Google Sheet API - How to get only updated rows - google-sheets-api

Question

I could not able to find in the documentation on how to get only updated records/rows from Google Sheets API.
Is there a way, that I can get a timestamp of each record when it was last modified?
any guidance or any links that would solve this issue.
Thanks!

Answer 1

You cannot do this directly with Sheets API. You can keep track of the changes in a file using Drive API, though, but I don't think this is what you want to do.
I'd propose using an onEdit trigger using Apps Script. Every time the spreadsheet is modified, you could retrieve the data of the edited range and store it somewhere, as well as the current date.
It could be something on the following lines:
function onEdit(e) {
var timestamp = new Date();
var range = e.range;
var editedRow = range.getRow();
// Store timestamp and editedRow index somewhere you can retrieve it later (it could be in the spreadsheet itself)
}
Update:
You can create the trigger remotely using Apps Script API. First you should create a project bound to your spreadsheet and then add the corresponding code by calling projects.updateContent (you should add two files, the script itself, which contains the onEdit trigger, and the manifest file). Just beware that you can only use simple triggers with this API, not installable ones. But in your situation, that's more than enough.
I hope this is of any help.

Answer 2

WRITE OPERATION:
For $response = $service->spreadsheets_values->update() process (Writting file after creating it), response will be as follow:
Google_Service_Sheets_UpdateValuesResponse Object
(
[spreadsheetId] => XXX
[updatedCells] => 7
[updatedColumns] => 7
[updatedDataType:protected] => Google_Service_Sheets_ValueRange
[updatedDataDataType:protected] =>
[updatedRange] => Sheet1!A1:G1
[updatedRows] => 1
[internal_gapi_mappings:protected] => Array
(
)
[modelData:protected] => Array
(
)
[processed:protected] => Array
(
)
)
To Get Rows = $response->getUpdatedRows();
To Get Cells = $response->getUpdatedCells();
To Get Columns= $response->getUpdatedColumns();
and so on...
APPEND OPERATION:
For $response = $service->spreadsheets_values->append() process, response will be as follow:
Google_Service_Sheets_AppendValuesResponse Object
(
[spreadsheetId] => XXXX
[tableRange] => Sheet1!A1:G1
[updatesType:protected] => Google_Service_Sheets_UpdateValuesResponse
[updatesDataType:protected] =>
[internal_gapi_mappings:protected] => Array
(
)
[modelData:protected] => Array
(
[updates] => Array
(
[spreadsheetId] => XXXX
[updatedRange] => Sheet1!A2:G7
[updatedRows] => 6
[updatedColumns] => 7
[updatedCells] => 42
)
)
[processed:protected] => Array
(
)
)
To Get Rows = $response->getUpdates()->getUpdatedRows();
To Get Cells = $response->getUpdates()->getUpdatedCells();
To Get Columns= $response->getUpdates()->getUpdatedColumns();
and so on...