Posted by Edward Jones, Software Engineer, Google Apps Script and Wesley Chun, Developer Advocate, Google Apps
Have you ever wanted a server API that modifies cells in a Google Sheet, to execute a Google Apps Script app from outside of Google Apps, or a way to use Apps Script as an API platform? Today, we’re excited to announce you can do all that and more with the Google Apps Script Execution API.
The Execution API allows developers to execute scripts from any client (browser, server, mobile, or any device). You provide the authorization, and the Execution API will run your script. If you’re new to Apps Script, it’s simply JavaScript code hosted in the cloud that can access authorized Google Apps data using the same technology that powers add-ons. The Execution API extends the ability to execute Apps Script code and unlocks the power of Docs, Sheets, Forms, and other supported services for developers.
One of our launch partners, Pear Deck, used the new API to create an interactive presentation tool that connects students to teachers by converting slide decks into interactive experiences. Their app calls the Execution API to automatically generate a Google Doc customized for each student, so everyone gets a personalized set of notes from the presentation. Without the use of Apps Script, their app would be limited to using PDFs and other static file types. Check out the video below to see how it works.
Bruce McPherson, a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Google Apps, says: “The Execution API is a great tool for enabling what I call ‘incremental transition’ from Microsoft Office (and VBA) to Apps (and Apps Script). A mature Office workflow may involve a number of processes currently orchestrated by VBA, with data in various formats and locations. It can be a challenge to move an entire workload in one step, especially an automated process with many moving parts. This new capability enables the migration of data and process in manageable chunks.” You can find some of Bruce’s sample migration code using the Execution API here.
The Google Apps Script Execution API is live and ready for you to use today. To get started, check out the developer documentation and quickstarts. We invite you to show us what you build with the Execution API!
Posted by Muzammil Esmail, Product Manager, Google for Work
Google Apps users generate a lot of content at work—project plans, design documents, client presentations, and more. Many of these files are still relevant to an employee’s company or team even after he or she has left or transferred internally. The new Data Transfer API will make it easier for developers to build tools that will allow admins to better manage their end-user data, specifically apps that can transfer ownership of Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and all the other Google Drive files as well as Google+ pages in your Google for Work account—in bulk—from one employee/end-user to another using the API.
In July, we introduced the Data Transfer privilege, which makes it easier for admins to transfer data ownership. That same privilege is leveraged by the Data Transfer API. When enabled, it allows admins to programmatically migrate file ownership anytime they want using the API—provided they’ve enabled API access. In order to transfer ownership of Google Drive content as well as Google+ pages, super admins will need to grant/delegate the Data Transfer privilege to admins before end-user content can be migrated programmatically (via API or 3rd-party tools) or from the admin console.
This is what User Deletion looks like in the Administration console, but now you can also do this programmatically with the API.
To get started with the Data Transfer API, take a look at the developer documentation. Keep in mind that while this programmatic feature is new, admins can still transfer user data manually from the admin console. For more general information, see the Help Center pages on transferring file ownership on Google Drive and how to delete a user.
Originally posted on the Google Developers Blog.
Posted by Wesley Chun, Developer Advocate
Have you ever booked a dining reservation, plane ticket, hotel room, concert ticket, or seats to the game from your favorite app, only to have to exit that booking app to enter the details into your calendar? It doesn’t make for a friendly user experience. Why can’t today’s apps do that for you automatically?
In case you missed it the episode 97 of #GoogleDev100 the other week, I aim to inspire how app developers can streamline that process with the help of the Google Calendar API. A short Python script, anchored by the following snippet, is illustrated to show developers how easy it is to programmatically add calendar events:
CALENDAR = apiclient.discovery.build('calendar', 'v3', http=creds.authorize(Http())) GMT_OFF = '-07:00' # PDT/MST/GMT-7 EVENT = { 'summary': 'Dinner with friends', 'start': {'dateTime': '2015-09-18T19:00:00%s' % GMT_OFF}, 'end': {'dateTime': '2015-09-18T22:00:00%s' % GMT_OFF}, 'attendees': [ {'email': 'friend1@example.com'}, {'email': 'friend2@example.com'}, ], } CALENDAR.events().insert(calendarId='primary', body=EVENT).execute()
For deeper dive into the script, check out the corresponding blogpost. With code like that, your app can automatically insert your relevant events into your users’ calendars, saving them the effort of manually doing it themselves. One of the surprising aspects is that a limited set of actions, such as RSVPing, is even available to non-Google Calendar users. By the way, inserting events is just the beginning. Developers can also delete or update events instantly in case that upcoming dinner gets pushed back a few weeks. Events can even be repeated with a recurrence rule. Attachments are also supported so you can provide your users a PDF of the concert tickets they just booked. Those are just some of the things the API is capable of.
Ready to get started? Much more information, including code samples in Java, PHP, .NET, Android, iOS, and more, can be found in the Google Calendar API documentation. If you’re new to the Launchpad Online developer series, we share technical content aimed at novice Google developers… the latest tools and features with a little bit of code to help you launch that app. Please give us your feedback below and tell us what topics you would like to see in future episodes!
Posted by, Chris Han, Product Manager Google Apps Marketplace
The Google Apps Marketplace brings together hundreds of third-party applications that integrate with and enhance Google Apps for Work. It’s a great place to get discovered by more than five million Google Apps customers. Many of these customers depend on Google Apps Marketplace to find the solutions their organizations need, driving millions of users to the top listed apps.
Today, we’ve launched a brand new Google Apps Marketplace site aimed to improving discoverability and getting your app installed by even more customers. No need to do anything if you’ve already listed your app publicly on Google Apps Marketplace. Your app will appear on the new site automatically.
If you haven’t listed your app yet on Google Apps Marketplace, follow these instructions to get started!
