Google apps script - Page 2 of 21

Clear and Set Conditional Formatting Rules to a Specific Range in Google Sheets with Apps Script

I’ve created a small (pseudo) class that more easily clears and creates conditional formatting rules in a Google Sheet tab with Google Apps Script.

Why?

Well in Google Apps Script, conditional formatting rules are all or nothing.

Alf Specifically GIFfrom Alf GIFs

You can only ever set, get or clear ALL rules in a specified Google Sheet tab.

So if you add a single rule to a sheet tab, all existing rules will be removed.

This means that each time you need to clear a rule or a portion of a rule or add in a new rule, you need to rebuild the entire rule set for that sheet tab.

It is an unpleasant experience.

The script below simplifies this process into some common clear and create processes for your conditional formatting.

Let me know in the comments below if you have a suggestion for another method for the class.

One last thing.

If you want to understand what is going on with the code (You are my kind of peeps), check out the video tutorial series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coko7zUXsHk

A Simple Apps Script Class to Clear & Set Conditional Formatting in Google Sheets (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coko7zUXsHk)

The Code: Range_ConditionalFormatting()

To add this script to your own projects, I recommend that you create a new Google Apps Script file (page) and paste the code in there.

Check out the chapters below on how to use the class.

/**
 * #### Clear and Set by range conditional formattting. ####
 * 
 * Clears and sets conditional formatting by range.
 * This is a sudo class. 
 * @author Scott Donald [scott@yagisanatode.com]
 * @see {https://yagisanatode.com/clear-and-set-conditional-formatting-rules-to-a-specific-range-in-google-sheets-with-apps-script/} for further informtation.
 */


/**
 * @typedef {Range_ConditionalFormattingMethods}
 * @param {SpreadsheetApp.Sheet} sheet - the target Sheet tab
 * @property {function} clearRule
 * @property {function} setRules
 * @returns Range_ConditionalFormattingMethods
 */
function Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet) {

  /**
 * @typedef {Object} matrixRange
 * @property {Number} rs = row start
 * @property {Number} re = row end
 * @property {Number} cs = col start
 * @property {Number} ce = col end
 */

  /**
   * Checks sample ranges agains target ranges and removes 
   * any overlapping ranges. 
   * @param {matrixRange[]} targets - Selected ranges used to erase
   * @param {matirxRange[]} erased - Range to erase if it overlaps
   * @returns {matrixRange[]}
   */
  function checkRangeOverlapAndRebuild_(targets, erased) {

    console.log("checkRangeOverlapAndRebuild_")
    console.log(targets)
    console.log(erased)

    // On each iteration check the range
    let newRanges = []
    let checkRanges = [...erased]
    let checkRangesLen = checkRanges.length


    /**
     * Checks row overlaps and creates new ranges.
     * @param {matrixRange} s - sample range. 
     * @param {matrixRange} t - target range. 
     */
    function rowCheck(s, t) {
      if (s.rs < t.rs) {
        // If s row starts before t start.
        if (s.re <= t.re) {
          // If s row ends at or before t end. (add: top)
          let n1 = { rs: s.rs, re: t.rs - 1, cs: s.cs, ce: s.ce }
          newRanges.push(n1)

          s.rs = t.rs
          colCheck(s, t)

        } else if (s.re > t.re) {
          // If s row ends after t end. (add: top, bottom)
          let n1 = { rs: s.rs, re: t.rs - 1, cs: s.cs, ce: s.ce }
          let n4 = { rs: t.re + 1, re: s.re, cs: s.cs, ce: s.ce }
          newRanges.push(n1, n4)

          s.rs = t.rs
          s.re = t.re
          colCheck(s, t)
        }
      } else if (s.rs >= t.rs) {
        // If the s row range starts inside the t. 
        if (s.re > t.re) {
          // If the s row ends after the t end. (add:bottom)
          let n4 = { rs: t.re + 1, re: s.re, cs: s.cs, ce: s.ce }
          newRanges.push(n4)
          s.re = t.re
        }

        colCheck(s, t)
      }
    }

    /**
     * Checks columns overlaps and creates new ranges.
     * @param {matrixRange} s - sample range. 
     * @param {matrixRange} t - target range. 
     */
    function colCheck(s, t) {
      if (s.cs < t.cs) {
        // If s col start before t col start
        if (s.ce <= t.ce) {
          //If s col ends at or before t ends. (add: left)
          let n2 = { rs: s.rs, re: s.re, cs: s.cs, ce: t.cs - 1 }
          newRanges.push(n2)

        } else if (s.ce > t.ce) {
          // If s col ends after t end. (add: left, right)
          let n2 = { rs: s.rs, re: s.re, cs: s.cs, ce: t.cs - 1 }
          let n3 = { rs: s.rs, re: s.re, cs: t.ce + 1, ce: s.ce }
          newRanges.push(n2, n3)
        }
      } else if (s.cs >= t.cs && s.ce > t.ce) {
        let n3 = { rs: s.rs, re: s.re, cs: t.ce + 1, ce: s.ce }
        newRanges.push(n3)
      }
    }


    // Iterate over each target area to check range overlaps.
    targets.forEach(t => {

      // Loop through checkRanges
      // This allows us to check for any ranges we create when we have 
      // mulitple target ranges.
      while (checkRangesLen > 0) {
        const s = checkRanges[checkRangesLen - 1]


        // If s does not touch t, add range. (do first for quick exit)
        if (
          s.re < t.rs ||
          s.rs > t.re ||
          s.ce < t.cs ||
          s.cs > t.ce
        ) {
          newRanges.push(s) // Pushes existing ranges. 
        } else {
          rowCheck(s, t)
        }

        checkRanges.pop()
        checkRangesLen = checkRanges.length
      }

      checkRanges = [...newRanges] // Review the new check range on the next target
      newRanges = []

      checkRangesLen = checkRanges.length
    })

    return checkRanges
  }



  const publicAPI = {}

  /**
   * @typedef {boolean} clearRule
   * @param {SpreadsheetApp.Range | SpreadsheetApp.Range[]} rangeOrRanges - target range or ranges.
   * @param {Number} [clearType] - 0 = Clear exactly matching range.
   * - 1 = Clear only within range. 
   * - 2 = Clear withing and partial ranges. 
   * the targe range will be removed from the conditional formatting. 
   */
  publicAPI.clearRule = function (rangeOrRanges, clearType = 0) {


    /** @type {SpreadsheetApp.Range[]} */
    const ranges = rangeOrRanges.constructor == Array ? rangeOrRanges : [rangeOrRanges]
    const tgtRanges = clearType == 0
      ? ranges.map(r => r.getA1Notation()) // We need A1 if zero.
      : ranges.map(r => {
        return {
          rs: r.getRow(),
          re: r.getLastRow(),
          cs: r.getColumn(),
          ce: r.getLastColumn()
        }
      })

    const cur_rules = sheet.getConditionalFormatRules()

    let updated_rules = []
    let hasRangeChange = false




    // interate over the current conditional formatting
    updated_rules = cur_rules.reduce((acc, crule) => {
      // - Iterate over current ranges and delete any 
      const cruleRanges = crule.getRanges()

      // let remainingRuleA1ranges = []

      const remainingRuleA1ranges = cruleRanges.reduce((acc2, r) => {
        switch (clearType) {
          case 0: // CLEAR EXACT MATCH

            // - If a range matches, delete. 
            if (tgtRanges.includes(r.getA1Notation())) {
              hasRangeChange = true
              return acc2
            }

            break


          case 1: // CLEAR ALL RANGES WITHIN SPECIFIED RANGE

            // - If a range fits within any of the target ranges, delete. 
            const hasMatch = tgtRanges.some(tr => {
              if (
                r.getRow() >= tr.rs &&
                r.getLastRow() <= tr.re &&
                r.getColumn() >= tr.cs &&
                r.getLastColumn() <= tr.ce
              ) {
                return true
              }
              return false
            })

            if (hasMatch) {
              hasRangeChange = true
              return acc2
            }

            break


          case 2: // CLEAR ALL RANGE OVERLAPS WITHIN SPECIFIED RANGE
            const cruleRangeLoc = [{
              rs: r.getRow(),
              re: r.getLastRow(),
              cs: r.getColumn(),
              ce: r.getLastColumn(),
            }]

            const cruleNewRanges = checkRangeOverlapAndRebuild_(
              tgtRanges, cruleRangeLoc
            )

            // If there has been a change
            if (JSON.stringify(cruleNewRanges) != JSON.stringify(cruleRangeLoc)) {
              // Convert to A1 Notation
              cruleNewRangesA1 = cruleNewRanges.map(cruleRange => {

                return sheet.getRange(
                  cruleRange.rs,
                  cruleRange.cs,
                  cruleRange.re - cruleRange.rs + 1,
                  cruleRange.ce - cruleRange.cs + 1,
                )
              })

              hasRangeChange = true
              return acc2 = acc2.concat(cruleNewRangesA1)
            }

            break
        } // SWITCH ENDS

        // Nothing deleted.
        return acc2 = acc2.concat(r)
      }, [])


      const remainingRulesA1rangesLength = remainingRuleA1ranges.length

      // If there are no remaining ranges in the 
      if (remainingRulesA1rangesLength == 0) return acc

      // If there is a difference in # of ranges after check, rebuild cond fmt rule
      if (hasRangeChange) {
        console.log("range has been removed. ")
        let cruleCopy = crule.copy()
        cruleCopy.setRanges(remainingRuleA1ranges)
        cruleCopy.build()

        acc = acc.concat(cruleCopy)

        return acc
      }

      // If the range was not impacted  return the rule. 
      acc = acc.concat(crule)
      return acc


    }, [])


    // Update the conditional formatting rules. 
    sheet.setConditionalFormatRules(updated_rules)

  }




  /**
   * @typedef {SpreadsheetApp.ConditionalFormatRule} setRules
   * @param {SpreadsheetApp.ConditionalFormatRule[]} rules - array of conitional formatting rules.
   * @param {Number} [position] - End of rules by default (-1)
   * - 0 Start of rules. Positive numbers apply position up to max length of rule set. 
   * - -1 End or rules negative numbers position in reverse from last rule to start up to zero.
   */
  publicAPI.setRules = function (rules, position = -1) {
    let newRules = sheet.getConditionalFormatRules()
    const ruleLen = newRules.length

    let pos = -1

    if (position > -1) {
      if (position > ruleLen) {
        pos = ruleLen
      } else {
        pos = position
      }
    } else {

      const posNeg = ruleLen + position + 1
      console.log(position, posNeg)
      if (posNeg < 0) {
        pos = 0
      } else {
        pos = posNeg
      }
    }

    console.log("POS", pos,
      "\nCur rules length", sheet.getConditionalFormatRules().length,
      "\nNew rules length", ruleLen

    )

    // Get current rules

    newRules.splice(pos, 0, ...rules)

    sheet.setConditionalFormatRules(newRules)
  }

  return publicAPI
}

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

183

184

185

186

187

188

189

190

191

192

193

194

195

196

197

198

199

200

201

202

203

204

205

206

207

208

209

210

211

212

213

214

215

216

217

218

219

220

221

222

223

224

225

226

227

228

229

230

231

232

233

234

235

236

237

238

239

240

241

242

243

244

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

255

256

257

258

259

260

261

262

263

264

265

266

267

268

269

270

271

272

273

274

275

276

277

278

279

280

281

282

283

284

285

286

287

288

289

290

291

292

293

294

295

296

297

298

299

300

301

302

303

304

305

306

307

308

309

310

311

312

313

314

315

316

317

318

319

320

321

322

323

324

325

326

327

328

329

330

331

332

333

334

335

336

337

338

339

340

/**

* #### Clear and Set by range conditional formattting. ####

* Clears and sets conditional formatting by range.

* This is a sudo class.

* @author Scott Donald [scott@yagisanatode.com]

* @see {https://yagisanatode.com/clear-and-set-conditional-formatting-rules-to-a-specific-range-in-google-sheets-with-apps-script/} for further informtation.

/**

* @typedef {Range_ConditionalFormattingMethods}

* @param {SpreadsheetApp.Sheet} sheet - the target Sheet tab

* @property {function} clearRule

* @property {function} setRules

* @returns Range_ConditionalFormattingMethods

function Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet) {

/**

* @typedef {Object} matrixRange

* @property {Number} rs = row start

* @property {Number} re = row end

* @property {Number} cs = col start

* @property {Number} ce = col end

/**

* Checks sample ranges agains target ranges and removes

* any overlapping ranges.

* @param {matrixRange[]} targets - Selected ranges used to erase

* @param {matirxRange[]} erased - Range to erase if it overlaps

* @returns {matrixRange[]}

function checkRangeOverlapAndRebuild_(targets, erased) {

console.log("checkRangeOverlapAndRebuild_")

console.log(targets)

console.log(erased)

// On each iteration check the range

let newRanges = []

let checkRanges = [...erased]

let checkRangesLen = checkRanges.length

/**

* Checks row overlaps and creates new ranges.

* @param {matrixRange} s - sample range.

* @param {matrixRange} t - target range.

function rowCheck(s, t) {

if (s.rs < t.rs) {

// If s row starts before t start.

if (s.re <= t.re) {

// If s row ends at or before t end. (add: top)

let n1 = { rs: s.rs, re: t.rs - 1, cs: s.cs, ce: s.ce }

newRanges.push(n1)

s.rs = t.rs

colCheck(s, t)

} else if (s.re > t.re) {

// If s row ends after t end. (add: top, bottom)

let n1 = { rs: s.rs, re: t.rs - 1, cs: s.cs, ce: s.ce }

let n4 = { rs: t.re + 1, re: s.re, cs: s.cs, ce: s.ce }

newRanges.push(n1, n4)

s.rs = t.rs

s.re = t.re

colCheck(s, t)

}

} else if (s.rs >= t.rs) {

// If the s row range starts inside the t.

if (s.re > t.re) {

// If the s row ends after the t end. (add:bottom)

let n4 = { rs: t.re + 1, re: s.re, cs: s.cs, ce: s.ce }

newRanges.push(n4)

s.re = t.re

}

colCheck(s, t)

}

/**

* Checks columns overlaps and creates new ranges.

* @param {matrixRange} s - sample range.

* @param {matrixRange} t - target range.

function colCheck(s, t) {

if (s.cs < t.cs) {

// If s col start before t col start

if (s.ce <= t.ce) {

//If s col ends at or before t ends. (add: left)

let n2 = { rs: s.rs, re: s.re, cs: s.cs, ce: t.cs - 1 }

newRanges.push(n2)

} else if (s.ce > t.ce) {

// If s col ends after t end. (add: left, right)

let n2 = { rs: s.rs, re: s.re, cs: s.cs, ce: t.cs - 1 }

let n3 = { rs: s.rs, re: s.re, cs: t.ce + 1, ce: s.ce }

newRanges.push(n2, n3)

}

} else if (s.cs >= t.cs && s.ce > t.ce) {

let n3 = { rs: s.rs, re: s.re, cs: t.ce + 1, ce: s.ce }

newRanges.push(n3)

}

// Iterate over each target area to check range overlaps.

targets.forEach(t => {

// Loop through checkRanges

// This allows us to check for any ranges we create when we have

// mulitple target ranges.

while (checkRangesLen > 0) {

const s = checkRanges[checkRangesLen - 1]

// If s does not touch t, add range. (do first for quick exit)

if (

s.re < t.rs ||

s.rs > t.re ||

s.ce < t.cs ||

s.cs > t.ce

) {

newRanges.push(s) // Pushes existing ranges.

} else {

rowCheck(s, t)

}

checkRanges.pop()

checkRangesLen = checkRanges.length

}

checkRanges = [...newRanges] // Review the new check range on the next target

newRanges = []

checkRangesLen = checkRanges.length

})

return checkRanges

}

const publicAPI = {}

/**

* @typedef {boolean} clearRule

* @param {SpreadsheetApp.Range | SpreadsheetApp.Range[]} rangeOrRanges - target range or ranges.

* @param {Number} [clearType] - 0 = Clear exactly matching range.

* - 1 = Clear only within range.

* - 2 = Clear withing and partial ranges.

* the targe range will be removed from the conditional formatting.

publicAPI.clearRule = function (rangeOrRanges, clearType = 0) {

/** @type {SpreadsheetApp.Range[]} */

const ranges = rangeOrRanges.constructor == Array ? rangeOrRanges : [rangeOrRanges]

const tgtRanges = clearType == 0

? ranges.map(r => r.getA1Notation()) // We need A1 if zero.

: ranges.map(r => {

return {

rs: r.getRow(),

re: r.getLastRow(),

cs: r.getColumn(),

ce: r.getLastColumn()

}

})

const cur_rules = sheet.getConditionalFormatRules()

let updated_rules = []

let hasRangeChange = false

// interate over the current conditional formatting

updated_rules = cur_rules.reduce((acc, crule) => {

// - Iterate over current ranges and delete any

const cruleRanges = crule.getRanges()

// let remainingRuleA1ranges = []

const remainingRuleA1ranges = cruleRanges.reduce((acc2, r) => {

switch (clearType) {

case 0: // CLEAR EXACT MATCH

// - If a range matches, delete.

if (tgtRanges.includes(r.getA1Notation())) {

hasRangeChange = true

return acc2

}

break

case 1: // CLEAR ALL RANGES WITHIN SPECIFIED RANGE

// - If a range fits within any of the target ranges, delete.

const hasMatch = tgtRanges.some(tr => {

if (

r.getRow() >= tr.rs &&

r.getLastRow() <= tr.re &&

r.getColumn() >= tr.cs &&

r.getLastColumn() <= tr.ce

) {

return true

}

return false

})

if (hasMatch) {

hasRangeChange = true

return acc2

}

break

case 2: // CLEAR ALL RANGE OVERLAPS WITHIN SPECIFIED RANGE

const cruleRangeLoc = [{

rs: r.getRow(),

re: r.getLastRow(),

cs: r.getColumn(),

ce: r.getLastColumn(),

}]

const cruleNewRanges = checkRangeOverlapAndRebuild_(

tgtRanges, cruleRangeLoc

)

// If there has been a change

if (JSON.stringify(cruleNewRanges) != JSON.stringify(cruleRangeLoc)) {

// Convert to A1 Notation

cruleNewRangesA1 = cruleNewRanges.map(cruleRange => {

return sheet.getRange(

cruleRange.rs,

cruleRange.cs,

cruleRange.re - cruleRange.rs + 1,

cruleRange.ce - cruleRange.cs + 1,

)

})

hasRangeChange = true

return acc2 = acc2.concat(cruleNewRangesA1)

}

break

} // SWITCH ENDS

// Nothing deleted.

return acc2 = acc2.concat(r)

}, [])

const remainingRulesA1rangesLength = remainingRuleA1ranges.length

// If there are no remaining ranges in the

if (remainingRulesA1rangesLength == 0) return acc

// If there is a difference in # of ranges after check, rebuild cond fmt rule

if (hasRangeChange) {

console.log("range has been removed. ")

let cruleCopy = crule.copy()

cruleCopy.setRanges(remainingRuleA1ranges)

cruleCopy.build()

acc = acc.concat(cruleCopy)

return acc

}

// If the range was not impacted return the rule.

acc = acc.concat(crule)

return acc

}, [])

// Update the conditional formatting rules.

sheet.setConditionalFormatRules(updated_rules)

}

/**

* @typedef {SpreadsheetApp.ConditionalFormatRule} setRules

* @param {SpreadsheetApp.ConditionalFormatRule[]} rules - array of conitional formatting rules.

* @param {Number} [position] - End of rules by default (-1)

* - 0 Start of rules. Positive numbers apply position up to max length of rule set.

* - -1 End or rules negative numbers position in reverse from last rule to start up to zero.

publicAPI.setRules = function (rules, position = -1) {

let newRules = sheet.getConditionalFormatRules()

const ruleLen = newRules.length

let pos = -1

if (position > -1) {

if (position > ruleLen) {

pos = ruleLen

} else {

pos = position

}

} else {

const posNeg = ruleLen + position + 1

console.log(position, posNeg)

if (posNeg < 0) {

pos = 0

} else {

pos = posNeg

}

console.log("POS", pos,

"\nCur rules length", sheet.getConditionalFormatRules().length,

"\nNew rules length", ruleLen

)

// Get current rules

newRules.splice(pos, 0, ...rules)

sheet.setConditionalFormatRules(newRules)

}

return publicAPI

}

Note! Square brackets around parameters indicate optional parameters.

Class

The pseudo-class Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet) tales one argument:

sheet: This is a Spreadsheet App Sheet class. Notated as SpreadsheetApp.Sheet in JS Doc.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet). // .clearRule() or setRule()
}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet). // .clearRule() or setRule()

}

Video link: Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet)

Methods

Method	Return Type
clearRule()	Clears a rule or rules by a single range or array or ranges, based on 3 clearing approaches.
setRule()	Sets a rule or rules while maintaining the existing rules in the Sheet tab.

clearRule(rangeOrRanges, [clearType])

Clears the conditional formatting rules in a Google Sheet tab by the selected range or ranges and clear type while maintaining the existing conditional formatting rules in the Google Sheet tab.

Video link: clearRule method

Parameters

Name	Optional	Type	Description
rangeOrRanges		Range or Range Array	A SpreadsheetApp.Range or array of ranges that will be the target locations to clear.
clearType	✓	Number	The way the method should clear the range (see below) Default is clearType = 0

Name

Optional

Type

Description

rangeOrRanges

Range or Range Array

A SpreadsheetApp.Range or array of ranges that will be the target locations to clear.

clearType

✓

Number

The way the method should clear the range (see below)

Default is clearType = 0

Clear types

0 – Clears any conditional formatting rule that exactly matches the range.
1 – Clears any conditional formatting rule that has a range within the target range.
2 – Clears any conditional formatting rule or portions of the range of a rule that overlap the target range.

Examples

clearRule(range) – Single range and no optional clear type

Clears a conditional formatting range that exactly matches the single range provided.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_range() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

  // Clear a range of formatting rules. 
  const range = sheet.getRange("B4:B7")
  console.log("Single Range Clear - exact match.")

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(range)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_range() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

// Clear a range of formatting rules.

const range = sheet.getRange("B4:B7")

console.log("Single Range Clear - exact match.")

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(range)

}

Video link: clearRule(ranges) – Ranges and no optional clear type

clearRule(ranges) – Multiple ranges and no optional clear type

Clears the conditional formatting that exactly matches multiple ranges.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_ranges() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

  // Clear a list of ranges
  const ranges = ["B12:B15", "B20:B23", "B28:B31"].map(r => sheet.getRange(r))

  console.log(ranges.length)

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(ranges)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_ranges() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

// Clear a list of ranges

const ranges = ["B12:B15", "B20:B23", "B28:B31"].map(r => sheet.getRange(r))

console.log(ranges.length)

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(ranges)

}

clearRule(range, clearType = 0) – Single range with clear type zero- Exact match

Clears a conditional formatting range that exactly matches the array of ranges provided. Clear type zero (0) is the default clear type.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_range_clear_exact() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

  // Clear a range of formatting rules. 
  const range = sheet.getRange("B4:B7")
  console.log("Single Range Clear - exact match.")

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(range, 0)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_range_clear_exact() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

// Clear a range of formatting rules.

const range = sheet.getRange("B4:B7")

console.log("Single Range Clear - exact match.")

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(range, 0)

}

Video link: clearRule(ranges, 0) – Exact match

clearRule(ranges, clearType = 0) – Multiple ranges with clear type zero – Exact match

Clears the conditional formatting that exactly matches multiple ranges.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_ranges_clear_exact() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

  // Clear a list of ranges
  const ranges = ["B12:B15", "B20:B23", "B28:B31"].map(r => sheet.getRange(r))

  console.log(ranges.length)

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(ranges, 0)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_ranges_clear_exact() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

// Clear a list of ranges

const ranges = ["B12:B15", "B20:B23", "B28:B31"].map(r => sheet.getRange(r))

console.log(ranges.length)

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(ranges, 0)

}

clearRule(range, clearType = 1) – Single range with clear type one – Within range

Clears a conditional formatting rule range that has a range equal to or within the target range.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_range_clear_within() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

  // Clear a range of formatting rules. 
  const range = sheet.getRange("B4:B7")
  console.log("Single Range Clear - exact match.")

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(range, 1)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_range_clear_within() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

// Clear a range of formatting rules.

const range = sheet.getRange("B4:B7")

console.log("Single Range Clear - exact match.")

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(range, 1)

}

Video link: clearRule(ranges, 1) – Within range

clearRule(ranges, clearType = 1) – Multiple ranges with clear type zero- Within range

Clears all conditional formatting rule ranges equal to or within the target array of ranges.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_ranges_clear_wihin() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

  // Clear a list of ranges
  const ranges = ["B12:B15", "B20:B23", "B28:B31"].map(r => sheet.getRange(r))

  console.log(ranges.length)

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(ranges, 1)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_ranges_clear_wihin() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

// Clear a list of ranges

const ranges = ["B12:B15", "B20:B23", "B28:B31"].map(r => sheet.getRange(r))

console.log(ranges.length)

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(ranges, 1)

}

clearRule(range, clearType = 2) – Single range with clear type one – Overlaps

Clears a conditional formatting rule range that has a range equal to or within the target range or rebuilds the range where any range overlaps the target range removing that portion of the range.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_range_clear_exact() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("TEST1")

  // Clear a range of formatting rules. 
  const range = sheet.getRange("B4:B7")
  console.log("Single Range Clear - exact match.")

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(range, 2)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_range_clear_exact() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("TEST1")

// Clear a range of formatting rules.

const range = sheet.getRange("B4:B7")

console.log("Single Range Clear - exact match.")

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(range, 2)

}

Video link: clearRule(ranges, 2) – Overlapping ranges

clearRule(ranges, clearType = 2) – Multiple ranges with clear type zero- Overlaps

Clears all conditional formatting rule ranges equal to or within the target array of ranges or rebuilds the range where any range overlaps the target range removing that portion of the range.

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_ranges_clear_exact() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

  // Clear a list of ranges
  const ranges = ["B12:B15", "B20:B23", "B28:B31"].map(r => sheet.getRange(r))

  console.log(ranges.length)

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(ranges, 2)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_ranges_clear_exact() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Sheet1")

// Clear a list of ranges

const ranges = ["B12:B15", "B20:B23", "B28:B31"].map(r => sheet.getRange(r))

console.log(ranges.length)

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).clearRule(ranges, 2)

}

setRule(rules, [position])

The setRule method adds a conditional formatting rule or rules to an existing Google Sheet tab. It does not remove any existing rules in the selected tab.

The method has an optional position parameter that allows the user to customise where they wish to order the rule in relation to the existing rules on the Sheet tab.

Video link: setRule method

Parameters

Name	Optional	Type	Description
rules		Conditional Formatting Rules	A SpreadsheetApp.ConditionalFormatRule[] array of objects. This is an array of rules built with the Apps Script conditional formatting rule builder.
position	✓	Number	The position of the new rule in the existing set of rules. Default is position = -1, or the bottom of the rules array. A position of zero (0) sets the rule to the top of the array set. Positive numbers apply position up to max length of the rule set. -1 for end of the rule Rules with negative numbers are position from the last rule in reverse order up to zero.

Name

Optional

Type

Description

rules

Conditional Formatting Rules

SpreadsheetApp.ConditionalFormatRule[]

array of objects. This is an array of rules built with the Apps Script conditional formatting rule builder.

position

✓

Number

The position of the new rule in the existing set of rules.

Default is position = -1, or the bottom of the rules array.

A position of zero (0) sets the rule to the top of the array set.

Positive numbers apply position up to max length of the rule set.

-1 for end of the rule

Rules with negative numbers are position from the last rule in reverse order up to zero.

Examples

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_set() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("TEST4")
  let range

  const rule1 = SpreadsheetApp.newConditionalFormatRule()
    .whenTextEqualTo("1")
    .setBackground("#f9cb9c")

  const rule2 = SpreadsheetApp.newConditionalFormatRule()
    .whenTextEqualTo("2")
    .setBackground("#b4a7d6")

  // TEST 1 - ADD RULES - NO POSITION
  range = sheet.getRange("A3:L8")
  rule1
    .setRanges([range])
    .build()

  rule2
    .setRanges([range])
    .build()

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).setRules([rule1, rule2])


  // TEST 2 - ADD RULES - BOTTOM OF RULES ARRAY
  range = sheet.getRange("A14:L18")
  rule1
    .setRanges([range])
    .build()

  rule2
    .setRanges([range])
    .build()

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).setRules([rule1, rule2], -1)


  // TEST 3 - ADD RULES - TOP OF RULES ARRAY
  range = sheet.getRange("A24:L28")
  rule1
    .setRanges([range])
    .build()

  rule2
    .setRanges([range])
    .build()

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).setRules([rule1, rule2], 0)


  // TEST 4 - ADD RULES - AFTER 1ST RULE
  range = sheet.getRange("A34:L38")
  rule1
    .setRanges([range])
    .build()

  rule2
    .setRanges([range])
    .build()

  Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).setRules([rule1, rule2], -6)

}

function test_Range_ConditionalFormatting_set() {

const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("TEST4")

let range

const rule1 = SpreadsheetApp.newConditionalFormatRule()

.whenTextEqualTo("1")

.setBackground("#f9cb9c")

const rule2 = SpreadsheetApp.newConditionalFormatRule()

.whenTextEqualTo("2")

.setBackground("#b4a7d6")

// TEST 1 - ADD RULES - NO POSITION

range = sheet.getRange("A3:L8")

rule1

.setRanges([range])

.build()

rule2

.setRanges([range])

.build()

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).setRules([rule1, rule2])

// TEST 2 - ADD RULES - BOTTOM OF RULES ARRAY

range = sheet.getRange("A14:L18")

rule1

.setRanges([range])

.build()

rule2

.setRanges([range])

.build()

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).setRules([rule1, rule2], -1)

// TEST 3 - ADD RULES - TOP OF RULES ARRAY

range = sheet.getRange("A24:L28")

rule1

.setRanges([range])

.build()

rule2

.setRanges([range])

.build()

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).setRules([rule1, rule2], 0)

// TEST 4 - ADD RULES - AFTER 1ST RULE

range = sheet.getRange("A34:L38")

rule1

.setRanges([range])

.build()

rule2

.setRanges([range])

.build()

Range_ConditionalFormatting(sheet).setRules([rule1, rule2], -6)

}

Video Tutorial Series

You can check out the playlist for Conditional formatting here.

Apps Script – Google Sheets Conditional Formatting Playlist

The video tutorials:

Clear Conditional Formatting Rules by Exact Match in Google Sheets with Apps Script

Clear Conditional Formatting Rules Within a Range in Google Sheets with Apps Script

Clear Conditional Formatting Rules that Overlap a Target Range in Google Sheets with Apps Script

Add Conditional Formatting Rules to a Google Sheet Tab with Apps Script

Conclusion

Being such a short pseudo-class it is hardly worth slowing down your script by making this into a library. I recommend you just add it to your existing project for simplicity and performance.

If you think there are any other methods worth adding, please let me know in the comments.

I would also love to hear how you used this in your own projects.

Need help with Google Workspace development?

Go something to solve bigger than Chat GPT?

I can help you with all of your Google Workspace development needs, from custom app development to integrations and security. I have a proven track record of success in helping businesses of all sizes get the most out of Google Workspace.

Schedule a free consultation today to discuss your needs and get started or learn more about our services here.

~Yagi.

Setup Google Apps Script Word Completion in Sublime Text

When working on Google Apps Script projects locally with CLASP, it can be handy to have text completion for the Apps Script classes and methods.

I’m currently shopping for a new IDE or text editor (the developer’s existential crisis) and have decided to pick up Sublime Text again after a 9-year hiatus after a mediocre three-week trial of Neovim.

After a fresh install of Sublime Text 4 here is what I needed to do:

Requirements

Sublime Text 4 … I mean… c’mon.
NPM to install CLASP and the text completion package.
CLASP – The command line Apps Script tool for local development.
Git (possibly) – If the TypeScript Sublime package is missing, you must install it via Git.

Setup

Google gracefully created a text completion package that uses Definitely Typed a TypeScript repository for type definitions that can be used with both TypeScript and vanilla JavaScript.

Install the TypeScript Package for Sublime Text

Check for the TypeScript Package

First, we check if the TypeScript package has been added to Sublime Text.

Select ctrl shift P (cmd ⌘ should replace ctrl for Apple) to get the Command Pallete and start typing: Package Control: List Packages and select it.

If the TypeScript package is present, move on to adding the Apps Script type package.

Add the TypeScript Package

Head back to the Command Pallete ( ctrl shift P ) and this time start typing Package Control: Install Package.

This will load the Sublime package. Search for ‘TypeScript’. The name must be exact. If it is in the package list (It wasn’t for me) install it and move on to adding the Apps Script type package installation.

If the package is not on the list we will need to use git to clone the package from the Windows GitHub repo for the TypeScrpt-Sublime-Plugin.

Linux

cd ~/.config/sublime-text-3
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript-Sublime-Plugin.git TypeScript

1 2	cd ~/.config/sublime-text-3 git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript-Sublime-Plugin.git TypeScript

Windows

cd "%APPDATA%\Sublime Text 3\Packages"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript-Sublime-Plugin.git TypeScript

1 2	cd "%APPDATA%\Sublime Text 3\Packages" git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript-Sublime-Plugin.git TypeScript

Mac

cd ~/"Library/Application Support/Sublime Text 3/Packages"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript-Sublime-Plugin.git TypeScript

1 2	cd ~/"Library/Application Support/Sublime Text 3/Packages" git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript-Sublime-Plugin.git TypeScript

You may need to close and reopen Sublime Text to see the effects.

Install the Google Apps Script Type Package

In your terminal or shell, run the following:

npm install --save @types/google-apps-script

This will install the autocomplete types for all of the Google Apps Script Classes and Methods.

Testing the Google Apps Script text completion in Sublime Text

Go ahead and open Sublime Text and create a JavaSript *.js file or TypeScirpt *.ts file.

Navigating Autocomplete

Start typing a Google Apps Script class like SpreadsheetApp. You should see it appear in the list.

You can use the up-down (↑↓) arrow keys to navigate the list and enter to select the method or class.

Sublime 4 Google Apps Script Autocomplete selecting a method or class

Tooltips – Method argument instructions

Information for each method should appear as you enter the braces.

Hovering over the method or class will reveal similar information.

Alt , will open the tooltip when the cursor is within the parentheses of the method.

Look at Multiple Arguments or tooltips

When there are multiple argument types, then you can click on the number to select from the list of types.

Sublime 4 Google Apps Script Autocomplete multiple argument types selection

Or you can use the keyboard shortcuts:

Alt , – to open the tooltip if it is not available

Alt ↑ or Alt ↓ – to navigate to the next tooltip for the method.

Rename a Variable, Class or Function

Ctrl T Ctrl M – With your cursor over a variable, class, method or function you can rename it and all occurrences of it.

Formatting

You can also use the TypeScript plugin to format your document.

Ctrl T Ctrl F Formats the whole document

Ctrl T Ctrl F Formats the selection

Ctrl ; Formats the line

You can learn more shortcuts from the TypeScript Plugin for Sublime Text docs.

Getting *.gs files to display autocomplete

Sometimes we use the gs file ending for Google Apps Script files. To get these to autocomplete we need to pair them to either JavaScript or TypeScrit.

In Sublime Text first create any .gs file and ensure you are open in that file.

Then, go to View -> Syntax -> Open all with current extension as … .

Select either JavaScript or TypeScript.

Now, when you edit the file, the Apps Script autocomplete will work as expected.

Conclusion

I’m not sure if I am going to stick with Sublime Text, but it is like slipping on a comfy pair of shoes after such a long break from it, so who knows?

I’d love to hear in the comments if you have used Sublime Text recently or are even using it for your own Apps Script projects. What do you love and not so love about it?

Oh, by the way, I recently built a little CLI tool to help update multiple Google Apps Script projects from a single source project. If this interests you, you can check it out here:

CLASPALL – Update Multiple Apps Script Projects From a Single Source

If you have found the tutorial helpful, why not shout me a coffee ☕? I'd really appreciate it.

~Yagi

CLASPALL – Update Multiple Apps Script Projects From a Single Source

CLASPALL is a command line app that runs with CLASP, allowing you to update multiple Google Apps Script projects from a single core project file.

When developing for clients I typically have 3 separate projects:

Development
Testing
Production

CLASPALL allows me to update my Testing and Production projects from my Development project with a single command in my terminal: CLASPALL.

Continue reading “CLASPALL – Update Multiple Apps Script Projects From a Single Source”

Prevent consecutive clicks of Google Sheets Image Buttons in with Lock Service and Google Apps Script

Ever seen an overzealous user madly clicking on an image button in Google Sheets to run an automation script? It’s maddening, frustrating and most importantly, may cause errors in your beautifully crafted code.

How Iplaysmash GIFfrom How Iplaysmash GIFs

In this short tutorial, we explore how to use Google Apps Script’s Lock Service to prevent users from executing your code from your image button while the original instance of the code is still running.

Grab a copy of the starter sheet below to play along.

To the Starter Sheet

Continue reading “Prevent consecutive clicks of Google Sheets Image Buttons in with Lock Service and Google Apps Script”

Preventing Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in Google Apps Script Dialogs and Sidebars

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is a web security vulnerability that allows a nefarious entity to take actions on a website that are unintended by the user.

Typically, this is done by tricking the user into using another website resembling the intended site and then submitting a form or clicking a button. The dodgy site then sends a request with its own payload of nasty stuff on the user’s behalf.

Google Workspace and Google Apps Script’s HMTL Service API protect the user with OAuth2 authorization standards and embed dialogues and sidebars in restrictive iframes to sandbox these environments. However, there may be a requirement to further protect your users from unintentionally sending form data using the google.script.run Client-side API that sends data back to Google Apps Script, with a server-side generated anti-CSRF token.

Indeed, when completing a CASA Tier 2 security assessment for a Google Workspace Editor add-on this was a requirement for me to not only pass the assessment but to also meet GDPR requirements.

An anti-CSRF token will allow us to create a unique ID for the current sidebar or dialogue session. We can store this token server-side in the User Properties of the Properties Service and then add the token to a hidden input element in our form client-side on our dialogues and sidebars. We can then send this token along with our form payload back to Apps Script where we can first validate the token before continuing.

The following script and tutorial provide a brief example of how to do this.

The Example Dialogue

We will first open a Google Sheet (but you can open a Google Doc or Slide and do the same thing) and create a bound Google Apps Script.

Our simple tasks will be to:

Create a menu to access a modal dialogue in the Google Sheet.
Create the modal dialogue with a form containing a radio selection and a submit button.
On submission, the form is validated with the anti-CSRF token before

Create a Menu Item and Modal Dialogue in Google Sheets

// 
/**
 * Creates a menu item to access the dialogue. 
 */
function onOpen(){

  const ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi()

  ui.createMenu("Anti-CSRF token")
    .addItem("Run dialogue", "runDialogue")
    .addToUi()
};

/**
 * Creates the dialogue as a template so we can directly add the getCsrfToken to the sheet.  
 */
function runDialogue(){
  const html = HtmlService
    .createTemplateFromFile("Index")
    .evaluate()
  
  const ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi()
  ui.showModalDialog(html, "Anit-CSRF token e.g.")

}

/**

* Creates a menu item to access the dialogue.

function onOpen(){

const ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi()

ui.createMenu("Anti-CSRF token")

.addItem("Run dialogue", "runDialogue")

.addToUi()

};

/**

* Creates the dialogue as a template so we can directly add the getCsrfToken to the sheet.

function runDialogue(){

const html = HtmlService

.createTemplateFromFile("Index")

.evaluate()

const ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi()

ui.showModalDialog(html, "Anit-CSRF token e.g.")

}

First, let’s get our UIs out of the way.

Lines 5-12 generate the Google Apps Script simple trigger onOpen(). This will create our menu item that will access the dialogue using the Spreadsheet App Class’ getUi() method.

Next, we build the dialogue. Here, we invoke HtmlService to create a template from a file, referencing the ‘Index.html’ file as our source file. We will take this approach to use scriptlets in our HTML to define our CSRF token.

Finally, we will call the UI method again to display the HTML in a modal dialogue.

Create the Front-end ‘Index’ HTML Page

	<!DOCTYPE html>
	<html>
	<head>
	<base target="_top">
	<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://ssl.gstatic.com/docs/script/css/add-ons1.css">
	</head>
	<body>
	<div id="container">
	<h1>Choose Your Goat</h1>
	<form id="goatForm" onsubmit="event.preventDefault();">
	<input type="hidden" name="_csrf" value="<?= getCsrfToken() ?>" />
	<label for="goat_type">Type of Goat:</label><br>
	<input type="radio" name="goat_type" id="goat_type_pygmy" value="pygmy">
	<label for="goat_type_pygmy">Pygmy Goat</label><br>
	<input type="radio" name="goat_type" id="goat_type_nigerian_dwarf" value="nigerian_dwarf">
	<label for="goat_type_nigerian_dwarf">Nigerian Dwarf Goat</label><br>
	<input type="radio" name="goat_type" id="goat_type_boer" value="boer">
	<label for="goat_type_boer">Boer Goat</label><br>
	</form>
	<input type="button" value="Submit" onclick="submit()">
	<div id="resp">Response: <span id="response">…</span></div>
	</div>
	</body>

	<script>


	/**
	* When the validation process is completed successfully without Apps Scripting errors.
	* @param {String.<Object>} e – event parameter containing 'hasError' boolean and 'text' string.
	*/
	function onSuccess(e){
	const message = JSON.parse(e)

	let color = message.hasError? "red" : "blue"

	const resp = document.getElementById("response")
	resp.innerText = message.text
	resp.style.color = color
	}


	/**
	* Submits the response back to Google Apps Script.
	*/
	function submit(){

	const form = document.getElementById('goatForm');

	// Create a FormData object
	const formData = new FormData(form);

	let payload = {}

	// Iterate over the form data
	for (const [key, value] of formData.entries()) {
	console.log(key, value);
	Object.assign(payload, {[key]: value})

	}

	console.log(payload)
	google.script.run.withSuccessHandler(onSuccess).formInputs(JSON.stringify(payload));
	}
	</script>
	</html>

view raw

Index.html

hosted with ❤ by GitHub

The HTML form & CSRF token

Lines 10- 19: Here we are adding our form containing our three choices of goats for our survey.

Note the first input type in the form:

<input type="hidden" name="_csrf" value="<?= getCsrfToken() ?>" />

This is where we are inserting a custom token into the current dialogue session. we have named it “_csrf”. You can also see that we have used Google Apps Script’s HTML printing scriptlets to display the anti-CSRF token returned from the getCsrfToken() function.

This function is called from the Google Apps Script side and generated as a part of the HTML template-building process. More on this function later.

Line 20-21: The submit button is added outside the form so as not to generate an error when clicked.

A response line is also added to display if the token is correct or not.

Create and Publish Google Workspace Add-ons with Apps Script Course 300px

Submitting the Form

submit()

Lines 43-64

When the ‘Submit’ button is clicked, the submit() function is invoked.

Here we retrieve the form element and use the new FormData() constructor to gather all the form responses including our hidden CSRF token.

Next, we iterate over the form data entries sorting the keys and values in the payload object.

Finally, we use the google.script.run API to send a stringified version of the payload back serverside.

We also invoke the withSuccessHandler method to return a message once validation of the token has been carried out.

onSuccess(e)

Once the CSRF token has been validated against the stored token value serverside (Apps Script-side) a stringified object will be returned back to the HTML file containing a hasError boolean property and a text string property.

If there was no match between the sent CSRF token and the stored token, we change our message colour to red.

Then we report the message in the ‘response’ span under the submit button.

Generate the CSRF Token in Google Apps Script

//
/**
 * Generates the anti CSRF token for for the current user and stores it for the current session. 
 * Token is stores in the users properties service. 
 * A new one  is created each time the dialogue is built. 
 * @returns {String} Unique user id of CSRF token. 
 */
function getCsrfToken(){
  const token = Utilities.getUuid();
  PropertiesService.getUserProperties().setProperty("csrfToken", token)

  return token;
}

/**

* Generates the anti CSRF token for for the current user and stores it for the current session.

* Token is stores in the users properties service.

* A new one is created each time the dialogue is built.

* @returns {String} Unique user id of CSRF token.

function getCsrfToken(){

const token = Utilities.getUuid();

PropertiesService.getUserProperties().setProperty("csrfToken", token)

return token;

}

This function is called from the Index.html file template when it is being generated.

The function uses the Apps Script Utilities Service to generate a Unique User ID using the getUuid() method.

Next, the token is stored in the user’s property service. This way the token is only accessible for that use for this script. We will generate and store this token each time the user opens dialogue to make it even more challenging for an attacker to breach.

Finally, the token is returned so it can be stored in the HTML file.

If you have found the tutorial helpful, why not shout me a coffee ☕? I'd really appreciate it.

Validating the CSRF token in Apps Script

// 
/**
 * Receives the form input data and validates the CSRF token before anything else. 
 */
function formInputs(e){
  const inputs = JSON.parse(e)
  let message = {
    hasError: false,
    text: ""
  }

  console.log(e)

  const csrfToken_stored = PropertiesService.getUserProperties().getProperty("csrfToken")


  if(!inputs.hasOwnProperty("_csrf") || csrfToken_stored !== inputs._csrf){
    // No match found
    console.log("anti-CSRF match failed!!!")

    message.hasError = true
    message.text = "Intruder alert!! Intruder alert!!"

    return JSON.stringify(message)


  }
  
    console.log("anti-CSRF match success!!!")

    message.hasError = false
    message.text = "Your choice has been adde successfully!"

    // Continue with form content validation.
    // ...


    return JSON.stringify(message)

}

/**

* Receives the form input data and validates the CSRF token before anything else.

function formInputs(e){

const inputs = JSON.parse(e)

let message = {

hasError: false,

text: ""

}

console.log(e)

const csrfToken_stored = PropertiesService.getUserProperties().getProperty("csrfToken")

if(!inputs.hasOwnProperty("_csrf") || csrfToken_stored !== inputs._csrf){

// No match found

console.log("anti-CSRF match failed!!!")

message.hasError = true

message.text = "Intruder alert!! Intruder alert!!"

return JSON.stringify(message)

}

console.log("anti-CSRF match success!!!")

message.hasError = false

message.text = "Your choice has been adde successfully!"

// Continue with form content validation.

// ...

return JSON.stringify(message)

}

Lines 6-10: When the user submits the form, it is sent to the formInputs() function. Here we first parse the stringified form data back to an object and then set up a message object that we will return when our script is complete.

On line 14, we grab our stored CSRF token value so that we can compare it against the one coming in.

Then on lines 17- 27, we check if the form CSRF value matches the store CSRF token value. If it doesn’t, then we return the message variable with our error text.

If the tokens match, then you can carry on a validate your other form inputs before continuing with your data.

That’s it. That’s the whole script. Google Apps Script makes it really easy to implement this security token.

Is It Really Necessary to Add CSRF Tokens to your Google Workspace Dialogues and Sidebars?

Well…probably not. Particularly if you do not intend to publish your Add-on to the public. However, if you do have some restricted scopes that need to be authorised by your users then part of the CASA Tier 2 Assessment then it probably isn’t a huge deal.

The likelihood of someone finding or caring about your dialogues and then trying to exploit them along with Google OAuth and Iframe restrictions would make it pretty hard for a baddie to do any damage to your Google Workspace environment. But, you never know.

Need help with Google Workspace development?

Go something to solve bigger than Chat GPT?

Schedule a free consultation today to discuss your needs and get started or learn more about our services here.

~Yagi.

The Code: Range_ConditionalFormatting()

Class

Methods

clearRule(rangeOrRanges, [clearType])

Parameters

Clear types

Examples

clearRule(range) – Single range and no optional clear type

clearRule(ranges) – Multiple ranges and no optional clear type

clearRule(range, clearType = 0) – Single range with clear type zero- Exact match

clearRule(ranges, clearType = 0) – Multiple ranges with clear type zero – Exact match

clearRule(range, clearType = 1) – Single range with clear type one – Within range

clearRule(ranges, clearType = 1) – Multiple ranges with clear type zero- Within range

clearRule(range, clearType = 2) – Single range with clear type one – Overlaps

clearRule(ranges, clearType = 2) – Multiple ranges with clear type zero- Overlaps

setRule(rules, [position])

Parameters

Examples

Video Tutorial Series

Conclusion

Share this:

Like this:

Requirements

Setup

Install the TypeScript Package for Sublime Text

Check for the TypeScript Package

Add the TypeScript Package

Linux

Windows

Mac

Install the Google Apps Script Type Package

Testing the Google Apps Script text completion in Sublime Text

Navigating Autocomplete

Tooltips – Method argument instructions

Look at Multiple Arguments or tooltips

Rename a Variable, Class or Function

Formatting

Getting *.gs files to display autocomplete

Conclusion

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

The Example Dialogue

Create a Menu Item and Modal Dialogue in Google Sheets

Create the Front-end ‘Index’ HTML Page

The HTML form & CSRF token

Submitting the Form

submit()

onSuccess(e)

Generate the CSRF Token in Google Apps Script

Validating the CSRF token in Apps Script

Is It Really Necessary to Add CSRF Tokens to your Google Workspace Dialogues and Sidebars?

Share this:

Like this: