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@chrislkeller
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Adds what amounts to an =ImportJSON() function to a Google spreadsheet... To use go to Tools --> Script Editor and add the script and save.
/**
* Retrieves all the rows in the active spreadsheet that contain data and logs the
* values for each row.
* For more information on using the Spreadsheet API, see
* https://developers.google.com/apps-script/service_spreadsheet
*/
function readRows() {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
var rows = sheet.getDataRange();
var numRows = rows.getNumRows();
var values = rows.getValues();
for (var i = 0; i <= numRows - 1; i++) {
var row = values[i];
Logger.log(row);
}
};
/**
* Adds a custom menu to the active spreadsheet, containing a single menu item
* for invoking the readRows() function specified above.
* The onOpen() function, when defined, is automatically invoked whenever the
* spreadsheet is opened.
* For more information on using the Spreadsheet API, see
* https://developers.google.com/apps-script/service_spreadsheet
*/
function onOpen() {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var entries = [{
name : "Read Data",
functionName : "readRows"
}];
sheet.addMenu("Script Center Menu", entries);
};
/*====================================================================================================================================*
ImportJSON by Trevor Lohrbeer (@FastFedora)
====================================================================================================================================
Version: 1.1
Project Page: http://blog.fastfedora.com/projects/import-json
Copyright: (c) 2012 by Trevor Lohrbeer
License: GNU General Public License, version 3 (GPL-3.0)
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A library for importing JSON feeds into Google spreadsheets. Functions include:
ImportJSON For use by end users to import a JSON feed from a URL
ImportJSONAdvanced For use by script developers to easily extend the functionality of this library
Future enhancements may include:
- Support for a real XPath like syntax similar to ImportXML for the query parameter
- Support for OAuth authenticated APIs
Or feel free to write these and add on to the library yourself!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Changelog:
1.1 Added support for the noHeaders option
1.0 Initial release
*====================================================================================================================================*/
/**
* Imports a JSON feed and returns the results to be inserted into a Google Spreadsheet. The JSON feed is flattened to create
* a two-dimensional array. The first row contains the headers, with each column header indicating the path to that data in
* the JSON feed. The remaining rows contain the data.
*
* By default, data gets transformed so it looks more like a normal data import. Specifically:
*
* - Data from parent JSON elements gets inherited to their child elements, so rows representing child elements contain the values
* of the rows representing their parent elements.
* - Values longer than 256 characters get truncated.
* - Headers have slashes converted to spaces, common prefixes removed and the resulting text converted to title case.
*
* To change this behavior, pass in one of these values in the options parameter:
*
* noInherit: Don't inherit values from parent elements
* noTruncate: Don't truncate values
* rawHeaders: Don't prettify headers
* noHeaders: Don't include headers, only the data
* debugLocation: Prepend each value with the row & column it belongs in
*
* For example:
*
* =ImportJSON("http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/standardfeeds/most_popular?v=2&alt=json", "/feed/entry/title,/feed/entry/content",
* "noInherit,noTruncate,rawHeaders")
*
* @param {url} the URL to a public JSON feed
* @param {query} a comma-separated lists of paths to import. Any path starting with one of these paths gets imported.
* @param {options} a comma-separated list of options that alter processing of the data
*
* @return a two-dimensional array containing the data, with the first row containing headers
**/
function ImportJSON(url, query, options) {
return ImportJSONAdvanced(url, query, options, includeXPath_, defaultTransform_);
}
/**
* An advanced version of ImportJSON designed to be easily extended by a script. This version cannot be called from within a
* spreadsheet.
*
* Imports a JSON feed and returns the results to be inserted into a Google Spreadsheet. The JSON feed is flattened to create
* a two-dimensional array. The first row contains the headers, with each column header indicating the path to that data in
* the JSON feed. The remaining rows contain the data.
*
* Use the include and transformation functions to determine what to include in the import and how to transform the data after it is
* imported.
*
* For example:
*
* =ImportJSON("http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/standardfeeds/most_popular?v=2&alt=json",
* "/feed/entry",
* function (query, path) { return path.indexOf(query) == 0; },
* function (data, row, column) { data[row][column] = data[row][column].toString().substr(0, 100); } )
*
* In this example, the import function checks to see if the path to the data being imported starts with the query. The transform
* function takes the data and truncates it. For more robust versions of these functions, see the internal code of this library.
*
* @param {url} the URL to a public JSON feed
* @param {query} the query passed to the include function
* @param {options} a comma-separated list of options that may alter processing of the data
* @param {includeFunc} a function with the signature func(query, path, options) that returns true if the data element at the given path
* should be included or false otherwise.
* @param {transformFunc} a function with the signature func(data, row, column, options) where data is a 2-dimensional array of the data
* and row & column are the current row and column being processed. Any return value is ignored. Note that row 0
* contains the headers for the data, so test for row==0 to process headers only.
*
* @return a two-dimensional array containing the data, with the first row containing headers
**/
function ImportJSONAdvanced(url, query, options, includeFunc, transformFunc) {
var jsondata = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url);
var object = JSON.parse(jsondata.getContentText());
return parseJSONObject_(object, query, options, includeFunc, transformFunc);
}
/**
* Encodes the given value to use within a URL.
*
* @param {value} the value to be encoded
*
* @return the value encoded using URL percent-encoding
*/
function URLEncode(value) {
return encodeURIComponent(value.toString());
}
/**
* Parses a JSON object and returns a two-dimensional array containing the data of that object.
*/
function parseJSONObject_(object, query, options, includeFunc, transformFunc) {
var headers = new Array();
var data = new Array();
if (query && !Array.isArray(query) && query.toString().indexOf(",") != -1) {
query = query.toString().split(",");
}
if (options) {
options = options.toString().split(",");
}
parseData_(headers, data, "", 1, object, query, options, includeFunc);
parseHeaders_(headers, data);
transformData_(data, options, transformFunc);
return hasOption_(options, "noHeaders") ? (data.length > 1 ? data.slice(1) : new Array()) : data;
}
/**
* Parses the data contained within the given value and inserts it into the data two-dimensional array starting at the rowIndex.
* If the data is to be inserted into a new column, a new header is added to the headers array. The value can be an object,
* array or scalar value.
*
* If the value is an object, it's properties are iterated through and passed back into this function with the name of each
* property extending the path. For instance, if the object contains the property "entry" and the path passed in was "/feed",
* this function is called with the value of the entry property and the path "/feed/entry".
*
* If the value is an array containing other arrays or objects, each element in the array is passed into this function with
* the rowIndex incremeneted for each element.
*
* If the value is an array containing only scalar values, those values are joined together and inserted into the data array as
* a single value.
*
* If the value is a scalar, the value is inserted directly into the data array.
*/
function parseData_(headers, data, path, rowIndex, value, query, options, includeFunc) {
var dataInserted = false;
if (isObject_(value)) {
for (key in value) {
if (parseData_(headers, data, path + "/" + key, rowIndex, value[key], query, options, includeFunc)) {
dataInserted = true;
}
}
} else if (Array.isArray(value) && isObjectArray_(value)) {
for (var i = 0; i < value.length; i++) {
if (parseData_(headers, data, path, rowIndex, value[i], query, options, includeFunc)) {
dataInserted = true;
rowIndex++;
}
}
} else if (!includeFunc || includeFunc(query, path, options)) {
// Handle arrays containing only scalar values
if (Array.isArray(value)) {
value = value.join();
}
// Insert new row if one doesn't already exist
if (!data[rowIndex]) {
data[rowIndex] = new Array();
}
// Add a new header if one doesn't exist
if (!headers[path] && headers[path] != 0) {
headers[path] = Object.keys(headers).length;
}
// Insert the data
data[rowIndex][headers[path]] = value;
dataInserted = true;
}
return dataInserted;
}
/**
* Parses the headers array and inserts it into the first row of the data array.
*/
function parseHeaders_(headers, data) {
data[0] = new Array();
for (key in headers) {
data[0][headers[key]] = key;
}
}
/**
* Applies the transform function for each element in the data array, going through each column of each row.
*/
function transformData_(data, options, transformFunc) {
for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
for (var j = 0; j < data[i].length; j++) {
transformFunc(data, i, j, options);
}
}
}
/**
* Returns true if the given test value is an object; false otherwise.
*/
function isObject_(test) {
return Object.prototype.toString.call(test) === '[object Object]';
}
/**
* Returns true if the given test value is an array containing at least one object; false otherwise.
*/
function isObjectArray_(test) {
for (var i = 0; i < test.length; i++) {
if (isObject_(test[i])) {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
/**
* Returns true if the given query applies to the given path.
*/
function includeXPath_(query, path, options) {
if (!query) {
return true;
} else if (Array.isArray(query)) {
for (var i = 0; i < query.length; i++) {
if (applyXPathRule_(query[i], path, options)) {
return true;
}
}
} else {
return applyXPathRule_(query, path, options);
}
return false;
};
/**
* Returns true if the rule applies to the given path.
*/
function applyXPathRule_(rule, path, options) {
return path.indexOf(rule) == 0;
}
/**
* By default, this function transforms the value at the given row & column so it looks more like a normal data import. Specifically:
*
* - Data from parent JSON elements gets inherited to their child elements, so rows representing child elements contain the values
* of the rows representing their parent elements.
* - Values longer than 256 characters get truncated.
* - Values in row 0 (headers) have slashes converted to spaces, common prefixes removed and the resulting text converted to title
* case.
*
* To change this behavior, pass in one of these values in the options parameter:
*
* noInherit: Don't inherit values from parent elements
* noTruncate: Don't truncate values
* rawHeaders: Don't prettify headers
* debugLocation: Prepend each value with the row & column it belongs in
*/
function defaultTransform_(data, row, column, options) {
if (!data[row][column]) {
if (row < 2 || hasOption_(options, "noInherit")) {
data[row][column] = "";
} else {
data[row][column] = data[row-1][column];
}
}
if (!hasOption_(options, "rawHeaders") && row == 0) {
if (column == 0 && data[row].length > 1) {
removeCommonPrefixes_(data, row);
}
data[row][column] = toTitleCase_(data[row][column].toString().replace(/[\/\_]/g, " "));
}
if (!hasOption_(options, "noTruncate") && data[row][column]) {
data[row][column] = data[row][column].toString().substr(0, 256);
}
if (hasOption_(options, "debugLocation")) {
data[row][column] = "[" + row + "," + column + "]" + data[row][column];
}
}
/**
* If all the values in the given row share the same prefix, remove that prefix.
*/
function removeCommonPrefixes_(data, row) {
var matchIndex = data[row][0].length;
for (var i = 1; i < data[row].length; i++) {
matchIndex = findEqualityEndpoint_(data[row][i-1], data[row][i], matchIndex);
if (matchIndex == 0) {
return;
}
}
for (var i = 0; i < data[row].length; i++) {
data[row][i] = data[row][i].substring(matchIndex, data[row][i].length);
}
}
/**
* Locates the index where the two strings values stop being equal, stopping automatically at the stopAt index.
*/
function findEqualityEndpoint_(string1, string2, stopAt) {
if (!string1 || !string2) {
return -1;
}
var maxEndpoint = Math.min(stopAt, string1.length, string2.length);
for (var i = 0; i < maxEndpoint; i++) {
if (string1.charAt(i) != string2.charAt(i)) {
return i;
}
}
return maxEndpoint;
}
/**
* Converts the text to title case.
*/
function toTitleCase_(text) {
if (text == null) {
return null;
}
return text.replace(/\w\S*/g, function(word) { return word.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + word.substr(1).toLowerCase(); });
}
/**
* Returns true if the given set of options contains the given option.
*/
function hasOption_(options, option) {
return options && options.indexOf(option) >= 0;
}
@davelalande
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Fantastic... Works like a champ, first time out. It took <5 minutes to setup a new sheet, create the script (copy and paste) and import 514 from a URL =IMPORTJSON("https://myURL.com/directory.json/")

Thanks so much for the excellent script.

@paulgambill
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Love this script, thank you!

I wrote a quick tutorial on on exactly how to use this in a Google Spreadsheet: https://medium.com/p/a3fede1a014a

@kimaernoudt
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Hi, thanks for your work.
Could someone please help me with this:

  1. what is the refresh rate of the data ?
  2. how would i let this script refresh the data say once a day ?
    thanks!

@kenorb
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kenorb commented Jan 29, 2015

Check out: https://github.com/fastfedora/google-docs for the latest version.

@mngisguy
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How about GeoJSON?

@Rjrajiv
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Rjrajiv commented May 23, 2017

If we want o filter these output by header, how can we do this? I am successfully pulling api data and the script is returning with unwanted data too. I want to filter out these by header. kindly help me on this.

@crishernandezmaps
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Great Job! I'm designing a workshops for no coders about using public data stores using their APIs and your script is very useful. Thanks!

@steverob1066
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This is great -thank you - but can I use the function to pull in a URL from another cell? I have a list of URLs in columns, and would like to use the cell address in the function. It doesn't seem to work, so I guess the answer is no? (I used concatenate to create cells with the URLs in quotes marks)

@scbert
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scbert commented Sep 5, 2017

@Steve the below works for me, i guess you could shorten it to the "https" if you wanted to
=ImportJSON("https://ad-api.yoururl.net/api/v1/stats/charts/"&A17)

@allenyllee
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Hi, here's my modified version https://gist.github.com/allenyllee/c764c86ed722417948fc256b7a5077c4

Changelog:

  1. Add the ability to query array elements by using xpath like "/array[n]/member" where "n" is array index
  2. Fixed Issue: when the path and the rule partially matched but not under the same xpath, it will still print that value under that xpath.
    For example: when path = /data/asset_longname and rule = /data/asset, it will print both /data/asset_longname and /data/asset rather then just print /data/asset.
    Solution: check the first remaining charater, if it's empty "" or slash "/" the function should return true. The slash "/" means that there are members under the same xpath, so do not remove it.

@tordans
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tordans commented Feb 4, 2018

Current version at https://github.com/bradjasper/ImportJSON

JFYI, if you are looking for the current version, its over at https://github.com/bradjasper/ImportJSON

@lamart1
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lamart1 commented Nov 13, 2019

Thanks. It is working. After hours and hours ...
Untitled

@DavidARivkin
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I see that the data imports into the sheet I want but if I have another cell with say "=MAX(A10:A20) and my data is pulled into A10 through A20, Max will return "0" no matter what data is in the cells. Any ideas of why this is?

@mizerablebr
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@DavidARivkin the problem is that the resulting values from importjson are Strings, you can use something like this:

=MAX(arrayformula(value(A10:A20)))

@f25534586
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can't use
can't

@mapi33
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mapi33 commented Jul 2, 2020

FYI, I've made an add-on called ImportJSON. I didn't know about this script at that time which is pretty cool too.
However the add-on is more powerful:
1- It smartly pivots a dimension to make a table whenever it can
2- It accepts cUrl requests or even JSON files stored on Google Drive
3- Filters are more flexible
4- It caches results so it doesn't fetch the API at any change in the spreadsheet (which is useful when you use APIs that have quotas)
5- No AppsScript. Just install and use it!

It's available here
https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace/app/importjson_json_to_table_from_any_source/782573720506

@Esteban82
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Thanks so much for the excellent script.

@fred915
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fred915 commented Jun 4, 2021

Any chance you have a copy of this for MS Excel (2019)?

@chrislkeller
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Author

@fred915 ... I have not tried, and haven't come back to this in quite some time....

One of these solutions might work?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/import-data-from-external-data-sources-power-query-be4330b3-5356-486c-a168-b68e9e616f5a

@Mpetsheni
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I can't see it clear

@iteGH
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iteGH commented Mar 25, 2022

Update: some API's need header submitted with URL which carries the API key. This can be done in "params" of UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, params). https://developers.google.com/apps-script/reference/url-fetch/url-fetch-app

I was able to modify code adding a new "params" header for each API key, and then rename each function to =ImportJSON1(), =ImportJSON2(), etc.

@yodog
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yodog commented Jun 24, 2022

@stuchalk
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stuchalk commented Sep 5, 2024

Is there any way to add the location of a data element (e.g. [2,0]) to the end of the query? I am using the following API (https://commonchemistry.cas.org/api/detail?cas_rn=112-30-1) and want to get a specific element of a JSON array. The data I can get with =IMPORTJSON(C15,"/experimentalProperties/property","noInherit,noTruncate,noHeaders,debugLocation") looks like this:

[1,0]232.9 °C @ Press: 760 Torr
[2,0]6.4 °C
[3,0]0.8297 g/cm³ @ Temp: 20 °C

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