Google Adds Scripting Capabilities To Google Docs

snydeq writes "Google will add scripting capabilities to Google Docs, allowing organizations to customize their online applications and automate tasks. Google plans to sign up about 1,000 customers over the next few weeks to test the feature, called Google Apps Script. It will be tested initially in Google Spreadsheets and extended to other Google Docs applications over time. The company isn't saying yet when Apps Script — which is based on JavaScript with object-based extensions added by Google — will be widely available. Google Docs users can already apply to try it out."

Comments

Who cares about Google Docs anymore?

[Durrok]

Wave is set to pretty much assimilate the web. Just got done watching the demo at wave.google.com and I think I need to change my boxers.

Re:Who cares about Google Docs anymore?

[Philip_the_physicist]

Of course forums like this will still exist. Usenet is still in use, even for important stuff (like comp.risks, or news.admin.net-abuse.*), as well as places like the scary devil monastery. I even found a dial-up BBS that was in active use last year, although that was mainly being used as a historical curiosity than as a proper means of communication. Some things will die out and switch to Google waves, many others will stay in use as they currently exist.

On the other hand, switching to Google Wave would bring back the days of a single place to find conversation on any topic imaginable, but because it would be under the control of a single corporation, this could well be argued to be a bad thing, for obvious reasons.

Re:Who cares about Google Docs anymore?

[patro]

because it would be under the control of a single corporation, this could well be argued to be a bad thing, for obvious reasons.

The protocol will be open and every can run their own wave server independetly of Google, so it won't be under the control of a single corporation.

Re:Who cares about Google Docs anymore?

[Philip_the_physicist]

Remember, the reason not every tool is a hammer is because not every problem is a nail. Google are doing a good job of remembering the key Unix design philosiphy: "Do one thing, do it right, and make sure you can talk to everything else". Each of their apps is fairly self contained, and yet can be tied together with their APIs. Thus, it seems likely that wave, along with everything else, will be useable as a data source for Docs macros, once the API is complete.

What about integration between Google Apps?

[ThePhilips]

If they want to make any impression on M$Office advanced users, they have to also offer inter-application scripting. e.g. script to convert special text document to spreadsheet. or script to convert spreadsheet lines into appointments.

The forte of M$Office is seamless - from scripting point of view - integration between the applications.

Re:What about integration between Google Apps?

[confused one]

The user has a point. There's a massive number of companies, large and small, that have business processes dependant on VBA scripts in Microsoft Office apps. This keeps a lot of companies using Office, because they don't want to re-create those scripts -- many of which were created by people who don't know java; or, to be fair, don't know how to code in Basic either. (some of the stuff I've seen *shudder*)

If Google can offer similar scripting capability, and interpret existing VBA scripts, they might take some of Microsoft's business. Unfortunately, there are licensing fees Microsoft demands for VBA.

Takes me back...

[Koiu Lpoi]

I seem to remember that programmability was the exact reason so many security experts despised the MS Office Suite. How long until the first Google Docs based malware installation?

Do not want

[Dynamoo]

The interwebs is already under assault from script-borne malware in PDFs, Flash, QuickTime and of course Microsoft Office has always been widely exploited in the past. Take, for example, Javascript support in Adobe Acrobat.. who uses it? When we turned support off for 5000 users exactly *zero* people noticed. It seems that these things are only of use to the Bad Guys.

Imagine the fun they will have with docs scripting combined with the wonderful world of XSS attacks. What could possibly go wrong?

Re:Lolwut!

[mlscdi]

Wave is set to pretty much assimilate the web. Just got done watching the demo at wave.google.com and I think I need to change my boxers.

The internet will be assimilated. Your project's collaborators will be added to our database. Resistance is futile.

Google Docs' features are still wanting

[bogaboga]

While Google Docs is more stable, its features are still wanting compared to Zoho Writer. Google Docs still has nothing to challenge Zoho Writer's Zoho Creator after all thins long!

Sometimes I wonder whether it was a mistake not to buy Zoho. Those folks at Zoho are quite amazing. There is a an almost 2 year old comparison of the two in which I'd say Zoho beats Google hands down.

Not centralized !

[Macka]

It's not centralized, they're making it Open Source and publishing the protocols and APIs. The idea is that every organisation can have their own wave server, in the same way that they have their own SMTP Email servers day. Also, they're anticipating that other organisations will write their own fully compatible, standards compliant Wave servers in competition to Google's.

Want to have a conversation with several people from different organisations (with wave servers) about a project, then open up a Wave for the project and just invite them using their email addresses. The intro vid was long, but they did cover this.