Google Sheetsspreadsheet~10 mins

Creating custom menus in Google Sheets - Formula Evaluation Walkthrough

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Sample Data

A simple list of student names and their scores.

Cell	Value
A1	Name
B1	Score
A2	Alice
B2	85
A3	Bob
B3	90
A4	Charlie
B4	78

Formula Trace

function onOpen() {
  var ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();
  ui.createMenu('Custom Menu')
    .addItem('Show Alert', 'showAlert')
    .addToUi();
}

function showAlert() {
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert('Hello! This is a custom menu alert.');
}

Step 1: var ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();

Step 2: ui.createMenu('Custom Menu')

Step 3: ui.createMenu('Custom Menu').addItem('Show Alert', 'showAlert')

Step 4: ui.createMenu('Custom Menu').addItem('Show Alert', 'showAlert').addToUi()

Step 5: function showAlert() { SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert('Hello! This is a custom menu alert.'); }

Cell Reference Map

  A       B
1 Name    Score
2 Alice   85
3 Bob     90
4 Charlie 78

No cell references are used in the script; it interacts with the UI only.

The script does not reference any cells directly; it creates a menu in the spreadsheet UI.

Result

File

↓

The custom menu named 'Custom Menu' appears in the spreadsheet menu bar. Clicking 'Show Alert' shows a popup alert with a message.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

Test your understanding

What does the function onOpen() do in this script?

ADeletes the default menus

BShows an alert immediately

CCreates a custom menu when the spreadsheet opens

DChanges cell values

Key Result

Creating custom menus uses onOpen() to add menu items linked to functions that run on user clicks.