Initiate a download from google apps script

Solution 1:

EDIT : read the comments below, Zig Mandel is perfectly right when he points out the limitations of the "complicated" version, it was really a simple (and fun) exercice to show other methods.

I think you'll have to use an intermediate Ui as a popup to confirm the download. After that there are 2 possible ways that I know, one is very simple and the other is quite cumbersome, make your choice, the code below shows both of them.

note : to use the complicated one you need to deploy your app (ie save a version and deploy as webapp), for the simple one just use it "as it is". (I show the simple in the code comments).

The code :

function onOpen() {
  var menuEntries = [ {name: "test download", functionName: "downloadFile"}
                     ];
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  sheet.addMenu("Utils",menuEntries);
}

function downloadFile(){
  var file = DriveApp.createFile('test file', 'Some content in this file to test it');
  var fileID = file.getId();
  var fileName = file.getName();
  var ui = UiApp.createApplication().setTitle('Download');
  var url = ScriptApp.getService().getUrl()+'?&ID='+fileID+'&name='+fileName;
  var p = ui.createVerticalPanel();
  ui.add(p);
  p.add(ui.createAnchor('click to download', url));
  p.add(ui.createAnchor('or use this link ',file.getDownloadUrl()));// this is the simple one, just get the file you created and use getDownloadUrl()
  SpreadsheetApp.getActive().show(ui)
}

function doGet(e){
  var fileId = e.parameter.ID;
  var fileName = e.parameter.name;
  var fileString = DocsList.getFileById(fileId).getContentAsString();
  return ContentService.createTextOutput(fileString).downloadAsFile(fileName);
}

PS : I had some fun writing this, the "complicated version" is really funny imho :-)

Solution 2:

OP's answer is deprecated (in 2021), so I made a more general purpose one based on it.

Apologies it requires 2 files in the Apps Script instead of just 1 - Google be like that.

Code.gs:

// Runs when the spreadsheet starts, adds a tab at the top
function onOpen() {
  var ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();
  ui.createMenu('Script Menu')
    .addItem('Download a file!', 'dlFile')
    .addToUi();
}

// Run when you click "Download a file!"
function dlFile() {
  let file = DriveApp.getRootFolder().createFile('Hi.txt', 'Hello, world!');

  // Create little HTML popup with the URL of the download
  let htmlTemplate = HtmlService.createTemplateFromFile('Download.html');
  htmlTemplate.dataFromServerTemplate = { url: file.getDownloadUrl() };

  let html = htmlTemplate
    .evaluate()
    .setWidth(400)
    .setHeight(300);

  SpreadsheetApp.getUi()
    .showModalDialog(html, 'Download');
};

Download.html:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <script>
      let data = <?!= JSON.stringify(dataFromServerTemplate) ?>; // Stores the data directly in the javascript code

      function downloadFile() {
        document.getElementById("dlBtn").innerText = "Downloading..";

        window.open(data.url, '_blank');

        document.getElementById("dlBtn").disabled = true;
      }
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <button id="dlBtn" onclick="downloadFile()">Download</button>
  </body>
</html>

Initiate a download from google apps script

Solution 1:

Solution 2:

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