FAQ: GoogleSheets

Objective: To understand why you cannot link a component to a dynamic page like Google Sheets.

Difficulty: Easy

In this article:

1. How do I link to a dynamic page like Google Sheets? I have a cloud-hosted document (such as GoogleSheets, GoogleDocs, Airtable, etc.) that has details about my product. I would like to reference this document from Duro. How do I create a component that links to this file?

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How do I link to a dynamic page like GoogleSheets? I have a cloud-hosted document (such as GoogleSheets, GoogleDocs, Airtable, etc.) that has details about my product. I would like to reference this document from Duro. How do I create a component that links to this file?

To ensure proper revision control, it is not recommended to use links to dynamically changing data elements, such as Google Sheets, in a revision management tool like PLM, PDM, Git, or Subversion. These tools are specifically designed to capture immutable snapshots of data at specific points in time, guaranteeing a static reference that can be reliably accessed in the future.

If a link is used to a document like a Google Sheet, the contents of that document may change over time, which defeats the purpose of revision management. Every time you access the link, the content could differ, and there's no guarantee the document will even exist in the future—it could be moved or deleted. This undermines the value of trying to manage the document with a separate revision control system like Duro PLM.

We recommend the following solutions to manage revisions effectively:

1. Use Google Sheets' built-in revision management: Google Sheets offers internal revision control features, allowing you to manually create versions or rely on its automated version history. To access this, navigate to File -> Version History in the Google Sheets menu.

2. Download and upload a static version: Download the Google Sheet as a static file (e.g., Excel, CSV, PDF) and upload it into your Duro product or component library. This ensures that you are capturing a fixed version of the document for proper revision management.

By following these methods, you can maintain a reliable revision history and avoid potential issues with dynamic content.