Opens an existing spreadsheet from its full URL.
class SpreadsheetApp method .openByUrl()
SpreadsheetApp is the Apps Script service.
.openByUrl() is the method name you will see after a dot in your code.
What it does
Why it's used
- Open a sheet when you only have the share link, not the file ID.
- Useful for scripts kicked off from a bookmark or emailed link.
Common errors
- Forgetting parentheses on openByUrl. Write SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl(), not SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl or openByUrl by itself.
- Skipping dots between chained calls. Each step needs a dot, like SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Data').openByUrl().
- Adding spaces where they do not belong. Write SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl(), not SpreadsheetApp .openByUrl(), SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl (), or SpreadsheetApp . openByUrl().
- Wrong capitalization. Use SpreadsheetApp and openByUrl, not spreadsheetapp or openbyurl.
1 Snippets using this method
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Related methods
-
.openById()
Opens an existing spreadsheet using its Drive file ID.
-
.getActiveSpreadsheet()
Returns the spreadsheet the user currently has open.
-
.create()
Creates a new blank spreadsheet file in Drive.
-
.showModalDialog()
Opens a modal dialog that blocks interaction with the sheet.
-
.activate()
Makes a sheet or range the active selection.
More Apps Script
1 Better Sheets tutorials
Automatically Copy Spreadsheet Tab to New File with Values Only, No Formulas
Related blog posts
Written guides about SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl().
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