Google Apps Script is a scripting language that allows you to automate tasks, extend functionality, and customize Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) applications such as Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Slides, and more. It provides a way to write code and create custom scripts that interact with various Google services and APIs.
Within Google Apps Script, there are two types of scripts: standalone scripts and bound scripts.
- Standalone Scripts: Standalone scripts are independent scripts that are not tied to any specific Google Workspace application. You can create them directly in the Apps Script editor and execute them from there. Standalone scripts can be used to build custom web applications, create APIs, and perform background tasks that are not directly associated with any particular Google Workspace document or file. They can also be published as web apps, allowing users to access them via a URL.
- Bound Scripts: Bound scripts, on the other hand, are scripts that are bound to a specific Google Workspace document or file, such as a Google Sheets spreadsheet or a Google Docs document. These scripts are created and associated with a particular document, and they can be accessed and executed from within that document. Bound scripts have access to the document’s data and can be used to automate processes, add custom functions, create custom menus, and extend the functionality of the associated document.
Bound scripts offer a tighter integration with their associated documents since they have direct access to the document’s content, data, and events. They can be triggered by specific events like opening the document, editing it, or running a custom menu command.
Both standalone and bound scripts are written in the same Apps Script language and share the same capabilities. The choice between the two depends on whether you need a script that is independent of any specific document (standalone) or a script that is tightly coupled with a particular document (bound).
In your Google Drive you will see scripts that are standalone with the script icon and the bound scripts will have a small icon in the top of the google document icon. You can also open the scripts dashboard https://script.google.com/home/my which shows all the Google Scripts
