Importing Google Sheets data into CODAP

[Jonathan Sandoe]

You can now import a Google Sheets dataset directly into CODAP. All you need is a URL that has been shared publicly from Google Drive. It’s pretty easy. Just select the URL and drag it and drop it in the CODAP workspace. You can also copy the URL, then, In CODAP, click on “Import…” in the “Hamburger”  menu in CODAP’s upper left-hand corner and paste it.

At this time the Google Sheets URL must have authorization set so that anyone with the link is authorized. This is true even if you are the owner of the document.

The whole Google Sheets document may not be extracted. CODAP will look for a region of the first Sheet of the document that “looks like” a table, meaning a region that has a generally rectangular structure. This simple table model works well for most spreadsheets, but it may not understand where to find the good stuff in all spreadsheets.

There are a couple of other techniques for getting data from Google Sheets that may be more suitable for these special cases. One uses copy and paste and another, export.

The copy and paste method is as follows (it works for tabular data in nearly any form): (1) In your Google Sheets document select a region. (2) Click on ‘copy’ in the edit menu. (3) Now go to CODAP. Create a new Case Table (Click on the Case Table button and then on ‘—new—‘). (4) When the Case Table opens click on the Ruler icon on the inspector menu on the right then click on “Import case data from Clipboard…” (5) A dialog will appear asking if you wish to replace or append to the table. Click on replace.

The export method is as follows: (1) In Google Sheets, click on “Download” in the files menu and select “CSV”. (2) Find the file in the Downloads folder or wherever your device is configured to store it. Drag the file icon and drop into the CODAP workspace.

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