Email Google form data as PDF
2 mins read
Google Apps Script is a cloud based scripting language for light-weight application development in the Google Apps platform. It gets executed in the Google Cloud essentially providing easy ways to automate tasks across Google products and third party services.
In this tutorial, we will be sending a Google Spreadsheet as a pdf attachment to an email.
- First open your spreadsheet from your Google Drive.
- In the menubar, click on
Toolsand then gotoScript Manager.

- In the
Script Manager, click on New. A new tab will open with a panel to select the type of project. In this new tab, click onBlank Project.

- Now a Script Editor will open having a code written like this:
function myFunction() {
}- Rename the previous function or add a new function named
onOpen. - This
onOpenfunction will now run every time you open your corresponding spreadsheet. - Change the
opOpenfunction to this:
function onOpen() {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var entries = [{
name : "Send Data to Email",
functionName : "sendToEmail"
}];
sheet.addMenu("Functions", entries);
};- This function adds a new menu named
Functionsto your spreadsheet page with 1 submenuSend DatatoEmail. Now if you open your spreadsheet page again, these menu items will get added to your spreadsheet menubar.

- When you click on
Send Data to Email, the functionsendToEmailwill get executed. - Now you have to define the
sendToEmailfunction. In the script editor, create another functionsendToEmailthat looks like this:
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function sendToEmail(){
var name = Browser.inputBox('Enter email', Browser.Buttons.OK_CANCEL);
if(name!=="cancel" && name!==""){
var id = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getId();
var spreadsheetFile = DocsList.getFileById(id);
var blob = spreadsheetFile.getAs('application/pdf');
MailApp.sendEmail(name, 'Subject', 'Some body text', {attachments:[blob]});
}
}
-
After adding this function, save your script using the menubar.
- In line 1, the variable
nameasks for an email from the user to which the email is to be sent. - In line 2,
nameis checked to be not empty and contain a value. - In line 3, variable
idis assigned the unique id of your spreadsheet. - In line 4, the spreadsheet file is retrieved from your google drive into
spreadSheetFile. - In line 5, the spreadsheet is converted to pdf format for sending.
- In line 6, the file is now sent as an attachment to email id saved in
name. You can also add a subject or body to the email. - You email id which you used to sign in to google drive will be used as your sender email.
Now when you refresh your spreadshhet page, an additional menu Function will be added with a submenu, Send Data to Email.

When you click on this submenu, you will be prompted to enter an email. If you enter a valid email, the corresponding spreadsheet data will be sent as attachment to the entered email.