In excel you can create user defined functions with python using pyxll. I have been moving to Google spreadsheets and using their Google app script, but the libraries are so much bigger and better in python, I wish there was a way to build user defined functions using python from Google spreadsheets. There are ways to interact python with Google sheets like gspread. Is there a way to run python on Google app engine then get sheet to trigger that code? What other ways is there to trigger python code from Google spreadsheets?
One way is to have some code that reads the spreadsheet all the time, then runs some other code when a condition is met.
Without GAE, you could use the following code:
#http://code.google.com/p/gdata-python-client/downloads/list
import gdata.spreadsheet.service as s
spreadsheet_key = 'spreadsheetkey'# https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=<spreadsheet key>&usp=sharing#gid=0
worksheet_key = 'od6' #first tab
gd_client = s.SpreadsheetsService(spreadsheet_key, worksheet_key)
gd_client.email = '[email protected]'
gd_client.password = 'password'
gd_client.ProgrammaticLogin()
list_feed = gd_client.GetListFeed(spreadsheet_key, worksheet_key)
for entry in list_feed.entry:
#read cell values and then do something if the condition is met
If you wanted to have the spreadsheet run code in a GAE app, then you could publish the spreadsheet and construct the URL of the spreadsheet (JSON) like this: https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/(spreadsheetkey)/od6/public/values?alt=json This address can be accessed via the app, the cell values can be read, and some code can be triggered.
The approach is the same with both ideas: some code monitors the spreadsheet and when some condition is met, some other code is triggered. I'm not sure how you could run the code (in a GAE app, say) when the condition is met purely from the Google Spreadsheet.