We all know the feeling: it’s the middle of the week and our inbox is already overflowing with unimportant emails. So when we get an email that looks like it might be important, but doesn’t have a date in the subject line, we can’t be sure whether we should open it right away or leave it for later.
If you find yourself in this situation often, there is a way to automate the process so that you never have to worry about forgetting to add the date to your email subject lines again. Google Scripts is a free tool that allows you to automate tasks using JavaScript.
To use it, simply go to your Google Drive account and create a new Google Script. Then, copy and paste the following code into the script editor:
function formatDate() {
var date = new Date();
var month = date.getMonth() + 1;
var day = date.getDate();
var year = date.getFullYear();
return month + “/” + day + “/” + year;
}
function sendEmails() {
var threads = GmailApp.search(“label:inbox is:unread”);
for (var i = 0; i < threads.length; i++) {
var messages = threads[i].getMessages();
for (var j = 0; j < messages.length; j++) {
var message = messages[j];
var subject = message.getSubject();
if (subject.indexOf("[") != -1 && subject.indexOf("]") != -1) {
continue;
}
message.setSubject("[" + formatDate() + "] " + subject);
message.reply("This email was sent on " + formatDate() + ".");
message.markAsRead();
}
}
}
The first function, formatDate(), takes care of formatting the current date in a way that can be easily inserted into the email subject line. The second function, sendEmails(), does the actual work of sending the emails.
To automate the process, go to the Resources menu and choose Current Project Triggers. Then, add a new trigger and choose how often you want the script to run. I recommend setting it to run every hour, but you can adjust this depending on your needs.
Now, every time the script runs, it will search your inbox for unread messages, add the current date to the subject line, and reply to the sender with the date the email was sent.
Other related questions:
How do I get the current date in Google Script?
var date = new Date();
var day = date.getDate();
var month = date.getMonth() + 1;
var year = date.getFullYear();
var currentDate = day + “/” + month + “/” + year;
How do I automate an email in Google Sheets?
Unfortunately, there is no built-in function in Google Sheets that will allow you to automatically send emails. However, you can use a script to accomplish this.
Here is a sample script that you can use to send an email from a Google Sheet:
function sendEmail() {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
var startRow = 2; // First row of data to process
var numRows = 2; // Number of rows to process
// Fetch the range of cells A2:B3
var dataRange = sheet.getRange(startRow, 1, numRows, 2)
// Fetch values for each row in the Range.
var data = dataRange.getValues();
for (var i = 0; i < data.length; ++i) {
var row = data[i];
var emailAddress = row[0]; // First column
var message = row[1]; // Second column
var subject = "Sending emails from a Spreadsheet";
MailApp.sendEmail(emailAddress, subject, message
How do I automate a Google Script?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best way to automate a Google Script may vary depending on the specific script and the desired automation goals. However, some tips on how to automate a Google Script may include using Google Apps Scripts to automate tasks, using third-party tools to automate tasks, or using the Google Cloud Platform to automate tasks.
How do I send an automatic email reminder in Google spreadsheet by APP Script?
You can use the MailApp class to send email messages from Google Apps Script.
Sample code:
function sendReminder() {
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var sheet = ss.getActiveSheet();
var startRow = 2; // First row of data to process
var numRows = 2; // Number of rows to process
// Fetch the range of cells A2:B3
var dataRange = sheet.getRange(startRow, 1, numRows, 2)
// Fetch values for each row in the Range.
var data = dataRange.getValues();
for (var i = 0; i < data.length; ++i) {
var row = data[i];
var emailAddress = row[0]; // First column
var message = row[1]; // Second column
var subject = 'Sending emails from a Spreadsheet';
MailApp.sendEmail(emailAddress, subject, message);
}
}