Sending emails from your google sheet

sendingEmailsWithAppScript.js

//
// Goal: Send emails from your google sheet (or forms or CSV)
// Author: Ido Green | @greenido
// Date: Jan 2016
//

//
// Let's have a nice menu to start the process
//
function onOpen() {
  var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  var menuEntries = [ {name: "Send Emails", functionName: "sendAllEmails"} ];
  ss.addMenu("Emails", menuEntries);
}

//
// Send emails from specific sheet/template
//
function sendAllEmails() {
  var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  
  // This is the sheet with the names/emails
  var dataSheet = ss.getSheetByName("testing");
  
  // This is the sheet with the email's template
  // You can use: ${var} to replace variables with data from the dataSheet. 
  var templateSheet = ss.getSheetByName("email-template");
  var emailTemplate = templateSheet.getRange("A1").getValue();
  sendEmail(emailTemplate, dataSheet);
}

//
// Sending the emails after constructing the message and replacing the variables with the data.
// emailTemplate - contain the template for the email
// dataSheet - contain the names/emails
//
function sendEmail(emailTemplate, dataSheet) {
  var dataRange = dataSheet.getRange(2, 1, dataSheet.getMaxRows() - 1, 3);
  var startRow = 2;  // First row of data to process. Row no. 1 is for the headers.
  
  // Create one JavaScript object per row of data.
  objects = getRowsData(dataSheet, dataRange);
  // For every row object, create a personalized email from a template and send
  // it to the appropriate person.
  Logger.log(JSON.stringify(objects));
             
  for (var i = 0; i < objects.length; i++) {
    var rowData = objects[i];
    // Generate a personalized email by using the given a template string, 
    // replace markers (for instance ${"First Name"}) with
    // the corresponding value in a row object (for instance rowData.firstName).
    var emailText = fillInTemplateFromObject(emailTemplate, rowData);
    var emailSubject = "Thank you from Google Launchpad Accelerator Team!"
    
    // Sending it for real.
    MailApp.sendEmail(rowData.email, emailSubject, emailText);
    
    // update the sheet so we will know when we sent the email.
    dataSheet.getRange(i + 2 , 3).setValue("Email was sent - " + new Date());
    // Make sure the cell is updated right away in case the script is interrupted
    SpreadsheetApp.flush();
  } 
}

// Replaces markers in a template string with values define in a JavaScript data object.
// Arguments:
//   - template: string containing markers, for instance ${"Column name"}
//   - data: JavaScript object with values to that will replace markers. For instance
//           data.columnName will replace marker ${"Column name"}
// Returns a string without markers. If no data is found to replace a marker, it is
// simply removed.
function fillInTemplateFromObject(template, data) {
  var email = template;
  // Search for all the variables to be replaced, for instance ${"Column name"}
  var templateVars = template.match(/\$\{\"[^\"]+\"\}/g);

  // Replace variables from the template with the actual values from the data object.
  // If no value is available, replace with the empty string.
  for (var i = 0; i < templateVars.length; ++i) {
    // normalizeHeader ignores ${"} so we can call it directly here.
    var variableData = data[normalizeHeader(templateVars[i])];
    email = email.replace(templateVars[i], variableData || "");
  }

  return email;
}

// getRowsData iterates row by row in the input range and returns an array of objects.
// Each object contains all the data for a given row, indexed by its normalized column name.
// Arguments:
//   - sheet: the sheet object that contains the data to be processed
//   - range: the exact range of cells where the data is stored
//   - columnHeadersRowIndex: specifies the row number where the column names are stored.
//       This argument is optional and it defaults to the row immediately above range; 
// Returns an Array of objects.
function getRowsData(sheet, range, columnHeadersRowIndex) {
  columnHeadersRowIndex = columnHeadersRowIndex || range.getRowIndex() - 1;
  var numColumns = range.getEndColumn() - range.getColumn() + 1;
  var headersRange = sheet.getRange(columnHeadersRowIndex, range.getColumn(), 1, numColumns);
  var headers = headersRange.getValues()[0];
  return getObjects(range.getValues(), normalizeHeaders(headers));
}

// For every row of data in data, generates an object that contains the data. Names of
// object fields are defined in keys.
// Arguments:
//   - data: JavaScript 2d array
//   - keys: Array of Strings that define the property names for the objects to create
function getObjects(data, keys) {
  var objects = [];
  for (var i = 0; i < data.length; ++i) {
    var object = {};
    var hasData = false;
    for (var j = 0; j < data[i].length; ++j) {
      var cellData = data[i][j];
      if (isCellEmpty(cellData)) {
        continue;
      }
      object[keys[j]] = cellData;
      hasData = true;
    }
    if (hasData) {
      objects.push(object);
    }
  }
  return objects;
}

// Returns an Array of normalized Strings.
// Arguments:
//   - headers: Array of Strings to normalize
function normalizeHeaders(headers) {
  var keys = [];
  for (var i = 0; i < headers.length; ++i) {
    var key = normalizeHeader(headers[i]);
    if (key.length > 0) {
      keys.push(key);
    }
  }
  return keys;
}

// Normalizes a string, by removing all alphanumeric characters and using mixed case
// to separate words. The output will always start with a lower case letter.
// This function is designed to produce JavaScript object property names.
// Arguments:
//   - header: string to normalize
// Examples:
//   "First Name" -> "firstName"
//   "Market Cap (millions) -> "marketCapMillions
//   "1 number at the beginning is ignored" -> "numberAtTheBeginningIsIgnored"
function normalizeHeader(header) {
  var key = "";
  var upperCase = false;
  for (var i = 0; i < header.length; ++i) {
    var letter = header[i];
    if (letter == " " && key.length > 0) {
      upperCase = true;
      continue;
    }
    if (!isAlnum(letter)) {
      continue;
    }
    if (key.length == 0 && isDigit(letter)) {
      continue; // first character must be a letter
    }
    if (upperCase) {
      upperCase = false;
      key += letter.toUpperCase();
    } else {
      key += letter.toLowerCase();
    }
  }
  return key;
}

// Returns true if the cell where cellData was read from is empty.
// Arguments:
//   - cellData: string
function isCellEmpty(cellData) {
  return typeof(cellData) == "string" && cellData == "";
}

// Returns true if the character char is alphabetical, false otherwise.
function isAlnum(char) {
  return char >= 'A' && char <= 'Z' ||
    char >= 'a' && char <= 'z' ||
    isDigit(char);
}

// Returns true if the character char is a digit, false otherwise.
function isDigit(char) {
  return char >= '0' && char <= '9';
}