Hey there, my savvy friends! Are you tired of manually adding events to your Google Calendar? Well, have no fear because I’ve got a juicy secret to share with you! Today, I’ll teach you how to automatically create Google Calendar events from a Google Sheet. Trust me, this trick will save you heaps of time and effort.
Data in Google Sheets
Let’s kick off this little adventure by opening your Google Sheet. Whether you’ve created it from scratch or it’s linked to a Google form, it doesn’t matter. For this example, I’ve created a static sheet with the names of the full moons in the year 2023. Exciting stuff, right?
Open Apps Script
Now, let’s dive into the world of Apps Script, a powerful tool that will make your life so much easier. Click on Extensions and then select Apps Script. This will open a new tab with all the magical scripts connected to your Google Sheet. Give your project a catchy name at the top of the Scripts page.
Open Google Calendar
Next stop: Google Calendar! You’ll need to access the specific calendar where you want these events to magically appear. Now, let’s find the calendar’s ID:
- Click on the three dots next to the calendar’s name on the left.
- Select
Settings and sharing. - Copy the calendar’s ID from the
Integrate calendarsection at the bottom. It might look like your Gmail email address if it’s your primary calendar, or something like[email protected]if it’s a separate calendar you’ve created.
Update the Script
Hold on to your hats, my friends, because I’ve prepared some code snippets to get you started. Take a look at the variables at the top of the script, and make sure to adjust them according to your needs:
calendarId: The magical ID you just copied from Google Calendar.uniqueEventSuffix: A unique string we’ll use to make updates a breeze.dataRange: The range of data you want to import into the script. Make sure it includes all the columns you need.
Quick note about the suffix: Be careful if you’re working with a calendar that already has events. The suffix is used to identify and delete events, so choose something that will always be unique compared to any manually added events in your calendar.
So, what’s happening in this fantastical script?
The star of the show is the addEventsToCalendar function. It fetches event data from your sheet, ignoring any empty rows. Then, it deletes all previously created events from previous script runs. This step is crucial to avoid duplicate events (we don’t want any messy calendars, do we?). Finally, for each event, it retrieves the date, title, and description, and creates a brand new event in your Google Calendar. Ta-da!
Run the Script
Alright, it’s showtime! Click on the Save icon in the toolbar, select addEventsToCalendar, and then click on Run. Since this is the first time running a script linked to your sheet, you’ll need to grant some permissions. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back with a step-by-step guide:
- Click on
Review permissions. - On the imposing dialog, click on the link that says “Access your project name (unsafe)”. Don’t worry, you’re the developer here!
- Finally, grant access. Now the script can work its magic.
You should see some console output for each event that gets processed. Oh, the satisfaction!
Check the Results in Google Calendar
Now, let’s hop over to Google Calendar and see if our magic worked. Can you spot the events that were created?
Yes! We found a single event created from our sheet. What’s more, if we search for “MOONCAL,” we can find all the events that were created. All thanks to our little script.
Run the Script Automatically
But why stop at manual execution? Let’s make this script run automatically like a well-oiled machine. For example, my amazing wife’s bakery updates its sheet throughout the day as she receives new orders. We’ve set up a trigger to run the script periodically, reflecting any changes she makes. Her script is even more sophisticated—only rows indicating accepted orders are transformed into events. The possibilities are endless, so customize away!
To set up automatic execution, visit the Triggers section and click on Add Trigger on the Apps Script page. The screenshot below shows an option for configuring a time-based trigger. You can also trigger the script based on sheet or calendar changes, but be cautious of potential conflicts. Scripts can run simultaneously, leading to a flurry of mistakes. Personally, I prefer the interval-based execution—it’s much safer.
Updating Events
What if you need to make changes to dates, descriptions, or other details in your spreadsheet? Fear not, my friends—I’ve got a solution for you! Originally, I stored the event IDs in my spreadsheet and used them to search for and update existing events or create new ones if they didn’t exist. However, I found this approach prone to errors and rather unreliable. Sometimes, Google couldn’t locate an event that already existed, resulting in a chaotic mess of duplicate events. Yikes!
If you’re curious about the code snippets for this approach, I’ve included them below. But let me be clear: I don’t recommend this approach. It’s there for you only if you need a variation for your specific use case.
Instead, I opted for the approach described above, where all events are deleted and recreated with each script execution. I found it to be the most reliable and error-free method. To keep the script running smoothly, I also delete and create events only for future dates. Unless you need to refer to past events in your calendar, this method is quite efficient. Plus, you’ll always have your event data stored safely in your trusty spreadsheet.
For more mind-blowing secrets about Google scripts and Google Sheets integrations, don’t forget to visit Crawlan.com.
That’s it, my friends! You’re now armed with the knowledge to automate your Google Calendar with ease. Say goodbye to manual event creation and hello to more free time. Enjoy your newfound productivity and keep exploring the wonders of Google Sheets. Cheers to a more organized and efficient life!
