If you work with multiple tables or need to share your own data with colleagues, the ability to send them via email is essential for everyday collaboration. Fortunately, setting up this feature is not too difficult if you are already using Google Drive or Google Docs. Here are all the ways to get started.
How to Copy a Google Sheet into an Email
You can’t simply drag and drop files between services like Dropbox or Google Drive, as they don’t support file sharing via these protocols. Instead, you’ll need something like ShareX (free) that allows you to quickly copy documents by dragging their icons onto the browser window. You can also try the Chrome extension Drag’n Drop. It works similarly to ShareX but doesn’t offer as many options when setting up shortcuts.
To paste a document that is open in a single tab, press Ctrl + V instead of clicking the Paste button in the toolbar. If you want to save the changes made to the source document after pasting, click Save Changes first. It is best to leave the Document Source and Document Target fields empty so as not to accidentally overwrite another user’s changes.
When sending a copy of a Google sheet, make sure there are no tabs containing sensitive information that should remain private, such as personal information or passwords.
How to Send a Copy of a Google Sheet by Email
Once you have copied a document, choose File ” Email & Print… at the top right. The default option will be Mail Applet, which opens a new message composition box ready to forward an existing document or create a new one based on the content of the current tab. Feel free to change it to Copy/Paste or Embed HTML.
Alternatively, you can go through the Settings menu (bottom left) and then select Create New Item. This action creates a link to the target document – a URL that looks like mailto:[email]@gmail.com. When someone clicks on it, they will see the same interface that we described above.
However, sometimes people end up opening the original document itself instead of just viewing its preview. If this happens, make sure to check the Always Open box and remove unnecessary entries.
In addition to setting the subject line, you can specify other parameters in the Options section. To avoid confusion, try adding a generic title before the actual body text. Feel free to add attachments as well. They will appear below the main description once received.
Finally, hit Send! If everything goes well, the recipient will receive a delivery notification. If not, you will have no choice but to wait for their response.
How to Export Google Sheets to Gmail
Nowadays, most people access their emails through webmail clients. You may be wondering what it looks like when you forward an email with attached documents? Well, here’s some good news: there is actually more than one way to achieve this result.
First, let’s take a closer look at what happens behind the scenes. A standard email client sends messages to servers in plain text mode, while modern clients use MIME technology to encrypt data and provide better security. As a result, attachments sent in emails cannot be viewed without the proper decryption key. However, you can work around this limitation by downloading GSuite apps specifically designed to handle different types of media.
For example, Google Drive has a built-in feature called Attachments Viewer that allows users to view Office 365 files directly in emails. To enable it, go back to the Settings menu ” General ” Default app settings and check Allow downloads from anyone. Then, find the corresponding entry in the shortcut list and click on the View downloads icon next to it. Finally, enter https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B1V2ZNrFd4YTkxR3hKbzUwcjQtWmMyODA5OGE0NDg0OGRlMDAyMTJiYTYyOTI= in the address bar.
This trick also applies to other cloud storage providers, including OneDrive and Box. That being said, since Microsoft removed this feature earlier this year, it’s unlikely that third parties will develop alternatives anytime soon. So far, it is only available to Windows 10 Pro subscribers who have updated to Creators Update version 1703.
Another option is to download a ZIP archive and manually attach it. Some services allow native attachment of ZIP archives, such as OneDrive or Google Drive. Others require additional steps, such as converting DOCX to ODT first. For example, when uploading Word documents to Google Docs, it converts each page into a separate PDF file and stores them in a compressed archive. To extract the content, you can decompress these individual zip files using software like 7Zip or WinZip, or install dedicated tools like Unzip for Mac OS X or WinUnzip Portable Edition for Windows devices.
Finally, if you still prefer a traditional approach, consider using desktop applications such as Thunderbird or Outlook. Both programs allow you to add external files as attachments, although not all services support this feature yet.
How to Import a Table into Gmail
There are several ways to accomplish this task, depending on whether you want to upload a single sheet or an entire folder with related reports. Let’s start with importing a single table. Log in to your account first and go to Files ” Import a Table. Then, choose one of two methods: Browse or Upload a ZIP file.
The first method uses Google Sheets UI components that allow you to select specific columns and rows and place them into a new table. Once done, users can edit these values. On the contrary, by choosing Upload a ZIP file, it means you need to create a temporary file locally and transfer it to the remote server. Then, you can continue editing the content.
Here’s what happens during the process:
- Google retrieves the requested file and analyzes it based on the delimiter characters specified in the ImportedSheet object.
- Then, it extracts column labels and row headers. Next, it puts the extracted data into a DataTable. Since it contains thousands of records, it breaks down the data set into several manageable chunks and sorts them alphabetically.
- Next, it iterates over the items in the DataTable and prepares them for further processing. For example, if a cell value contains a currency symbol, Google removes it by replacing it with an empty string. Similarly, it replaces certain special symbols with their corresponding Unicode representations. All these actions ensure that the imported data is not affected by unwanted formatting quirks.
- Finally, Google checks if the given cell meets the required criteria. If so, it inserts the appropriate label accordingly. At the same time, it uses the Colorizer tool to color highlighted cells.
Unfortunately, you cannot perform batch operations with uploaded tables due to technical constraints imposed by different platforms. Therefore, you may need to repeat the entire procedure if you run out of space. And remember to leave the ColumnNames setting unchanged unless necessary.
How to Import a Group of Google Sheets into Gmail
Sometimes, sending individual sheets is not enough. Perhaps you need to gather feedback from dozens of employees who regularly update shared documents. Or maybe you’re planning to perform a comparative analysis between multiple teams. Whatever the reason brings you here, the following tips will help you turn a collection of multiple sheets into a clean report.
Let’s assume you want to compare sales figures between three departments. Each department updates a few dozen Excel files, so you’ll likely need to merge them into a single document. Fortunately, this is extremely easy thanks to the built-in function called Join Sheets. Just follow these simple instructions:
- Open the destination sheet where the results will be placed. Click on Tools ” Script Editor… and type the function join_spreadsheets(). Set the Workbooks variable as a reference to all the entered files. Repeat the last step two more times with the second and third data sets respectively.
That’s about it! Now, whenever someone submits modified versions of the provided files, Google automatically merges them into an output document. Remember that you can further customize it using scripts written in languages like Python and R.
If you have any questions regarding this article, ask us anything on our Answers forum. And feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us by leaving comments below.
If you’re like many people who use the web for their daily activities, chances are you’ve had to create a report with information extracted from multiple sources – whether it’s a sales database, financial data, customer service details, etc. – and save it into a single (or two) table(s). Or maybe you want to share your data with someone else so they can perform calculations based on your numbers without having access to your original documents.
Whatever the situation, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have this super handy feature built right into Google Sheets itself. Here’s how to set up a simple automated system that will allow you to send your tables by email anytime by attaching them as Gmail attachments.
Before anything else, make sure you have attached any necessary files to your table before proceeding. If you haven’t already, open your main Google Sheets file and go to File ” Publish as. Then, choose the file type you prefer to export your table as. You’ll need to decide if you want to save it as a spreadsheet (.csv), XLSX document (.xlsx), ODT document (.odt), or PDF format (.pdf) – depending on the available options based on the software you plan to share it with later.
Once you have selected one of these formats, click Save, enter a name for your file if you wish (examples are provided below), and press Create when you’re done. This process creates a copy of your current sheet into its own folder in your Drive account. Once that’s successfully done, close that window. Your new file should now appear under the “Recent” tab of My Workspace. Now that we know where our new file is, we can move on to setting up the automation part.
Now that your spreadsheet is ready to be distributed, it’s time to take action. To start, go to Tools ” Script Editor. Here, paste the following code and press Run:
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
var spd=ss.getSheetByName("Your sheet name");
spd.appendToFolder('My_new_folder');The next step is to actually add this new file to your existing Google Drive page. Go back to your previous screen and look for the link near the top right corner titled Manage files and data sources. Clicking on it opens another menu window where you can find your newly added file under Other options. At this point, simply drag and drop your new file onto the desktop icon next to New downloads. This will automatically import the content of the file into your cloud storage space. After doing this, you should see your new file appear on your dashboard once it is synced.
This completes our initial setup phase. The last thing to do is to configure exactly when we want this script to run. Go back to the same script editor interface, but instead, look for OnOpen(e);. This line tells the program to run whenever an item called e is opened in the browser. Find the entry labeled Open the menu command at the bottom of your list, and change it to Start Workflow. When you click on it, it opens a small popup window containing the required instructions to complete our task. This also opens up a second text field titled Email Report. Enter your preferred email address, the subject line, the body text, and check the Allow access to contacts checkbox. Click OK when you’re done. That’s it! We’re ready to go.
You can test your newly set up workflow by clicking on any of your uploaded files while logged into your Google account. You should receive an automatic email notification inviting you to download said file as an attachment. Simply follow the steps outlined in the email, and you’ll be able to view the updated version of your table sent directly via Gmail.
As mentioned earlier, this method only works for creating spreadsheets for distribution purposes. However, if you simply want to email yourself a chart or table, you can also easily do that. Just replace the portion of the code copy above marked “Add to folder” with “ChartData(). This command exports the active sheet directly as a PNG image. All you have to do next is convert your image to a PDF or Word document and attach it. Check out the GIF below for clarity.
Note: Depending on your operating system, you might notice that some elements of this example do not display correctly. For example, Chrome users may encounter errors related to fonts installed on their PC. Microsoft Office users may encounter issues opening images exported from Google Sheets as they have been converted into different types of formats during the conversion process. Both of these issues can be resolved by downloading additional font packages and converting the images to JPG, respectively.
Yes, you can. While there is no way to embed a spreadsheet into emails natively, there are several third-party services that provide functionality to attach documents to messages. One popular choice, DocSendr, offers users a free trial period and allows them to upload spreadsheets, presentations, Word documents, and even audio recordings. Other companies like SendBoard offer similar capabilities, often providing premium accounts that allow customers to upload unlimited amounts of various media formats.
However, if you’re not comfortable entrusting your important data to vendors or online applications, you can try combining the best elements of each approach described above. First, create a shared document using Apps Script, then send that link to those who need it. They can then import the document into their own programs or services. You can also design a custom form and embed it on your website. Users can fill out said form and submit it to you using a built-in widget. Then, you can leverage APIs provided by most major form platforms to extract relevant information about the submitted entries and store them in the right place.
Finally, if none of the methods discussed above suit you, there are still many ways to automate tasks in Google Sheets and turn them into standalone processes. Have fun experimenting with unique scripts!
To learn more about this article, contact us on our Answers forum. And feel free to share your thoughts and ideas by leaving comments below.
If you’re like many people who use the web for their daily activities, there’s a good chance you’ve had to create a report with information extracted from multiple sources – whether it’s a sales database, financial data, customer service details, etc. – and save it into a single (or two) table(s). Or maybe you want to share your data with someone else so they can perform calculations based on your numbers without having access to your original documents.
Whatever the situation, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have this super handy feature built right into Google Sheets itself. Here’s how to set up a simple automated system that will allow you to send your tables by email anytime by attaching them as Gmail attachments.
Before anything else, make sure you have attached any necessary files to your table before continuing. If you haven’t already, open your main Google Sheets file and go to File ” Publish as. Then, choose the file type you prefer to export your table as. You’ll need to decide if you want to save it as a spreadsheet (.csv), XLSX document (.xlsx), ODT document (.odt), or PDF format (.pdf) – depending on the available options based on the software you plan to share it with later.
Once you have selected one of these formats, click Save, enter a name for your file if you wish (examples are provided below), and press Create when you’re done. This process creates a copy of your current sheet into its own folder in your Drive account. Once that’s successfully done, close that window. Your new file should now appear under the “Recent” tab of My Workspace. Now that we know where our new file is, we can move on to setting up the automation part.
Now that your spreadsheet is ready to be distributed, it’s time to take action. To start, go to Tools ” Script Editor. Here, paste the following code and press Run:
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
var spd=ss.getSheetByName("Your sheet name");
spd.appendToFolder('My_new_folder');The next step is to actually add this new file to your existing Google Drive page. Go back to your previous screen and look for the link near the top right corner titled Manage files and data sources. Clicking on it opens another menu window where you can find your newly added file under Other options. At this point, simply drag and drop your new file onto the desktop icon next to New downloads. This will automatically import the content of the file into your cloud storage space. After doing this, you should see your new file appear on your dashboard once it is synced.
This completes our initial setup phase. The last thing to do is to configure exactly when we want this script to run. Go back to the same script editor interface, but instead, look for OnOpen(e);. This line tells the program to run whenever an item called e is opened in the browser. Find the entry labeled Open the menu command at the bottom of your list, and change it to Start Workflow. When you click on it, it opens a small popup window containing the required instructions to complete our task. This also opens up a second text field titled Email Report. Enter your preferred email address, the subject line, the body text, and check the Allow access to contacts checkbox. Click OK when you’re done. That’s it! We’re ready to go.
You can test your newly set up workflow by clicking on any of your uploaded files while logged into your Google account. You should receive an automatic email notification inviting you to download said file as an attachment. Simply follow the steps outlined in the email, and you’ll be able to view the updated version of your table sent directly via Gmail.
As mentioned earlier, this method only works for creating spreadsheets for distribution purposes. However, if you simply want to email yourself a chart or table, you can also easily do that. Just replace the portion of the code copy above marked “Add to folder” with “ChartData(). This command exports the active sheet directly as a PNG image. All you have to do next is convert your image to a PDF or Word document and attach it. Check out the GIF below for clarity.
Note: Depending on your operating system, you might notice that some elements of this example do not display correctly. For example, Chrome users may encounter errors related to fonts installed on their PC. Microsoft Office users may encounter issues opening images exported from Google Sheets as they have been converted into different types of formats during the conversion process. These issues can be resolved by downloading additional font packages and converting the images to JPG, respectively.
