Automating Weekly Report Generation Using Google Apps Script

Introduction

In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to automate weekly reports from Google Forms using Google Apps Script. This script will collect responses from a Google Form, analyze the data, and automatically send a custom email report every week. This automation saves time and ensures that everyone gets the latest insights without manual intervention.

Step 1: Set Up Google Forms and Sheets

1. Create a Google Form to collect the data.
2. Link the form to a Google Sheet where the responses will be stored.

Step 2: Write the Google Apps Script

1. Open your Google Sheet.
2. Go to Extensions > Apps Script.
3. Write the following code:

Code: Apps Script to Automate Weekly Reports

function sendWeeklyReport() {
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Form Responses 1');
  const data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
  
  // Extract headers and data
  const headers = data[0];
  const rows = data.slice(1);
  
  // Analyze the data (example: count responses)
  const totalResponses = rows.length;
  const reportSummary = `Total Responses Collected: ${totalResponses}`;
  
  // Compose the email
  const subject = 'Weekly Form Response Report';
  const body = `
    Hi Team,
    
    Here is the weekly summary of form responses:
    
    ${reportSummary}
    
    Best regards,
    Automated Report System
  `;
  
  // Send the email to the team
  const recipients = 'team@example.com';
  MailApp.sendEmail(recipients, subject, body);
}

function setupTrigger() {
  ScriptApp.newTrigger('sendWeeklyReport')
    .timeBased()
    .everyWeeks(1)
    .onWeekDay(ScriptApp.WeekDay.MONDAY)
    .atHour(9)
    .create();
}

Step 3: Understanding the Code

• sendWeeklyReport: This function collects data from the Google Sheet, analyzes the number of responses, and sends an email to the team with the results.
• setupTrigger: This function sets up a time-based trigger to run the sendWeeklyReport function every Monday at 9 AM. This ensures the report is sent weekly without any manual intervention.

Step 4: Deploy the Script

1. After writing the script, save the project.
2. Run the setupTrigger function to activate the weekly trigger.
3. Now, every Monday at 9 AM, the script will automatically run, collect the data, and send out the weekly report.

Step 5: Testing and Improving

• Test the Script: You can test the script by manually running the sendWeeklyReport function to ensure it works.
• Enhance Reporting: You can expand the script to include charts, graphs, or more detailed analysis based on form responses.
• Error Handling: Add error-handling features to make the script more robust in case of failures (e.g., when no data is available).

Step 6: Conclusion

Google Apps Script is a powerful tool that allows you to automate tasks within Google Workspace applications. In this blog, we’ve demonstrated how to build an automated weekly report system using Google Forms and Sheets. This kind of automation can significantly reduce manual work and ensure that the team stays informed.