Convert your Google Sheet to a CRUD app (12 min. tutorial) [Google Sheets backend web app builder]

A short video showing you how to convert your Google Sheet into a web app with a frontend. You can quickly add CRUD functionality to create a custom user interface on top of your Google Sheets data.

This tutorial will help if you're somewhat technical and want to build user interfaces with actions on top of your Google Sheets data. We'll walk through a simple app for managing emails using Google Sheets as a contact list database.

We build this quick web app using Retool which you can try for free at:

0:00 Start
0:25 Overview
1:30 Create the app
2:15 Build the UI
4:20 Get data from Google Sheets
7:00 Link Sheets data to an email form
8:45 Add your GMail account
11:00 Send an email from the app
12:00 Write inline JavaScript to customize the email

References:

[IainMace]

great video. Please do a part 2 with email templates. I can create the templates but I'm wondering how it is set up so retool dynamically popualtes the information once the template is selected?

[sr.railn.m.]

good video, didnt really know about this tool. However, the video title says CRUD app, so I was expecting an app to create, remove and edit users, not and email manager. I will checkout retool, it looks amazing :)

Can you make a video on how to do the template drop down?

[amheritagevdo]

I am relatively new to programming and I just want something simple. I want a code in add, update, delete and search responses in my google form. In the google form there is only the submit button, I want all those buttons. Is there an add-on or something similar. Tried to use appsheet and it was even too hard for me.

[MohammadaAprilianto]

how to edit/remove header? i make blank app, but there is no header

[Flo_Motion]

Question: Why does the data you guys work with never contain arrays or objects? What if you wanted to store all emails that were sent FROM one user in the DB? You have to map through those arrays/objects using code? This is tiresome.

One major flaw I'm seeing from this entire platform is the use of repeating components and ease of use with the repeated data. Why is it so difficult to get an array of data mapped into a list on the frontend? Shouldn't this be one of the easiest things "retool" can do? No, I have to sit here and write javascript mapping out the arrays and objects to keys/pairs just to get the data de-coupled out of an array in a csv. Lame shit. Might as well just keep using plain old react/vue with firebase/strapi/directus.

Maybe it's just my experience, but it has been HORRIBLE trying to map array data to a sortable list component or text list on the frontend. It feels so much easier just being able to whip up a code editor and add a function to map through an array/object. If it is my experience.... the documentation on this has been laughable. I cannot simply find a way to map through an objects data that is an array, and simply spit this out on the frontend using your tool. I've been ripping my everliving hair out for something that takes 60 seconds with a normal js function.

Tilted.