Notification Rules Workaround for the New Google Sheets
2 minute read
While there are a lot of things to like about the new Google Sheets, some much loved features have yet to make the transition as of this post. One of the most notable missing features is Notification Rules. In the old Google Spreadsheets, notification rules allowed you to send an email notification after a number of actions had been taken inside a Spreadsheet.
While the feature has yet to make it to the new Google Sheets, there is an easy workaround available that takes very little time to set up. The workaround involves Google Apps Script, and this is a wonderful opportunity for those of you who have yet to give it a try.
Here’s the instructions for setting up the script (thanks to Adam and the Google Drive team for this great tip):
1. In the menubar at the top of Sheets, go to Tools > Script editor
2. Close the dialog that pops us (if you see one)
3. Copy / paste the following code and change any relevant parts:
function myFunction() {
MailApp.sendEmail(“youremail@google.com”,”Your title – someone submitted a form”,”Your message in the email”);
}
4. File > Save. Give the script a name
5. Next select Resources > Current projects triggers
6. Click the “No triggers. Click here to add one now” link
7. Change the rule to read: myFunction, From Spreadsheets, On form submit (Note that this will send you an email when someone responds to a form associated with this spreadsheet. If you want to set up a different rule, instead of selecting “on form submit”, choose something like “on edit”, which will send you an email when someone makes an edit to the spreadsheet.)
8. Click the “Notifications” link to customize whether or not you want emails weekly, daily, hourly or immediately.
9. Press OK. Then Save in the dialog. Then Continue when it asks about authorization. Then Accept the request for permissions.
10. Test the script: Click the Run menu > select myFunction
11. Check your inbox; if you see an email, you’re all set. You’ll start getting notifications when an event happens in your spreadsheet. If you don’t see the email in a couple of minutes then something might not be set up right. Double-check the steps if this occurs!
