Page Summary
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This solution is a beginner-level automation project that creates an end-to-end offsite activity sign-up system using Google Sheets, Google Forms, and Apps Script.
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The script uses the Spreadsheet service to manage activity schedules and responses, the Forms service to create and collect preferences, and the Utilities service for formatting data.
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Users need a Google Account and internet access to set up and run the script by making a copy of the sample spreadsheet.
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The script can create a form, generate test data, and assign activities based on employee preferences and activity capacity, with results presented in new sheets.
Coding level: Beginner
Duration: 5 minutes
Project type: Automation with a custom menu
Objectives
- Understand what the solution does.
- Understand what the Apps Script services do within the solution.
- Set up the script.
- Run the script.
About this solution
Create an end-to-end offsite activity sign-up system. The solution creates a form for employees to express their activity preferences, and matches employee preferences to the activity schedule.
How it works
Using an activity schedule in Google Sheets, the script creates a Google Form for employees to select their activity preferences. Once the responses are in, the script matches employee preferences with the schedule and capacity of each activity. The matches are provided in two new sheets, one organized by employee and the other by activity.
Apps Script services
This solution uses the following services:
- Spreadsheet service –Holds the activity schedule and form responses, and assigns activities to the employees.
- Forms service –Creates a form for employees to enter their activity preferences.
- Utilities service –Formats strings and dates.
Prerequisites
To use this sample, you need the following prerequisites:
- A Google Account (Google Workspace accounts might require administrator approval).
- A web browser with access to the internet.
Set up the script
Click the following button to make a copy of the Offsite Activity Sign-upsample spreadsheet. The Apps Script project for this
solution is attached to the spreadsheet.
Make a copy
Run the script
- In your copied spreadsheet, click Activities > Create form. You might need to refresh the page for this custom menu to appear.
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When prompted, authorize the script. If the OAuth consent screen displays the warning, This app isn't verified, continue by selecting Advanced > Go to {Project Name} (unsafe).
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Click Activities > Create formagain.
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To generate test responses, click Activities > Generate test data.
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To test the form yourself, click Tools > Manage form > Go to live form.
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Fill out the form and submit it.
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In the spreadsheet, click Activities > Assign activities.
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Review the 2 new sheets, Activities by personand Activity rosters.
Review the code
To review the Apps Script code for this solution, click View source codebelow:
View source code
Code.gs
solutions/automations/offsite-activity-signup/Code.js
// To learn how to use this script, refer to the documentation: // https://developers.google.com/apps-script/samples/automations/offsite-activity-signup /* Copyright 2022 Google LLC Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License. */ const NUM_ITEMS_TO_RANK = 5 ; const ACTIVITIES_PER_PERSON = 2 ; const NUM_TEST_USERS = 150 ; /** * Adds custom menu items when opening the sheet. */ function onOpen () { const menu = SpreadsheetApp . getUi () . createMenu ( "Activities" ) . addItem ( "Create form" , "buildForm_" ) . addItem ( "Generate test data" , "generateTestData_" ) . addItem ( "Assign activities" , "assignActivities_" ) . addToUi (); } /** * Builds a form based on the "Activity Schedule" sheet. The form asks attendees to rank their top * N choices of activities, where N is defined by NUM_ITEMS_TO_RANK. */ function buildForm_ () { const ss = SpreadsheetApp . getActiveSpreadsheet (); if ( ss . getFormUrl ()) { const msg = "Form already exists. Unlink the form and try again." ; SpreadsheetApp . getUi (). alert ( msg ); return ; } const form = FormApp . create ( "Activity Signup" ) . setDestination ( FormApp . DestinationType . SPREADSHEET , ss . getId ()) . setAllowResponseEdits ( true ) . setLimitOneResponsePerUser ( true ) . setCollectEmail ( true ); const sectionHelpText = Utilities . formatString ( "Please choose your top %d activities" , NUM_ITEMS_TO_RANK , ); form . addSectionHeaderItem () . setTitle ( "Activity choices" ) . setHelpText ( sectionHelpText ); // Presents activity ranking as a form grid with each activity as a row and rank as a column. const rows = loadActivitySchedule_ ( ss ). map ( ( activity ) = > activity . description , ); const columns = range_ ( 1 , NUM_ITEMS_TO_RANK ). map (( value ) = > Utilities . formatString ( "%s" , toOrdinal_ ( value )), ); const gridValidation = FormApp . createGridValidation () . setHelpText ( "Select one item per column." ) . requireLimitOneResponsePerColumn () . build (); form . addGridItem () . setColumns ( columns ) . setRows ( rows ) . setValidation ( gridValidation ); form . addListItem () . setTitle ( "Assign other activities if choices are not available?" ) . setChoiceValues ([ "Yes" , "No" ]); } /** * Assigns activities using a random priority/random serial dictatorship approach. The results * are then populated into two new sheets, one listing activities per person, the other listing * the rosters for each activity. * * See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_serial_dictatorship for additional information. */ function assignActivities_ () { const ss = SpreadsheetApp . getActiveSpreadsheet (); const activities = loadActivitySchedule_ ( ss ); const activityIds = activities . map (( activity ) = > activity . id ); const attendees = loadAttendeeResponses_ ( ss , activityIds ); assignWithRandomPriority_ ( attendees , activities , 2 ); writeAttendeeAssignments_ ( ss , attendees ); writeActivityRosters_ ( ss , activities ); } /** * Selects activities via random priority. * * @param {object[]} attendees - Array of attendees to assign activities to * @param {object[]} activities - Array of all available activities * @param {number} numActivitiesPerPerson - Maximum number of activities to assign */ function assignWithRandomPriority_ ( attendees , activities , numActivitiesPerPerson , ) { const activitiesById = activities . reduce (( obj , activity ) = > { obj [ activity . id ] = activity ; return obj ; }, {}); for ( let i = 0 ; i < numActivitiesPerPerson ; ++ i ) { const randomizedAttendees = shuffleArray_ ( attendees ); for ( const attendee of randomizedAttendees ) { makeChoice_ ( attendee , activitiesById ); } } } /** * Attempts to assign an activity for an attendee based on their preferences and current schedule. * * @param {object} attendee - Attendee looking to join an activity * @param {object} activitiesById - Map of all available activities */ function makeChoice_ ( attendee , activitiesById ) { for ( let i = 0 ; i < attendee . preferences . length ; ++ i ) { const activity = activitiesById [ attendee . preferences [ i ]]; if ( ! activity ) { continue ; } const canJoin = checkAvailability_ ( attendee , activity ); if ( canJoin ) { attendee . assigned . push ( activity ); activity . roster . push ( attendee ); break ; } } } /** * Checks that an activity has capacity and doesn't conflict with previously assigned * activities. * * @param {object} attendee - Attendee looking to join the activity * @param {object} activity - Proposed activity * @return {boolean} - True if attendee can join the activity */ function checkAvailability_ ( attendee , activity ) { if ( activity . capacity < = activity . roster . length ) { return false ; } const timesConflict = attendee . assigned . some ( ( assignedActivity ) = > ! ( assignedActivity . startAt . getTime () > activity . endAt . getTime () || activity . startAt . getTime () > assignedActivity . endAt . getTime () ), ); return ! timesConflict ; } /** * Populates a sheet with the assigned activities for each attendee. * * @param {Spreadsheet} ss - Spreadsheet to write to. * @param {object[]} attendees - Array of attendees with their activity assignments */ function writeAttendeeAssignments_ ( ss , attendees ) { const sheet = findOrCreateSheetByName_ ( ss , "Activities by person" ); sheet . clear (); sheet . appendRow ([ "Email address" , "Activities" ]); sheet . getRange ( "B1:1" ). merge (); const rows = attendees . map (( attendee ) = > { // Prefill row to ensure consistent length otherwise // can't bulk update the sheet with range.setValues() const row = fillArray_ ([], ACTIVITIES_PER_PERSON + 1 , "" ); row [ 0 ] = attendee . email ; attendee . assigned . forEach (( activity , index ) = > { row [ index + 1 ] = activity . description ; }); return row ; }); bulkAppendRows_ ( sheet , rows ); sheet . setFrozenRows ( 1 ); sheet . getRange ( "1:1" ). setFontWeight ( "bold" ); sheet . autoResizeColumns ( 1 , sheet . getLastColumn ()); } /** * Populates a sheet with the rosters for each activity. * * @param {Spreadsheet} ss - Spreadsheet to write to. * @param {object[]} activities - Array of activities with their rosters */ function writeActivityRosters_ ( ss , activities ) { const sheet = findOrCreateSheetByName_ ( ss , "Activity rosters" ); sheet . clear (); let rows = activities . map (( activity ) = > { const roster = activity . roster . map (( attendee ) = > attendee . email ); return [ activity . description ]. concat ( roster ); }); // Transpose the data so each activity is a column rows = transpose_ ( rows , "" ); bulkAppendRows_ ( sheet , rows ); sheet . setFrozenRows ( 1 ); sheet . getRange ( "1:1" ). setFontWeight ( "bold" ); sheet . autoResizeColumns ( 1 , sheet . getLastColumn ()); } /** * Loads the activity schedule. * * @param {Spreadsheet} ss - Spreadsheet to load from * @return {object[]} Array of available activities. */ function loadActivitySchedule_ ( ss ) { const timeZone = ss . getSpreadsheetTimeZone (); const sheet = ss . getSheetByName ( "Activity Schedule" ); const rows = sheet . getSheetValues ( sheet . getFrozenRows () + 1 , 1 , sheet . getLastRow () - 1 , sheet . getLastRow (), ); const activities = rows . map (( row , index ) = > { const name = row [ 0 ]; const startAt = new Date ( row [ 1 ]); const endAt = new Date ( row [ 2 ]); const capacity = Number . parseInt ( row [ 3 ]); const formattedStartAt = Utilities . formatDate ( startAt , timeZone , "EEE hh:mm a" , ); const formattedEndAt = Utilities . formatDate ( endAt , timeZone , "hh:mm a" ); const description = Utilities . formatString ( "%s (%s-%s)" , name , formattedStartAt , formattedEndAt , ); return { id : index , name : name , description : description , capacity : capacity , startAt : startAt , endAt : endAt , roster : [], }; }); return activities ; } /** * Loads the attendeee response data. * * @param {Spreadsheet} ss - Spreadsheet to load from * @param {number[]} allActivityIds - Full set of available activity IDs * @return {object[]} Array of parsed attendee respones. */ function loadAttendeeResponses_ ( ss , allActivityIds ) { const sheet = findResponseSheetForForm_ ( ss ); if ( ! sheet || sheet . getLastRow () === 1 ) { return undefined ; } const rows = sheet . getSheetValues ( sheet . getFrozenRows () + 1 , 1 , sheet . getLastRow () - 1 , sheet . getLastRow (), ); const attendees = rows . map (( row ) = > { const _ = row . shift (); // Ignore timestamp const email = row . shift (); const autoAssign = row . pop (); // Find ranked items in the response data. let preferences = row . reduce (( prefs , value , index ) = > { const match = value . match ( /(\d+).*/ ); if ( ! match ) { return prefs ; } const rank = Number . parseInt ( match [ 1 ]) - 1 ; // Convert ordinal to array index prefs [ rank ] = index ; return prefs ; }, []); if ( autoAssign === "Yes" ) { // If auto assigning additional activites, append a randomized list of all the activities. // These will then be considered as if the attendee ranked them. const additionalChoices = shuffleArray_ ( allActivityIds ); preferences = preferences . concat ( additionalChoices ); } return { email : email , preferences : preferences , assigned : [], }; }); return attendees ; } /** * Simulates a large number of users responding to the form. This enables users to quickly * experience the full solution without having to collect sufficient form responses * through other means. */ function generateTestData_ () { const ss = SpreadsheetApp . getActiveSpreadsheet (); const sheet = findResponseSheetForForm_ ( ss ); if ( ! sheet ) { const msg = "No response sheet found. Create the form and try again." ; SpreadsheetApp . getUi (). alert ( msg ); } if ( sheet . getLastRow () > 1 ) { const msg = "Response sheet is not empty, can not generate test data. " + "Remove responses and try again." ; SpreadsheetApp . getUi (). alert ( msg ); return ; } const activities = loadActivitySchedule_ ( ss ); const choices = fillArray_ ([], activities . length , "" ); for ( const value of range_ ( 1 , 5 )) { choices [ value ] = toOrdinal_ ( value ); } const rows = range_ ( 1 , NUM_TEST_USERS ). map (( value ) = > { const randomizedChoices = shuffleArray_ ( choices ); const email = Utilities . formatString ( "person%d@example.com" , value ); return [ new Date (), email ]. concat ( randomizedChoices ). concat ([ "Yes" ]); }); bulkAppendRows_ ( sheet , rows ); } /** * Retrieves a sheet by name, creating it if it doesn't yet exist. * * @param {Spreadsheet} ss - Containing spreadsheet * @Param {string} name - Name of sheet to return * @return {Sheet} Sheet instance */ function findOrCreateSheetByName_ ( ss , name ) { const sheet = ss . getSheetByName ( name ); if ( sheet ) { return sheet ; } return ss . insertSheet ( name ); } /** * Faster version of appending multiple rows via ranges. Requires all rows are equal length. * * @param {Sheet} sheet - Sheet to append to * @param {Array<Array<object>>} rows - Rows to append */ function bulkAppendRows_ ( sheet , rows ) { const startRow = sheet . getLastRow () + 1 ; const startColumn = 1 ; const numRows = rows . length ; const numColumns = rows [ 0 ]. length ; sheet . getRange ( startRow , startColumn , numRows , numColumns ). setValues ( rows ); } /** * Copies and randomizes an array. * * @param {object[]} array - Array to shuffle * @return {object[]} randomized copy of the array */ function shuffleArray_ ( array ) { const clone = array . slice ( 0 ); for ( let i = clone . length - 1 ; i > 0 ; i -- ) { const j = Math . floor ( Math . random () * ( i + 1 )); const temp = clone [ i ]; clone [ i ] = clone [ j ]; clone [ j ] = temp ; } return clone ; } /** * Formats an number as an ordinal. * * See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13627308/add-st-nd-rd-and-th-ordinal-suffix-to-a-number/13627586 * * @param {number} i - Number to format * @return {string} Formatted string */ function toOrdinal_ ( i ) { const j = i % 10 ; const k = i % 100 ; if ( j === 1 && k !== 11 ) { return ` ${ i } st` ; } if ( j === 2 && k !== 12 ) { return ` ${ i } nd` ; } if ( j === 3 && k !== 13 ) { return ` ${ i } rd` ; } return ` ${ i } th` ; } /** * Locates the sheet containing the form responses. * * @param {Spreadsheet} ss - Spreadsheet instance to search * @return {Sheet} Sheet with form responses, undefined if not found. */ function findResponseSheetForForm_ ( ss ) { const formUrl = ss . getFormUrl (); if ( ! ss || ! formUrl ) { return undefined ; } const sheets = ss . getSheets (); for ( const i in sheets ) { if ( sheets [ i ]. getFormUrl () === formUrl ) { return sheets [ i ]; } } return undefined ; } /** * Fills an array with a value ([].fill() not supported in Apps Script). * * @param {object[]} arr - Array to fill * @param {number} length - Number of items to fill. * @param {object} value - Value to place at each index. * @return {object[]} the array, for chaining purposes */ function fillArray_ ( arr , length , value ) { for ( let i = 0 ; i < length ; ++ i ) { arr [ i ] = value ; } return arr ; } /** * Creates and fills an array with numbers in the range [start, end]. * * @param {number} start - First value in the range, inclusive * @param {number} end - Last value in the range, inclusive * @return {number[]} Array of values representing the range */ function range_ ( start , end ) { const arr = [ start ]; let i = start ; while ( i < end ) { i += 1 ; arr . push ( i ); } return arr ; } /** * Transposes a matrix/2d array. For cases where the rows are not the same length, * `fillValue` is used where no other value would otherwise be present. * * @param {Array<Array<object>>} arr - 2D array to transpose * @param {object} fillValue - Placeholder for undefined values created as a result * of the transpose. Only required if rows aren't all of equal length. * @return {Array<Array<object>>} New transposed array */ function transpose_ ( arr , fillValue ) { const transposed = []; for ( const [ rowIndex , row ] of arr . entries ()) { for ( const [ colIndex , col ] of row . entries ()) { transposed [ colIndex ] = transposed [ colIndex ] || fillArray_ ([], arr . length , fillValue ); transposed [ colIndex ][ rowIndex ] = row [ colIndex ]; } } return transposed ; }
Contributors
This sample is maintained by Google with the help of Google Developer Experts.
