Creating Dropdown Values in Google Sheets Using Google Apps Script

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In Google Sheets, providing dropdown lists for users can enhance data entry accuracy and efficiency. Using Google Apps Script, you can automate the process of populating dropdown values based on data from another sheet. In this blog post, we’ll walk through how to copy values from one sheet to another and dynamically update dropdown lists in Google Sheets.

Copying Values from One Sheet to Another

Before we dive into creating dropdown lists, let’s start by copying values from one sheet to another using Google Apps Script.

function copyValues() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  const sourceSheet = ss.getSheetByName('Sheet1');
  const targetSheet = ss.getSheetByName('Sheet2');
  
  const rangeToCopy = sourceSheet.getRange('A1:A5');
  const valuesToCopy = rangeToCopy.getValues();
  
  targetSheet.getRange(1, 1, valuesToCopy.length, valuesToCopy[0].length).setValues(valuesToCopy);
}

In this script:

  • We define the source sheet (Sheet1) and target sheet (Sheet2).
  • We specify the range of values to copy from Sheet1 (in this case, cells A1:A5).
  • We retrieve these values using getValues() and then set them to the corresponding range in Sheet2 using setValues().

Creating Dropdown Lists Dynamically

Now that we can copy values between sheets, let’s modify the script to create a dropdown list in cell A1 of Sheet2 based on the values copied from Sheet1.

function createDropdown() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  const sourceSheet = ss.getSheetByName('Sheet1');
  const targetSheet = ss.getSheetByName('Sheet2');
  
  const rangeToCopy = sourceSheet.getRange('A1:A' + sourceSheet.getLastRow());
  const valuesToCopy = rangeToCopy.getValues();
  
  const dropdownRange = targetSheet.getRange('A1');
  const rule = SpreadsheetApp.newDataValidation().requireValueInList(valuesToCopy.flat()).build();
  dropdownRange.setDataValidation(rule);
}

Here’s what we added:

  • We replaced the static range 'A1:A5' with a dynamic range that covers all rows in Sheet1 containing data.
  • We used the newDataValidation() method to create a data validation rule that requires the dropdown values to be in the list of values copied from Sheet1.
  • We applied this data validation rule to cell A1 in Sheet2 using setDataValidation().

Conclusion

By combining the ability to copy values between sheets and dynamically create dropdown lists, you can provide users with an efficient and user-friendly data entry experience in Google Sheets. This approach ensures that dropdown options in Sheet2 always reflect the latest data from Sheet1, enabling seamless updates as new rows are added. Whether you’re building forms, surveys, or data entry interfaces, leveraging Google Apps Script to manage dropdown lists can greatly enhance the functionality and usability of your Google Sheets applications.