property.

  4. After configuring the connection, click Save & Test to confirm a successful connection.

Configure API Server Users

Next, create a user to access your Smartsheet 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 Smartsheet

Having created a user, you are ready to create API endpoints for the Smartsheet 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 Smartsheet 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 Smartsheet 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/Sheet_Event_Plan_Budget?select=Id,TaskName,Progress,Assigned";
  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 sheet_event_plan_budget = JSON.parse(json).value;

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

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

Post Changes to Smartsheet Data

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/Sheet_Event_Plan_Budget("+id+")";
  var putdata = "{\"@odata.type\" : \"CDataAPI.Sheet_Event_Plan_Budget\",  \""+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:

  1. Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers.
  2. Select buildReq in the Run menu.
  3. Select From Spreadsheet.
  4. 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 Smartsheet data.

Ready to get started?

Learn more or sign up for a free trial:

CData API Server