Partial profile · Book Profile — full narrative profile planned
Google Apps Script, 2nd Edition Web Application Development Essentials
A hands-on tutorial that teaches developers and Google Apps power users to build complete, cloud-hosted web applications on Google's platform using Google Apps Script's HTML Service, JavaScript, and Google's built-in services.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Google Apps Script, Second Edition, turns anyone with basic JavaScript skills into a capable builder of enterprise-grade web applications that run entirely in Google's cloud—no server setup, FTP, backups, or version control headaches required. Through a progressive series of fully worked, real-world projects—from a simple contact form to a Sites product catalog, a template-to-form document generator, a Fusion Tables record manager, and a full document approval workflow—James Ferreira teaches you to wire together Google's services (Docs, Sheets, Sites, Gmail, Drive, Fusion Tables, ScriptDB) into interactive applications. Emphasizing the modern HTML Service alongside jQuery and CSS, the book shows how to debug client-side code, store and retrieve data, handle user actions with callbacks, and deploy apps that inherit Google's reliability and security. If you want to extend Google Apps without diving into Java, GWT, or App Engine, this book is your fastest route to shipping working software.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A developer or Google Apps power user with basic JavaScript skills who wants to build powerful, cloud-hosted web applications that extend Google Apps.
- The problem
- They need to build data-driven web applications but lack the infrastructure, time, or expertise to set up servers, manage deployments, and stitch together Google's services. They feel intimidated by heavyweight platforms like GWT, Java APIs, and App Engine, and frustrated by the tedium of traditional web development.
- The plan
- Set up a Google account and open the web-based Script Editor—no downloads or server config.
- Learn the three UI creation methods and focus on the HTML Service with doGet.
- Arrange a development environment and master debugging and production error logging.
- Build interfaces with HTML, CSS, and jQuery, and wire up user actions with server-side callbacks.
- Store and retrieve data using spreadsheets, Fusion Tables, or ScriptDB as appropriate.
- The payoff
- The reader ships fully functional, cloud-hosted web applications that authenticate users, display and store data, send emails, and run across desktop and mobile browsers. · Their apps inherit Google's reliability and security, and updates roll out instantly without server maintenance. · Non-technical colleagues can manage content through familiar spreadsheets, freeing the developer to focus on higher-value work.
See our guide
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- Excel 2019 Power Programming with VBA →
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Additional reading
- Head First JavaScript · O'Reilly (inferred from context, author not specified)
The book recommends this text for readers who are new to JavaScript and need to understand fundamental concepts like variables, arrays, and objects, which are essential for writing Google Apps Script.