Google App Script

Instead of popping up a dialog box that interrupts your work, your script quietly slides a neat little notification into the corner of your Google Sheet — friendly, elegant, and non-intrusive.

That, my dear coder, is called a Toast Message. And in today’s lesson, we’ll explore how to create one using Google Apps Script.

Let’s begin our warm, buttery toast of code:

🍞 The Code

function greeting() {
  SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
    .toast("Hello World!", "Greeting");
}

Short, smooth, and deliciously efficient. At first glance, it looks similar to our earlier Browser.msgBox() example, but the experience it creates inside Google Sheets is quite different.

So, what’s really going on behind those two lines? Let’s peel the layers.

🧩 Step 1: The Function Declaration

function greeting() {

This line declares a function named greeting.

  • The keyword function is the command to define a reusable block of code.
  • The name greeting is how we’ll refer to this function whenever we want to call it.

No parameters are passed — meaning this function doesn’t need any input to run.

When you call greeting(), everything inside the curly braces { ... } runs.

🧩 Step 2: Accessing the Spreadsheet

SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()

This is the line that connects your script to the actual Google Sheet that’s open right now.

Let’s break that chain down:

🔹 SpreadsheetApp

This is the Google Apps Script service that gives your code the ability to talk to and manipulate Google Sheets.

It can do all sorts of things — create new sheets, read or write data, change formatting, and much more.

🔹 getActiveSpreadsheet()

This method tells the script:

“Give me the spreadsheet that’s currently open and active.”

So, at this point, your function is literally “grabbing” the current Google Sheet so it can do something inside it.

🧩 Step 3: The .toast() Method

Now here’s the hero of the story:

.toast("Hello World!", "Greeting");

This is a method — a built-in function attached to the spreadsheet object you just accessed.

In plain English, it means:

“Show a short notification on this spreadsheet.”

🧈 Toast messages in Google Sheets

A toast is a small pop-up notification that appears in the bottom-right corner of your Google Sheet — it doesn’t block your work or require any button click.

You might’ve seen similar ones like:

“File saved.” “Copy completed.” “Form submitted successfully.”

They’re perfect for quick, friendly feedback without disturbing the user.

🧩 Step 4: The Toast Arguments

The toast() method takes two main arguments (though it can take more):

.toast(message, title)

So in our example:

.toast("Hello World!", "Greeting");

🥇 "Hello World!" – The Message

This is what the toast actually says — the main content of the little notification box. You can change it to anything like:

"Data Updated Successfully!" or "Welcome to Pepe Programming Hub!"

🥈 "Greeting" – The Title

This is the heading displayed above the message. It appears in bold text and helps categorize the notification.

So your toast might look like this in the corner of your Google Sheet:

Greeting
Hello World!

Short, friendly, and non-disruptive.

🧩 Step 5: What Happens When It Runs

When you click Run in your Google Apps Script editor (while connected to a Google Sheet), this function:

  1. Connects to your currently open spreadsheet.
  2. Displays a short toast message in the lower-right corner of the screen.

  3. Shows:

    • Title: Greeting
    • Message: Hello World!

And then… it quietly disappears after a few seconds — no clicks needed!

It’s one of those tiny touches that make your spreadsheet feel smart and responsive.

🧩 Step 6: Why Use .toast() Instead of Browser.msgBox()?

Both show messages — but they serve different purposes.

Feature Browser.msgBox() SpreadsheetApp.toast()
Type Popup dialog box Non-intrusive notification
User must click “OK”? ✅ Yes ❌ No
Appears where? Center of screen Bottom-right of Sheet
Stops script execution? ✅ Yes (until user responds) ❌ No (runs in background)
Best used for Confirmations or decisions Quick feedback or info

So, when you want a gentle notification — use .toast(). When you want interaction or confirmation — use .msgBox().

🧩 Step 7: Practical Uses

Here are a few cool ways you might use toast messages:

✅ Show a completion message:

toast("Data saved successfully!", "Done");

✅ Display progress during long tasks:

toast("Sorting data...", "Please wait");

✅ Greet the user when the sheet opens:

toast("Welcome to Pepe Hub Sheet!", "Hello");

✅ Notify about errors (in a friendly way):

toast("Oops! Something went wrong.", "Error");

🧠 Summary

Let’s summarize today’s little Google Sheet snack:

Code Component Description
SpreadsheetApp Gives access to Google Sheets services
getActiveSpreadsheet() Refers to the open spreadsheet
.toast() Displays a short notification message
"Hello World!" The message text
"Greeting" The title of the toast
Result: A “Hello World!” toast appears in the bottom-right corner of the Sheet

✍️ Review: 10 Fill-Gap Questions

  1. The keyword used to define a function is __________.
  2. The service that allows interaction with Google Sheets is __________.
  3. The method getActiveSpreadsheet() retrieves the currently ____ spreadsheet.
  4. The .toast() method displays a small ____ in the Sheet.
  5. The first argument in .toast() is the ____ of the message.
  6. The second argument in .toast() is the ____ shown in bold.
  7. Toast messages appear at the ____ of the Google Sheet window.
  8. Unlike Browser.msgBox(), .toast() does not require the user to click ____.
  9. .toast() is perfect for showing ____ feedback or quick updates.
  10. In the example, the message shown to the user is "__________".
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