Google Apps Script overview
Stay organized with collections
Save and categorize content based on your preferences.
AI-generated Key Takeaways
-
Google Apps Script is a cloud-based platform for rapidly developing business applications that integrate with Google Workspace.
-
It uses JavaScript and provides built-in libraries for Google Workspace applications like Gmail, Calendar, and Drive.
-
With Apps Script, you can customize Google Workspace, automate tasks, interact with other Google services, and create web apps and add-ons.
-
No installation is needed as Apps Script provides a browser-based code editor and stores your scripts in Google Drive, executing them on Google's servers.
-
Explore quickstarts for automation, custom functions, or building a Chat bot to quickly get started with Apps Script projects.
Google Apps Script is a rapid application development platform that makes it fast and easy to create business applications that integrate with Google Workspace. You write code in modern JavaScript and have access to built-in libraries for favorite Google Workspace applications like Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and more. There's nothing to install—we give you a code editor right in your browser, and your scripts are saved to Google Drive and run on Google's servers.
If you're new to JavaScript, Codecademy offers a number of JavaScript courses. (Note that these courses weren't developed by and aren't associated with Google.)
What can Apps Script do?
Apps Script is versatile. Among other things, you can:
- Add custom menus, dialogs, and sidebars to Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms.
- Write custom functions and macros for Google Sheets.
- Publish web apps — either standalone or embedded in Google Sites.
- Interact with other Google services, including AdSense, Analytics, Calendar, Drive, Gmail, and Maps.
- Build lightweight add-ons and publish them to the Google Workspace Marketplace. If you anticipate building large scale add-ons, refer to Build a Google Workspace add-on using HTTP endpoints.
Try a quickstart
Try one of the following quickstarts to get an Apps Script project up and running in less than 5 minutes.
- Automation quickstart: Build and run a simple automation that creates a Google Doc and emails you a link to it.
- Custom function quickstart: Create a custom function that calculates the sale price of discounted items.
- Google Chat bot quickstart: Create a simple Chat bot that can be directly messaged and responds by echoing your messages.