I have a Google spreadsheet file containing just one sheet with one column. Everytime it is changed, it should be saved as a simple text (*.txt) file on my Google drive. So I would use the "on edit" trigger to run the script.
I found a few scripts that supposedly once did exactly what I need, but they seem to use outdated references, like this one which was posted two years ago. So my question is, how to export a sheet to text file now, in 2016?
Here is a simple export function that works for me: it exports the current sheet as tab-delimited text file, whose name includes the date of creation.
You can set it to be triggered on edit using Resources > Current Project's Triggers in the Script Editor.
function export() {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
var values = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
var text = values.map(function (a) {return a.join('\t');}).join('\n');
DriveApp.createFile('Data as of ' + new Date(), text);
}
Depending on your editor/OS, you may want join('\r\n')
instead of join('\n')
here.