I have a Google Sheet that I'm using as a database for a an app I am building in AppSmith. Really just an interface for people to work with the sheet in a controlled manner.
I'm using the Google Sheet because I'm familiar with layering formulas to make it work the way I want it to work. I have a number of columns that start with an ARRAYFORMULA that gives the name of the column in row 1, blank in blank rows that should be blank, and some programmed information in other rows.
This works great as long as I am working from the spreadsheet or reading/adding rows from the app.
However, when I try to edit the row from the app, the API update will take the "50" that it sees in the column and actually put "50" in the cell, breaking the arrayformula.
Is there any way to prevent API calls from actually editing that column? Or to automatically clear the cell and let the arrayformula expand again?
I found a temporary workaround to push "" for the column(s) I know are arrays, but it seems vulnerable to complications if I add other array columns later, or want to make another form in the app that also updates the sheet.
As a "rule of thumb", avoid having formulas on sheets being used as "databases" (top row used for field names, 2nd row and below used for data). If you really need to use formulas in the spreadsheet instead of doing the calculations on the "APP", add them on a "mirror" sheet.
This is a common recommendation when using ARRAYFORMULAS to do calculations with data comming from Google Forms.
If you think that creating a "mirror" sheet might cause more problems than benefits, if your "APP" is able to limit the number of columns being edited, put the formulas to the right of the last column linked to the app.
Related
Make Google Spreadsheet Formula Repeat Infinitely
Related
I have 3 columns in a Google sheets tab.
Two of the columns are fed into from another tab (Sheet1) by the formulas =Sheet1!A2:A and =Sheet1!B2:B.
I am facing a problem when the 2 columns from sheet1 are sorted, the third column from sheet2 does not stay aligned with the other two and throws off my entire sheet's analysis. Is there a way to link the 3 columns together so when I sort from sheet1, all 3 columns from sheet2 are sorted and not just the first 2 that are being fed into from sheet1?
The short answer is that you can't. Sheets is not a relational database in which rows between sheets will remain linked.
What you can do is to work everything in a Master sheet so everything is sort together, or continue with your system but never "really" sorting your Sheet1. Instead, in any of both cases, you can use Filter Views. Filter views affect the way each user sees the information without altering the other users' views. That way you could just hide columns in Filter View in a single Master Sheet and everyone works in just one sheet; or "sort" the Master Sheet only when you're inside the Filter View, so the connected data always remain in the same rows.
I suggest you consider this possibility. Other ways are via scripts, which could be a headache by implementing it, always syncing and checking every kind of modification, sorting issue and more. Hope it's useful! There are many tutorials and documentation online; here you have just one as example
I'm making a budget sheet on google sheets. When I use importrange on my google sheet, it works perfectly fine. However when I use an Xlookup in a different tab and different cell, the Importrange fails and gets stuck on loading. I'm not sure why... It may be because they loosely reference each other? I'm using Xlookups to sum a range which includes some of the imported data... But in my mind, that shouldn't affect the Importrange at all. If you delete all the xlookups, the importrange pushes through, and if there is only 1 Xlookup in the entire sheet, Importrange still works... Can anyone help??? I've linked the sheet below so that you can play with it. You can change the links for the importrange freely.
FYI you have to delete the importrange / refresh the page after each change as the importrange will just keep the data their until there is a change on either the data side or sheet side.
Link to the Sheet
I tried deleting all Xlookups and and changing the Importange Range to lessen the impact
I tried array constraining other formulas in the sheet because I thought it was stuck on too many calculations
I tried simplifying the Xlookup formulas to set ranges.
you can build your IMPORTRANGE like:
=ARRAYFORMULA(IFERROR(NOW()/0)&IMPORTRANGE(D2; "A1:A4"))
and with:
changes won't be instant of course but they will flow more often
I have a Google Sheet that has a main master sheet, with a column for users to fill in their Name to show they are "working" on that row, then that row gets populated to their own tab based on a =QUERY(Master!A3:AA,"select * Where L='Name'") for each of the users' tabs, there is 8 total tabs where users are updating information. This is already quite a bit of processing on Googles part, so I am trying to generate a separate Google Sheet that pulls in the information that the users are entering on each of their tabs so the management can monitor that sheet for updates and then both sheets will run a lot faster/smoother.
I have tried using a VLookup with this syntax: =vlookup(A3,importrange("sheetID",{"Name1!$A$3:$N";"Name2!$A$3:$N";"Name3!$A$3:$N";"Name4!$A$3:$N";"Name5!$A$3:$N";"Name6!$A$3:$N";"Name7!$A$3:$N";"Name8!$A$3:$N"}),12,FALSE) which gives me an #N/A Error, cannot find Value '1' in VLOOKUP evaluation.
I have also tried using a =QUERY({importrange("sheetID"x8 with the ranges)}, "Select Col12,Col13,Col14 where Col2 matches '^.\*($" &B3 & ").\*$'")
That only returns headers, I am trying to get the query to basically find the unique key in Column A then spit out what is in Col 12-14, but that doesn't seem to work either. Columns 1-11 are static, but Columns 12-14 are what I am trying to populate for the management, which is the work that the staff is inputting on each of their tabs.
I can get the query working if I keep it on the same worksheet as the one the staff is working on, but then it bogs down the whole sheet so I would like to keep it separate if possible. Any ideas? I can't provide a sample sheet at this time since it has financial info on it, but I can add more details if I know what to look for.
your formula should be:
=VLOOKUP(A3, {
IMPORTRANGE("sheetID1", "Name1!A3:N");
IMPORTRANGE("sheetID2", "Name2!A3:N");
IMPORTRANGE("sheetID3", "Name3!A3:N");
IMPORTRANGE("sheetID4", "Name4!A3:N");
IMPORTRANGE("sheetID5", "Name5!A3:N");
IMPORTRANGE("sheetID6", "Name6!A3:N");
IMPORTRANGE("sheetID7", "Name7!A3:N");
IMPORTRANGE("sheetID8", "Name8!A3:N")}, 12, 0)
keep in mind that every importrange needs to be run as a standalone formula where you connect your sheets by allowing access. only then you can use the above formula
I want to tweak an Array Formula that I'm trying to use to transpose a set of responses from a Google Form into a single 'list' in a cell in the linked Google Sheet.
Here is a simplified mock-up of the Google Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BKgjGK2RbXC5FkCgBOU53dLEb3fDeQADujenrqRgnT0/edit?usp=sharing
As you can see, I have a working Array Formula 'hidden' in the header for Column A, which takes the content from columns B:K in each row and transposes them with line breaks to make a nice neat list in the first cell at the start of each row (A2, A3, A4, etc.) Here is the Array Formula for ease of reference:
=ARRAYFORMULA({"Points to Develop";
transpose(query(transpose ($B$2:$B&CHAR(10)&$C$2:$C&CHAR(10)&$D$2:$D&CHAR(10)&$E$2:$E&CHAR(10)&$F$2:$F&CHAR(10)&$G$2:$G&CHAR(10)&$H$2:$H&CHAR(10)&$I$2:$I&CHAR(10)&$J$2:$J&CHAR(10)&$K$2:$K)
))})
The problem I'm having is that the formula stops working as soon as a new Google Form is submitted, as the new row of responses arrives at the top and 'pushes the formula down'/throws everything out of alignment, when all I want is for it to stay in place and run automatically every time a Form is submitted. As you can probably gauge by my limited technical terminology, I'm very much a novice at this!
How can I fix this formula, or is there a simpler or better alternative that will achieve the same results?
As often happens in life, the nature of the problem turned out to be the source of the solution. Here’s a condensed version of my thoughts as I slowly found my way to an answer (you can almost hear the hamster wheels turning in my head!):
The problem with formulas in a Google Sheet linked to a Google Form is that each new entry/submission from the form always arrives in Row 2 …
In fact, the only thing that stays ‘in place’ in the Google Sheet is the Header Row/Row 1 …
So, rather than using a formula that refers to a ‘Row 2’ that will become ‘Row 3/4/5/etc.’ as new Google Forms are submitted, I should use a formula that always refers to Row 1, that is, by using OFFSET
The obvious (if inelegant) formula that resulted from this is [I've also placed this in the final column in the Google Sheet that I linked to in my original question]:
= ARRAYFORMULA({"Points to Develop [Working OFFSET Formula]"; transpose(query(transpose(OFFSET(A1:A,1,1)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,2)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,3)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,4)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,5)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,6)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,7)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,8)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,9)&CHAR(10)&OFFSET(A1:A,1,10)))) })
I am sure that there are neater ways of getting to the same result, but this is one that works for me … and is within my levels of comprehension, so I can fine-tune and fix it as needed.
I am creating a home budget for myself in Google Sheets, working in Chrome on Windows 10. In the end, the budget will be composed of separate sheets for each month, containing tables for each Friday (payday) within that month. All such tables will follow a certain format and will pull arrays of budget data from an auxiliary sheet.
However, trial-and-error (mostly error) is abundant, and one quails at the thought of having to paste corrections across 52 tables. Is there any way to have each table emulate a formula set down in a template? For example, ideally, my template would contain something like:
=INDEX(IF(condition(relativeCell),namedRange1,namedRange2)
and the final product would pull that formula (with relative reference) to each table. If I discover a mistake or need to make a change, I can simply change the template, and all of the live tables would update their formulas.
Can this be done in Google Sheets?
Failing that, I already have a function that returns a cell's formula as string text. Can this be used to get the desired effect?
there is a formula called INDIRECT which does exactly that:
https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093377?hl=en