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

Question

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.

Answer 1

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.

1. 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"
    }
   }
  }
 ]
}

2. 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.