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Extend Google Sheets with Bing Search Results
Make calls to the API Server from Google Apps Script.
Interact with Bing Search results from Google Sheets through macros, custom functions, and add-ons. The CData API Server, when paired with the ADO.NET Provider for Bing Search (or any of 200+ other ADO.NET Providers), enables connectivity to Bing Search results from cloud-based and mobile applications like Google Sheets. The API Server is a lightweight Web application that produces OData services for Bing Search and any source supported by the CData ADO.NET Providers.
Google Apps Script can consume these OData services in the JSON format. This article shows how to create a simple add-on that populates a Google Spreadsheet with VideoSearch data.
Set Up the API Server
Follow the steps below to begin producing secure Bing Search OData services:
Deploy
The API Server runs on your own server. On Windows, you can deploy using the stand-alone server or IIS. On a Java servlet container, drop in the API Server WAR file. See the help documentation for more information and how-tos.
The API Server is also easy to deploy on Microsoft Azure, Amazon EC2, and Heroku.
Connect to Bing Search
After you deploy the API Server and the ADO.NET Provider for Bing Search, provide authentication values and other connection properties needed to connect to Bing Search by clicking Settings -> Connections and adding a new connection in the API Server administration console.
To connect to Bing, set the ApiKey connection property. To obtain the API key, sign into Microsoft Cognitive Services and register for the Bing Search APIs.
Two API keys are then generated; select either one.
When querying tables, the SearchTerms parameter must be supplied in the WHERE clause.
You can then choose the Bing Search entities you want to allow the API Server to access by clicking Settings -> Resources.
Authorize API Server Users
After determining the OData services you want to produce, authorize users by clicking Settings -> Users. The API Server uses authtoken-based authentication and supports the major authentication schemes. Access can also be restricted based on IP address: Connections from all addresses except localhost are blocked by default, so you will need to allow connections from Google's servers for this article. You can authenticate as well as encrypt connections with SSL.
Retrieve Bing Search Results
Open the Script Editor from your spreadsheet by clicking Tools -> Script Editor. In the Script Editor, add the following function to populate a spreadsheet with the results of an OData query:
function retrieve(){
var url = "https://MyUrl/api.rsc/VideoSearch?select=Id,Title,ViewCount,SearchTerms";
var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url,{
headers: {"Authorization": "Basic " + Utilities.base64Encode("MyUser:MyAuthtoken")}
});
var json = response.getContentText();
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
var a1 = sheet.getRange('a1');
var index=1;
var videosearch = JSON.parse(json).value;
var cols = [["Id","Title","ViewCount","SearchTerms"]];
sheet.getRange(1,1,1,4).setValues(cols);
row=2;
for(var i in videosearch){
for (var j in videosearch[i]) {
switch (j) {
case "Id":
a1.offset(row,0).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "Title":
a1.offset(row,1).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "ViewCount":
a1.offset(row,2).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
case "SearchTerms":
a1.offset(row,3).setValue(account[i][j]);
break;
}
}
row++;
}
}
Follow the steps below to add an installable trigger to populate the spreadsheet when opened:
- Click Resources -> Current Project's Triggers -> Add a New Trigger.
- Select retrieve in the Run menu.
- Select From Spreadsheet.
- Select On open.
After closing the dialog, you are prompted to allow access to the application.
You can test the script by clicking Publish -> Test as Add-On. Select the version, installation type, and spreadsheet to create a test configuration. You can then select and run the test configuration.
