Develop Reference

Google Sheets API: How to find a row by value and update it's content

I am working on an Android application that uses a Google Spreadsheet as a database.
The application should GET, APPEND and UPDATE values in a spreadsheet, using the Sheets API v4. The first two functions are working fine but I have difficulties updating a specific row. I need to find a row that has a specific value in it's first column ("Batch ID") and update all the cells in this row.
This is how my spreadsheet looks like.
Right now I am getting the row to be modified like this:
ValueRange response = this.mySheetsService.spreadsheets().
values().get(spreadsheetId, range).execute();
List<List<Object>> values = response.getValues();
String rangeToUpdate;
Log.i(TAG, "all values in range: " + values.toString());
int i = 0;
if (values != null) {
for (List row : values) {
i += 1;
if (row.get(0).equals(selectedBatchID)) {
Log.i(TAG, "IT'S A MATCH! i= " + i);
rangeToUpdate = "A" + (i + 1) + ":E" + (i + 1); //row to be updated
}
}
}
/*once I have the row that needs to be updated, I construct my new ValueRange requestbody and
*execute a values().update(spreadsheetId, rangeToUpdate , requestbody) request.
*/
This is actually working fine but I think it's an ugly solution and I am sure there is a better one out there.
I have read the Sheets API documentation and I got familiar with notions such as batchUpdateByDataFilter, DataFilterValueRange or DeveloperMetadata and I sense that I should use these features for what I'm trying to achieve but I couldn't put them together and I couldn't find any examples.
Can someone show me or help me understand how to use these Sheets V4 features?
Thank you.

I have exactly the same issue, and it seems that so far (March 2018) Sheets v4 API does not allow to search by value, returning cell address. The solution I found somewhere here on StackOverflow is to use a formula. The formula can be created in an arbitrary sheet each time you want to find the address by value, then you erase the formula. If you do not want to delete the formula every time, you many prefer to create in a safer place, like a hidden worksheet.
Create hidden worksheet LOOKUP_SHEET (spreadsheetId is your spreadsheet ID):
POST https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/spreadsheetId:batchUpdate
{
"requests": [
{
"addSheet": {
"properties": {
"hidden": true,
"title": "LOOKUP_SHEET"
}
}
}
]
}
Create a formula in the A1 cell of the hidden worksheet that searches for "Search value" in MySheet1 sheet, and get back the row:
PUT https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/spreadsheetId/values/LOOKUP_SHEET!A1?includeValuesInResponse=true&responseValueRenderOption=UNFORMATTED_VALUE&valueInputOption=USER_ENTERED&fields=updatedData
{
"range": "LOOKUP_SHEET!A1",
"values": [
 [
  "=MATCH("Search value", MySheet1!A:A, 0)"
 ]
]
}
The response will look like this:
{
"updatedData": {
 "range": "LOOKUP_SHEET!A1",
 "majorDimension": "ROWS",
 "values": [
  [
   3
  ]
 ]
}
}
By default, major dimension is ROWS. MATCH() returns relative row within column A, if no row IDs are provided then this position is effectively absolute. Or, you may want to use a more reliable call like =ROW(INDIRECT(ADDRESS(MATCH("Search value",A:A,0),1))). If the sheet has spaces in it, enclose it in single quotes. If you are searching for number, make sure you do not enclose it in quotes.

In the spreadsheets API we have the concept of developer metadata, that allow us to store information not visible to the end user that we can later on retrieve and use.
In this case the best approach is to assign the Batch ID as a metadata for a particular row. I will add the code based on the Javascript SDK.
const response = await sheets.spreadsheets.developerMetadata.search({
auth: jwtClient,
spreadsheetId,
requestBody: {
dataFilters: [
{
developerMetadataLookup: {
locationType: 'ROW',
metadataKey: 'batchId',
metadataValue: '$BATCH_ID'
}
}
]
}
});
if (response.matchedDeveloperMetadata) {
// There is a row with that id already present.
const { endIndex } = response.matchedDeveloperMetadata[0].developerMetadata.location.dimensionRange;
// Use endIndex to create the range to update the values range: `SheetName!A${endIndex}`,
await sheets.spreadsheets.values.update(
{
auth: jwtClient,
spreadsheetId,
range: `SheetName!A${endIndex}`,
valueInputOption: 'USER_ENTERED',
requestBody: {
majorDimension: 'ROWS',
values: [[]]
},
},
{}
);
} else {
// Append the value and create the metadata.
const appendResponse = await sheets.spreadsheets.values.append(
{
auth: jwtClient,
spreadsheetId,
range: 'SheetName!A1',
valueInputOption: 'USER_ENTERED',
requestBody: {
majorDimension: 'ROWS',
values: [[]]
},
},
{}
);
if (appendResponse.data.updates?.updatedRange) {
const updatedRange = appendResponse.data.updates?.updatedRange;
const [, range] = updatedRange.split('!');
const indexes = convertSheetNotation(range);
await sheets.spreadsheets.batchUpdate({ auth: jwtClient, spreadsheetId, requestBody: {
requests: [
{
createDeveloperMetadata: {
developerMetadata: {
location: {
dimensionRange: {
sheetId: 0,
startIndex: indexes[0],
endIndex: indexes[0] + 1,
dimension: "ROWS"
}
},
metadataKey: 'batchId',
metadataValue: '$BATCH_ID',
visibility: "DOCUMENT"
}
}
}
]
}});
}
}
We need to be careful of race conditions as we may end up with duplicated rows, let me know if that helps :)

I had the same requirement.
First:
Create a function that gets the index of targeted object from the sheet, like:
private int getRowIndex(TheObject obj, ValueRange response) {
List<List<Object>> values = response.getValues();
int rowIndex = -1;
int i = 0;
if (values != null) {
for (List row : values) {
i += 1;
if (row.get(1).equals(obj.getBatchId())) {
System.out.println("There is a match! i= " + i);
rowIndex = i;
}
}
}
return rowIndex;
}
Second:
Create the update method by passing the targeted object having your desired value "batch id" and others new values for the rest of fields.
public void updateObject(Object obj) throws IOException, GeneralSecurityException {
sheetsService = getSheetsService();
ValueRange response = sheetsService.spreadsheets().
values().get(SPREADSHEET_ID, "Sheet1").execute();
int rowIndex = this.getRowIndex(obj, response);
if (rowIndex != -1) {
List<ValueRange> oList = new ArrayList<>();
oList.add(new ValueRange().setRange("B" + rowIndex).setValues(Arrays.asList(
Arrays.<Object>asList(obj.getSomeProprty()))));
oList.add(new ValueRange().setRange("C" + rowIndex).setValues(Arrays.asList(
Arrays.<Object>asList(obj.getOtherProprty()))));
//... same for others properties of obj
BatchUpdateValuesRequest body = new BatchUpdateValuesRequest().setValueInputOption("USER_ENTERED").setData(oList);
BatchUpdateValuesResponse batchResponse;
batchResponse sheetsService.spreadsheets().values().batchUpdate(SPREADSHEET_ID, body).execute();
} else {
System.out.println("the obj dont exist in the sheet!");
}
}
Finally:
In your app you have to pass the tageted object to the update method:
TheObject obj = new Object();
obj.setBatchId = "some value";
Fill the obj with others values if you want.
Then call the method:
objectChanger.updateObject(obj);

All you need to do is to create a new array of strings from an array of arrays - so you can run the indexOf() method on this new array.
Since we know the method values.get returns array of the arrays such as
[
[""],
[""],
...
]
my approach was to a bit flattened this structure.
const data = await googleSheetsInstance.spreadsheets.values.get({
//here u have to insert auth, spreadsheetId and range
});
//here you will get that array of arrays
const allData: any[] = data.data.values;
//Now you have to find an index in the subarray of Primary Key (such as
//email or anything like that
const flattenedData = allData.map((someArray: any[]) => {
return someArray[2]; //My primary key is on the index 2 in the email
Array
});
So what you will get is a normal array of strings with primary keys so now you can easily call the indexOf() on the flattened array.
const index:number = flattenedData.indexOf("someuniquestring);
console.log(index);
And the index value will tell you the row. Do not forget spreadsheets start from 1 and indexes in Javascript start from 0.

Regex with error checking

I've done a bunch of searching but I'm terrible with regex statements and my google-fu in this instance as not been strong.
Scenario:
In push notifications, we're passed a URL that contains a 9-digit content ID.
Example URL: http://www.something.com/foo/bar/Some-title-Goes-here-123456789.html (123456789 is the content ID in this scenario)
Current regex to parse the content ID:
public String getContentIdFromPathAndQueryString(String path, String queryString) {
String contentId = null;
if (StringUtils.isNonEmpty(path)) {
Pattern p = Pattern.compile("([\\d]{9})(?=.html)");
Matcher m = p.matcher(path);
if (m.find()) {
contentId = m.group();
} else if (StringUtils.isNonEmpty(queryString)) {
p = Pattern.compile("(?:contentId=)([\\d]{9})(?=.html)");
m = p.matcher(queryString);
if (m.find()) {
contentId = m.group();
}
}
}
Log.d(LOG_TAG, "Content id " + (contentId == null ? "not found" : (" found - " + contentId)));
if (StringUtils.isEmpty(contentId)) {
Answers.getInstance().logCustom(new CustomEvent("eid_url")
.putCustomAttribute("contentId", "empty")
.putCustomAttribute("path", path)
.putCustomAttribute("query", queryString));
}
return contentId;
}
The problem:
This does the job but there's a specific error scenario that I need to account for.
Whoever creates the push may put in the wrong length content ID and we need to grab it regardless of that, so assume it can be any number of digits... the title can also contain digits, which is annoying. The content ID will ALWAYS be followed by ".html"

While the basic answer here would be just "replace {9} limiting quantifier matching exactly 9 occurrences with a + quantifier matching 1+ occurrences", there are two patterns that can be improved.
The unescaped dot should be escaped in the pattern to match a literal dot.
If you have no overlapping matches, no need to use a positive lookahead with a capturing group before it, just keep the capturing group and grab .group(1) value.
A non-capturing group (?:...) is still a consuming pattern, and the (?:contentId=) equals contentId= (you may remove (?: and )).
There is no need wrapping a single atom within a character class, use \\d instead of [\\d]. That [\\d] is actually a source of misunderstandings, some may think it is a grouping construct, and might try adding alternative sequences into the square brackets, while [...] matches a single char.
So, your code can look like
Pattern p = Pattern.compile("(\\d+)\\.html"); // No lookahead, + instead of {9}
Matcher m = p.matcher(path);
if (m.find()) {
contentId = m.group(1); // (1) refers to Group 1
} else if (StringUtils.isNonEmpty(queryString)) {
p = Pattern.compile("contentId=(\\d+)\\.html");
m = p.matcher(queryString);
if (m.find()) {
contentId = m.group(1);
}
}

How to make .contains search for every string in an array?

I have this code :
String[] whereyoufromarray = {"where", "you", "from"};
for (String whereyoufromstring : whereyoufromarray)
{
if (value.contains(whereyoufromstring)) {
//statement
}
}
But I want that if to only execute the statement if "value" has all of the words included in the array, something like "where are you from?". Currently if value has ONLY one of the words in the array the statement is executed.
I can do this with if (value.contains("where") && value.contains("you") && value.contains ("from")) but this just seems unnecessarily long. There has to be a workaround using arrays that I am missing.
Well, what is it?
p.s.: sorry for poor grammar. i'm suffering from sleep deprivation.

String[] whereyoufromarray = {"where", "you", "from"};
boolean valueContainsAllWordsInArray = true;
for (String whereyoufromstring : whereyoufromarray) {
// If one word wasn't found, the search is over, break the loop
if(!valueContainsAllWordsInArray) break;
valueContainsAllWordsInArray = valueContainsAllWordsInArray &&
value.contains(whereyoufromstring);
}
// valueContainsAllWordsInArray is now assigned to true only if value contains
// ALL strings in the array

For a case like this, I typically implement a function just to make the test. Let's call it containsAll()
public static boolean containsAll(String[] strings, String test)
{
for (String str : strings)
if (!test.contains(str))
return false;
return true;
}
And now you just do
if (containsAll(whereyoufromarray, value))
//statement

String[] whereyoufromarray = {"where", "you", "from"};
int arrayLength = whereyoufromarray.length;
int itemCount = 0;
for(String whereyoufromstring : whereyoufromarray)
{
if(value.contains(whereyoufromstring))
{
itemCount++;
}
}
if (itemCount == arrayLength){
//do your thing here
}
rough idea. I don't have my IDE up to proof this, but basically you can set a counter to = the length of your known array, then check each value in the array to see if it contains a match..if it does, increment another counter. At the end, test your counter to see if it matches the length of your array, so in your example, if itemCount= 3, then all values matched. if it was 2, then one would be missing and your method wouldn't execute.

Sort by condition input with ArrayList Android

I have a arraylist with two field Name and Year. I want to sort this array with condition input name (sort by name input). If the name is same it will sort by year.
Example
Name Year
Ann 2000
Bech 2001
Bach 2013
Bach 2012
Chu 1999
Assume that I create a function is sort with input is Bach. The result will display
Name Year
Bach 2013
Bach 2012
Ann 2000
Bech 2001
Chu 1999
Because with input is Bach and the first I want to display all name with "Bach" If the same name I will sort it by year(largest-smallest). If don't same "Bach" name I will sort by A-Z using compareTo()
This is my code but I don't have input condition name . Please make a new function help me same sort_inputname(String inputname)
//Class compare Name- Year
public class Search_Name_Year_Comparator implements Comparator<SearchListInformation>
{
public int compare(SearchListInformation left,
SearchListInformation right) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
int dateComparison;
int dataComparison = 0;
if(left.getName().compareTo(right.getName())==0)
{
if(left.getYear().compareTo(right.getYear())>0)
{
return -1;
}
else if(left.getYear().compareTo(right.getYear())<0)
{
return 1;
}
else
return 0;
}
else
return left.getName().compareTo(right.getName());

It is a little bit hard to understand your question (I assume you are not a native English speaker, but you can't be blamed for that). From what I understand, you want to sort an ArrayList of objects that have 2 properties : Name and Year. Let's just assume those objects are called "SearchListInformation", so you're trying to sort an ArrayList of SearchListInformation.
What I would do here is make the SearchListInformationclass implement the Comparable (not Comparator) interface (see the link for more information).
Then you can juste use Collections.sort to sort your ArrayList, for instance :
ArrayList<SearchListInformation> list = new ArrayList<SearchListInformation>();
list.add(new Person("Bob", 2000));
list.add(new Person("Lucy", 2010));
Collections.sort(list);
If you want to use the Comparator interface, you can also use Collections.sort(List, Comparator). Then you can use the code you posted, but I would simplify it this way :
#Override
public int compare(SearchListInformation left, SearchListInformation right) {
if(left.getName().compareTo(right.getName())==0)
return -1*left.getYear().compareTo(right.getYear())
else
return left.getName().compareTo(right.getName());
}
Edit : If you want to be able to specify a name that should be always at the beginning of the list, you should use the second option : implement the Comparator interface like this :
public MyComparator implements Comparator<SearchListInformation> {
protected String _priorityName;
public MyComparator(String priorityName) {
_priorityName = priorityName;
}
#Override
public int compare(SearchListInformation left, SearchListInformation right) {
if(left.getName().compareTo(right.getName())==0)
return -1*left.getYear().compareTo(right.getYear())
else if(left.getName().equals(_priorityName)
return -1;
else if(right.getName().equals(_priorityName)
return 1;
else
return left.getName().compareTo(right.getName());
}
}
Then you can use :
Collections.sort(list, new MyComparator("Bach"));

Unusual android logic operator not working comparing two strings

I'm trying a simple check. If a string name locale has "es" as value.
public String locale =
Locale.getDefault().getLanguage().toLowerCase().toString();
// ...
Log.v(tag, "Idioma del sistema: «" + locale +"»");
if (locale != "es") {
showDialog(R.string.warningTitleDialog,
"We are sorry that this tool is only available in Spanish " +
"language. See Author menu item for more information. [" +
locale + "]");
locale = "en";
}
adb logcat shows "es" as content of string "locale" but code inside the condition is being executed.

It seem that problem is not of android or of logic this is in JAVA.
Try this and tell us what is happening
if(!locale.equals("en"))
{
//Your Code
}

Never use != or == in association with strings. Try the method equals like this:
if(locale.equals("es"))
This will return true if the strings locale and "es" contain the same character
sequence. Because the equals( ) method compares the characters inside a String object. The == operator compares two object references to see whether they refer to the same instance.
See What is the difference between == vs equals() in Java? for more information.