Any word on Google's new Chat integration with Appsheet?

[Ryan_Wagner]

https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/11/google-opens-up-workspace-with-new-integrations-and-apis/?guccount...

[SkrOYC]

There is no official announcement

@Arthur_Rallu @lizlynch 
Any idea?

[Koichi_Tsuji]

Before the AppSheet can integrate with Google chat, they need to be capable to pull the google contact when we add the users to the AppSheet apps.

For now, AppSheet is no way to realize who are there on your Google contact, directory. So it is far impossible to recognize the Google Chat user id (On Google chat, the each user is given the unique ID as far as I know) for AppSheet. So unless a miracle to happen, it is impossible even within a foreseeable future.

[SkrOYC]

And, IMHO, we need some kind of real time capabilities before we get "chatting"

[Rachelgmoore · Accepted solution]

You're quick! Yes, we ARE working on an integration with Chat. Much like you can publish a mobile or desktop view, the integration will allow you to publish a Chat view of any new or existing AppSheet App. 

With this integration, app creators can add, without any code required, chatbot functionality to their apps so that any AppSheet app can be published as a Chat App for free internal distribution in their organization. This means that users can interact with an AppSheet app on chat: Creating automations that push data updates from 3rd party data sources like Salesforce into Chat Spaces, approval workflows that allow responses in chat AND email stakeholders, update databases, and more. One of the major additional features we're adding here is the ability to create these integrations without code, so that users can go through the standard app-building flow (and a simplified publication flow) to open up their utility to a much wider group of users.

We're working towards launching this feature as a preview before the end of this year. Stay tuned for more info!

[Ryan_Wagner]

That's great. I have "Appsheet" on my gmail's alert, so this article popped up today. 

Looking forward to it.

[Koichi_Tsuji]

To @Rachelgmoore 

We have integration with Google chat for now, by using webhook. So not sure what's new you are mentioning here. If you mention that we can integrate AppSheet with Google chat without setting up the Webhook, but rather the new and simpler settings, yes it is welcomed, but it will not be a new features as we already have.

[Ryan_Wagner]

Yes, I was referring to a connection without a webhook.

[Koichi_Tsuji]

ok, but currently webhook can do what the Google Chat webhook accepts.  Not sure what the appsheet will top up the new featurs on top of that.

What we are missing is to send the private message to the one person through the chat using webhook to communicate. While the webhook is not able to do, AppSheet can not do more.  So in this context, there will be no 'new additional" feature, but you  can call " enhauncement"

[Ryan_Wagner]

But if you have any screenshots of what it looks like with a webhook in your app, I would love to see it. I haven't tried that, but I have an enterprise account.

[Koichi_Tsuji]

Pretty much old post I throw years ago.

https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Tips-Tricks/Integration-with-Google-Chat-How-Actually-it-was...

[Rachelgmoore]

Good point, Koichi. I've actually updated my original message above to clarify but yes, this is distinctly different than the webhook integration path. Our goal here is actually to be able to allow users to create Chat apps (be they simple if-this-then-that automations or complex inventory management databases) in a truly no-code environment, so that these capabilities can be shared with and used by Chat users who may find the idea of building a webhook to be overly challenging.

[Ryan_Wagner]

Awesome.

[Koichi_Tsuji]

Probably due to my English capability, I m not still perfectly following what you meant to say. But the truly apprecaited integration between AppSheet and Google chat is to sent the message to the one personnel from AppSheet to Google chat without knowing the users id (not email address) on Google chat.

[Koichi_Tsuji]

We are hearing from our own (priave) community members that they wish to send a chat to single person rather than sending a post / text to "Space" in google chat.  I know how to do by manipulating the URL to do so, but we need parameter, which is unique ID for the contacting person. We have no way to get those IDs for now.

[Rachelgmoore]

Ah, yep understood. This integration creates a true "Chat app" (like this) that can interact with users 1:1 or be added to a Space.

[Koichi_Tsuji]

Thanks for the clarity, but it looks that we can only send message only to Space rather than indivisual. So basically the same as what we can do through the webhook.

It is possible that I misunderstand what is going to happen though. For me, no new addition to the current capability using webhook.

Just because I never hear that the Google chat API will be upgraded to send message to a single person (not to Space) within a nearer terms. If the Chat's API is not upgraded, AppSheet should have no way to change the capability to extend the functionalities, as AppSheet should need to use the same API/Webhook.

AppSheet capability should be capped by the Google Chat API, as far as I expect

@Rachelgmoore sorry, but I probably I overlooked some of the important key concept in terms of the Google Chat APIs, which may lead me to mis-understandings.

[MultiTech]

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@Rachelgmoore wrote:

This means that users can interact with an AppSheet app on chat

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This will bring so much "ease of use" to users

• oh man, I can't wait!!!