Updating SpreadsheetWeb Hub Applications with Google Drive

This article will show you how to automate the process of updating SpreadsheetWeb Hub applications’ underlying Excel workbooks via Zapier by connecting the SpreadsheetWeb Hub application with Google Drive.

Most Excel files in SpreadsheetWeb applications contain proprietary data to drive calculations. This data can be anything from price lists and stock prices to FX rates. To keep calculation results accurate, the data may need to be updated frequently. Once updated, the Excel file will need to be uploaded to SpreadsheetWeb server and the application will need to be republished. Repeating this process frequently can be time-consuming. This integration will automate this process and make it transparent to the end user. While the users update the data in the Excel file from a standard file-sharing service like Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, or Dropbox, the automation will upload the file to SpreadsheetWeb and republish the application every time the file is updated.In this example, we will create a Zap on Zapier to connect the SpreadsheetWeb Hub application to Google Drive. Each time an update is made on Google Drive, this Zap will trigger and update the SpreadsheetWeb Hub application using that spreadsheet.

Below is a screenshot from the SpreadsheetWeb Hub application and its underlying Excel workbook.

The first step is to upload the Excel workbook to Google Drive.

After uploading the workbook, you can create the Zap. Go to Zapier and click on create a new Zap. Add a trigger. Choose the application as Google Drive and the event as Updated File.

Then, connect with your Google Drive account.

The next step is to set up the trigger. Select the spreadsheet you want to send to the SpreadsheetWeb Hub application to update the application. Make sure to select “Yes” for Include Deleted.

Now, you can start to test the trigger event to make sure the connection is valid. You will see an updated file saved to your Google Drive.

After testing the trigger event, add an action. Choose the application as SpreadsheetWeb Hub and the event as Update Calculation.

Then, connect with your SpreadsheetWeb Hub account.

Next step is to set up an action. Select Update Application action.

Select the workspace and application on your SpreadsheetWeb Hub account and the file from the Google Drive to use to update the SpreadsheetWeb Hub application.

Make sure to add the Title as Filename and File as Excel File. Then test the action event to make sure the connection is valid.

After testing is successful, the Zap is ready to publish.

To use the Zap, go to your Google Drive and open the spreadsheet.

Make any needed updates on the SpreadsheetWeb.

In this example, we update the multiplication factor for the effective date of 3/1/23. When you are done, save the SpreadsheetWeb.

After saving, go back to Zapier and Run the Zap. You can also wait a few minutes, and Zapier will detect that the file is updated and automatically trigger the zap. Note that this trigger time may take up to 15 minutes, depending on your Zapier account. It is as fast as 1 minute in more expensive Zapier accounts.

If Zap Runs successfully, the SpreadsheetWeb Hub application using the spreadsheet will be updated and published automatically.

Next time you run the application and enter 3/1/23 as effective date, the calculation results will reflect the updated multiplication factor in Excel file.

And this is how to utilize Zapier to automate the process of updating a SpreadsheetWeb Hub application’s underlying workbook and publishing it automatically by using Google Drive. Note that the same process can be applied to Excel files stored in other file storage services integrated with Zapier like OneDrive, Dropdown, and Box.