Coding level: Beginner
Duration: 10 minutes
Project type: Custom function and
automation with a custom menu
About this solution
Using custom functions, you can calculate the driving distance between two
locations and convert the distance from meters to miles. An additional
automation provides a custom menu that lets you add step-by-step directions from
the start address to the end address in a new sheet.

How it works
The script uses 2 custom functions and an automation.
- The
drivingDistance(origin, destination)
function uses the Maps Service to
calculate
the driving directions between two locations and return the distance between
the two addresses in meters.
- The
metersToMiles(meters)
function calculates the equivalent number of miles
for a given number of meters.
- The automation prompts the user to enter which
row of start and end addresses to calculate the driving directions for and
adds the step-by-step driving directions to a new sheet.
Apps Script services
This solution uses the following services:
- Spreadsheet Service: Adds the custom
menu, adds demo data to test this solution, and formats the new sheets when
the script adds driving directions.
- Base Service: Uses the
Browser
class to
prompt the user to enter a row number for directions and alerts the user if
an error occurs.
- Utilities Service: Updates templated strings
with user-specified information.
- Maps Service: Gets step-by-step Google Maps
directions from the start address to the end address.
Before you begin
To use this sample, you need the following prerequisites:
- A Google Account (Google Workspace accounts might
require administrator approval)
- A web browser with access to the internet
Try it
Step 1: Set up the spreadsheet
- Make a copy of the Calculate driving distance and convert meters to miles
spreadsheet.
Make a copy
- To add headers and demo data to your sheet, click Directions
> Prepare sheet. You might need to
refresh the page for this custom menu to appear.
- When prompted, authorize the script.
- Click Directions > Prepare sheet
again.
Step 2: Get driving distance & directions
- In cell
C2
, enter the formula =DRIVINGDISTANCE(A2,B2)
and press Enter.
- In cell
D2
, enter the formula =METERSTOMILES(C2)
and press Enter.
- (Optional) Add additional rows of start and end addresses and copy the
formulas in columns
C
and D
to calculate the driving distances between
various places.
- Click Directions >
Generate step-by-step.
- In the dialog, enter the row number of the addresses for which you want to
generate directions and click OK.
- Review the driving directions in the new sheet the script creates.
Open the Apps Script project
The sample script's code includes in-line comments to help you
understand how it works. To access the code, in the spreadsheet,
click Extensions > Apps Script.
Review the code
To review the Apps Script code for this solution, click View source code
below:
View source code
/**
* @OnlyCurrentDoc Limits the script to only accessing the current sheet.
*/
/**
* A special function that runs when the spreadsheet is open, used to add a
* custom menu to the spreadsheet.
*/
function onOpen() {
try {
const spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
const menuItems = [
{name: 'Prepare sheet...', functionName: 'prepareSheet_'},
{name: 'Generate step-by-step...', functionName: 'generateStepByStep_'}
];
spreadsheet.addMenu('Directions', menuItems);
} catch (e) {
// TODO (Developer) - Handle Exception
Logger.log('Failed with error: %s' + e.error);
}
}
/**
* A custom function that converts meters to miles.
*
* @param {Number} meters The distance in meters.
* @return {Number} The distance in miles.
*/
function metersToMiles(meters) {
if (typeof meters !== 'number') {
return null;
}
return meters / 1000 * 0.621371;
}
/**
* A custom function that gets the driving distance between two addresses.
*
* @param {String} origin The starting address.
* @param {String} destination The ending address.
* @return {Number} The distance in meters.
*/
function drivingDistance(origin, destination) {
const directions = getDirections_(origin, destination);
return directions.routes[0].legs[0].distance.value;
}
/**
* A function that adds headers and some initial data to the spreadsheet.
*/
function prepareSheet_() {
try {
const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet().setName('Settings');
const headers = [
'Start Address',
'End Address',
'Driving Distance (meters)',
'Driving Distance (miles)'];
const initialData = [
'350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118',
'405 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10174'];
sheet.getRange('A1:D1').setValues([headers]).setFontWeight('bold');
sheet.getRange('A2:B2').setValues([initialData]);
sheet.setFrozenRows(1);
sheet.autoResizeColumns(1, 4);
} catch (e) {
// TODO (Developer) - Handle Exception
Logger.log('Failed with error: %s' + e.error);
}
}
/**
* Creates a new sheet containing step-by-step directions between the two
* addresses on the "Settings" sheet that the user selected.
*/
function generateStepByStep_() {
try {
const spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
const settingsSheet = spreadsheet.getSheetByName('Settings');
settingsSheet.activate();
// Prompt the user for a row number.
const selectedRow = Browser
.inputBox('Generate step-by-step', 'Please enter the row number of' +
' the' + ' addresses to use' + ' (for example, "2"):',
Browser.Buttons.OK_CANCEL);
if (selectedRow === 'cancel') {
return;
}
const rowNumber = Number(selectedRow);
if (isNaN(rowNumber) || rowNumber < 2 ||
rowNumber > settingsSheet.getLastRow()) {
Browser.msgBox('Error',
Utilities.formatString('Row "%s" is not valid.', selectedRow),
Browser.Buttons.OK);
return;
}
// Retrieve the addresses in that row.
const row = settingsSheet.getRange(rowNumber, 1, 1, 2);
const rowValues = row.getValues();
const origin = rowValues[0][0];
const destination = rowValues[0][1];
if (!origin || !destination) {
Browser.msgBox('Error', 'Row does not contain two addresses.',
Browser.Buttons.OK);
return;
}
// Get the raw directions information.
const directions = getDirections_(origin, destination);
// Create a new sheet and append the steps in the directions.
const sheetName = 'Driving Directions for Row ' + rowNumber;
let directionsSheet = spreadsheet.getSheetByName(sheetName);
if (directionsSheet) {
directionsSheet.clear();
directionsSheet.activate();
} else {
directionsSheet =
spreadsheet.insertSheet(sheetName, spreadsheet.getNumSheets());
}
const sheetTitle = Utilities
.formatString('Driving Directions from %s to %s', origin, destination);
const headers = [
[sheetTitle, '', ''],
['Step', 'Distance (Meters)', 'Distance (Miles)']
];
const newRows = [];
for (const step of directions.routes[0].legs[0].steps) {
// Remove HTML tags from the instructions.
const instructions = step.html_instructions
.replace(/<br>|<div.*?>/g, '\n').replace(/<.*?>/g, '');
newRows.push([
instructions,
step.distance.value
]);
}
directionsSheet.getRange(1, 1, headers.length, 3).setValues(headers);
directionsSheet.getRange(headers.length + 1, 1, newRows.length, 2)
.setValues(newRows);
directionsSheet.getRange(headers.length + 1, 3, newRows.length, 1)
.setFormulaR1C1('=METERSTOMILES(R[0]C[-1])');
// Format the new sheet.
directionsSheet.getRange('A1:C1').merge().setBackground('#ddddee');
directionsSheet.getRange('A1:2').setFontWeight('bold');
directionsSheet.setColumnWidth(1, 500);
directionsSheet.getRange('B2:C').setVerticalAlignment('top');
directionsSheet.getRange('C2:C').setNumberFormat('0.00');
const stepsRange = directionsSheet.getDataRange()
.offset(2, 0, directionsSheet.getLastRow() - 2);
setAlternatingRowBackgroundColors_(stepsRange, '#ffffff', '#eeeeee');
directionsSheet.setFrozenRows(2);
SpreadsheetApp.flush();
} catch (e) {
// TODO (Developer) - Handle Exception
Logger.log('Failed with error: %s' + e.error);
}
}
/**
* Sets the background colors for alternating rows within the range.
* @param {Range} range The range to change the background colors of.
* @param {string} oddColor The color to apply to odd rows (relative to the
* start of the range).
* @param {string} evenColor The color to apply to even rows (relative to the
* start of the range).
*/
function setAlternatingRowBackgroundColors_(range, oddColor, evenColor) {
const backgrounds = [];
for (let row = 1; row <= range.getNumRows(); row++) {
const rowBackgrounds = [];
for (let column = 1; column <= range.getNumColumns(); column++) {
if (row % 2 === 0) {
rowBackgrounds.push(evenColor);
} else {
rowBackgrounds.push(oddColor);
}
}
backgrounds.push(rowBackgrounds);
}
range.setBackgrounds(backgrounds);
}
/**
* A shared helper function used to obtain the full set of directions
* information between two addresses. Uses the Apps Script Maps Service.
*
* @param {String} origin The starting address.
* @param {String} destination The ending address.
* @return {Object} The directions response object.
*/
function getDirections_(origin, destination) {
const directionFinder = Maps.newDirectionFinder();
directionFinder.setOrigin(origin);
directionFinder.setDestination(destination);
const directions = directionFinder.getDirections();
if (directions.status !== 'OK') {
throw directions.error_message;
}
return directions;
}
Contributors
This sample is maintained by Google with the help of Google Developer Experts.