Creating a multiple selections drop-down menu in a Google Sheet cell without using external integrations is a challenge because Google Sheets does not natively support multi-select dropdowns. However, you can simulate this functionality by using Google Apps Script to create a custom sidebar or dialog that allows multiple selections, which are then concatenated into a single cell. Here's an example approach using a custom sidebar with checkboxes:
See below for the multiple column solution.
Create a new script file in the Apps Script editor:
- Open your Google Sheet.
- Go to Extensions > Apps Script.
- Delete any code in the script editor and paste in the following script:
This is the file Google-Apps-Script-Multiple-Dropdown-Select.js
function onOpen() {
var ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();
ui.createMenu('Custom Tools')
.addItem('Multi-Select Dropdown', 'showSidebar')
.addToUi();
}
function showSidebar() {
var html = HtmlService.createHtmlOutputFromFile('Page')
.setTitle('Multi-Select Dropdown')
.setWidth(300);
SpreadsheetApp.getUi().showSidebar(html);
}
function getItems() {
// Replace 'Data' with the name of your sheet and adjust range accordingly
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Data');
var range = sheet.getRange("A1:A"); // Assuming your items are in column A
var values = range.getValues();
var items = values.flat().filter(String); // Remove empty strings
return items;
}
function writeToSheet(selectedItems) {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
var cell = sheet.getActiveCell();
cell.setValue(selectedItems.join(", ")); // Join array items with comma and space
}
Please note you will need to change
// Replace 'Data' with the name of your sheet and adjust range accordingly
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Data');
var range = sheet.getRange("A1:A"); // Assuming your items are in column A
Create a new HTML file in the Apps Script editor:
- Click on File > New > Html file.
- Name it Page.
- Paste in the following HTML and JavaScript:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<base target="_top">
</head>
<body>
<div id="checkboxes"></div>
<button onclick="submit()">Submit</button>
<script>
// Load items from the server-side function getItems
google.script.run.withSuccessHandler(function(items) {
var container = document.getElementById('checkboxes');
items.forEach(function(item) {
var checkbox = document.createElement('input');
checkbox.type = 'checkbox';
checkbox.id = item;
checkbox.value = item;
var label = document.createElement('label');
label.htmlFor = item;
label.appendChild(document.createTextNode(item));
container.appendChild(checkbox);
container.appendChild(label);
container.appendChild(document.createElement('br'));
});
}).getItems();
function submit() {
var selectedItems = [];
var checkboxes = document.getElementById('checkboxes').querySelectorAll('input[type=checkbox]:checked');
checkboxes.forEach(function(checkbox) {
selectedItems.push(checkbox.value);
});
// Write the selected items back to the sheet
google.script.run.writeToSheet(selectedItems);
// Optionally close the sidebar
google.script.host.close();
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
This is the file Google-Apps-Script-Multiple-Dropdown-Select.html
- After saving your script and HTML file, reload your Google Sheet.
- You'll see a new menu item "Custom Tools" with the option "Multi-Select Dropdown". Clicking on this will open a sidebar with checkboxes.
- Select multiple items and click "Submit" to write the selected values to the active cell, separated by commas.
This method utilizes a sidebar for selections, combining selected items into a single string for the active cell. Adjust the script as needed for your specific use case, such as modifying the range where dropdown items are sourced or the way selections are formatted.
- Open your Google Sheet.
- Navigate to Extensions > Apps Script.
- Delete any existing code in the script editor.
- Copy and paste the Google Apps Script code provided below into the script editor.
- Save the script.
This is the file Google-Apps-Script-Multiple-Column-Multiple-Dropdown-Select.js
function onOpen() {
var ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();
ui.createMenu('Custom Tools')
.addItem('Multi-Select Dropdown', 'showSidebar')
.addToUi();
}
function showSidebar() {
var html = HtmlService.createHtmlOutputFromFile('Page')
.setTitle('Multi-Select Dropdown')
.setWidth(300);
SpreadsheetApp.getUi().showSidebar(html);
}
function getItems() {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Data');
var activeColumn = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet().getActiveCell().getColumn();
var range = sheet.getRange(1, activeColumn, sheet.getMaxRows(), 1);
var values = range.getValues();
var items = values.flat().filter(String);
return items;
}
function writeToSheet(selectedItems) {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
var cell = sheet.getActiveCell();
cell.setValue(selectedItems.join(", "));
}
- In the Apps Script editor, go to File > New > Html file. Name this file Page and click OK.
- Copy and paste the HTML code provided below into the newly created HTML file.
- Save the HTML file.
- Reload your Google Sheets document. After a few moments, a new menu item titled "Custom Tools" should appear in your Google Sheets menu bar.
This is the file Google-Apps-Script-Multiple-Column-Multiple-Dropdown-Select.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<base target="_top">
</head>
<body>
<div id="checkboxes"></div>
<button onclick="submit()">Submit</button>
<script>
google.script.run.withSuccessHandler(function(items) {
var container = document.getElementById('checkboxes');
items.forEach(function(item) {
var checkbox = document.createElement('input');
checkbox.type = 'checkbox';
checkbox.id = item;
checkbox.value = item;
var label = document.createElement('label');
label.htmlFor = item;
label.appendChild(document.createTextNode(item));
container.appendChild(checkbox);
container.appendChild(label);
container.appendChild(document.createElement('br'));
});
}).getItems();
function submit() {
var selectedItems = [];
var checkboxes = document.getElementById('checkboxes').querySelectorAll('input[type=checkbox]:checked');
checkboxes.forEach(function(checkbox) {
selectedItems.push(checkbox.value);
});
google.script.run.writeToSheet(selectedItems);
google.script.host.close();
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
To use the multi-select dropdown, select a cell in your sheet, then click on "Custom Tools" in the menu bar and select "Multi-Select Dropdown". This will open a sidebar with checkboxes corresponding to the column of the selected cell. You can select multiple options and then click "Submit" to insert them into the cell, separated by commas.
This complete setup allows users to select multiple items from a dynamically generated list in a sidebar, based on the active cell's column, and then insert those selected items into the Google Sheet cell. Make sure to adjust the getItems function according to where your data is stored (in this example, it uses a sheet named "Data").