Google Sheets

Workflows can find rows in a worksheet and write them: insert a new row, update a matching one, or upsert.

Before you start

Connect a Google Sheets account in the project’s Integrations. If more than one account is connected at the same level, the editor asks you to choose one there.

Choose the spreadsheet

Add an Invoke tool step and pick a Google Sheets action, like Find worksheet rows or Write worksheet row. Then:

1. Under Choose the spreadsheet and worksheet, use the folder button to pick the file from Google Drive. Or open Enter an ID or URL manually, paste the spreadsheet’s URL or ID, and choose Verify spreadsheet.
2. Choose the worksheet by name.

Flow XO can only open spreadsheets you pick from Drive and ones Flow XO created. A pasted URL works only for a file the connection can already open.

Flow XO keeps track of the worksheet by its ID, so renaming the tab later doesn’t break the step.

Prepare the worksheet

The first time you choose a worksheet, Flow XO prepares it so workflows can find and update the right rows. It adds hidden row tracking. Your columns and data don’t change.

If hidden tracking isn’t available for a worksheet, Flow XO asks first, then adds a column named FlowXO Row ID after your last column. Your other columns stay as they are.

A worksheet that isn’t prepared shows Worksheet not prepared with a Prepare worksheet button. You can’t test or publish until it’s prepared. This also happens when someone types rows straight into the sheet: they’re “rows added outside Flow XO”. Preparing again tracks them too.

Preparing needs every column in the first row to have a different name. Fix the headings, then choose Check again.

Find rows

Find worksheet rows answers Which rows? With no conditions, it returns rows in order. Add conditions to return only matches.

Each condition has a Column, a Comparison and a Value to match. Choose Add Conditions for more. With two or more, Rows must match sets whether all of them or any of them must match.

The comparisons are Equals, Does not equal, Contains, Starts with, Ends with, Greater than, Greater than or equal to, Less than, Less than or equal to, Is empty and Is not empty. Turn on Case-sensitive matching to tell ada from Ada.

Under Limit results:

• Maximum rows: leave it empty for 100 rows. It can be up to 500.
• Up to 20 conditions per step.

Each row comes back with a Row ID. Pass it to a later step to update that exact row.

Write a row

Write worksheet row writes one row. Pick a Write mode:

• Insert: add a row at the end. Columns you leave untouched become empty cells.
• Update: change one matching row. Columns you leave untouched keep their values. If no row matches, the step fails.
• Upsert: update the matching row, or insert one if there isn’t one. Running it again with the same value updates the same row.

Finding the row to update

For Update and Upsert, choose a Match column and a Match value.

• The match value can’t be empty.
• Case is ignored unless you turn on Match text case exactly.
• Spaces count. Ada doesn’t match Ada with a trailing space.
• Numbers match their exact text: 1 matches 1, but not 01.
• If more than one row matches, nothing is written and the step fails.

In Upsert, the match value is what lands in the match column, even if a column mapping says otherwise.

In Update mode, Advanced options has Select Update by stable Row ID, to find the row by its Row ID instead.

Column values

Each column in the worksheet is listed by its heading. For each one choose:

• Leave untouched: don’t change the cell.
• Write a value: pick, type or calculate it. See Pick, type or calculate a value.
• Empty cell: clear it.

Write at least one column. If a picked value is missing when the step runs, nothing is written and the step fails with value_missing.

When the columns aren’t known until the workflow runs, open Advanced options and use Advanced column values (JSON): one object whose keys are column headings and whose values are the cells. See Advanced JSON.

Recipes

Several recipes in Blueprint → Workflows build Sheets workflows for you, like Update or add a contact row and Ask a person before writing the row. They prepare the worksheet as part of setup.