Introduction

This guide walks you through how to use file and people smart chips with the Google Sheets API, enabling you to dynamically insert interactive links to Google Drive files and user profiles directly into your spreadsheets. Traditionally, manually adding context to spreadsheets can be time-consuming, particularly when referencing relevant files or team members. However, with the latest Google Sheets API update, you can now programmatically insert smart chips that link to files or people. As a result, your spreadsheets become more interactive and informative. Ultimately, this feature helps streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, and keep your data well-connected.

How-to-Use-File-and-People-Smart-Chips-within-Google-Sheets

What Are Smart Chips in Google Workspace?

Smart Chips are interactive, clickable elements in Google Docs and Sheets that make it easier to connect and reference people, files, dates, events and other data without leaving the document. Introduced by Google as part of its Smart Canvas initiative, Smart Chips enhance collaboration and context-sharing within documents.

Examples of Smart Chips

  • People chips: Type @ followed by a person’s name to tag them. It shows their contact card and allows quick actions like sending an email or scheduling a meeting.
  • File chips: Mention Google Drive files with @ to easily insert a link that shows a file preview and details like the owner and last modified time.
  • Calendar event chips: Insert events from Google Calendar to show meeting details directly in your document.
  • Date chips: Add dynamic dates that you can set, update or link to Google Calendar.

How to Use File and People Smart Chips with Google Sheets

1. Using Smart Chips Manually in Google Sheets

You can easily insert file or people smart chips directly into cells without using any code.

  • To insert a File Smart Chip
  1. Open your Google Sheet.
  2. Click on the cell where you want to insert the file.
  3. Go to Insert > Smart chips > File.
  4. Choose a file from Google Drive.
  5. The chip will appear as a clickable card with the file name.
    clickable card with the file name
  • To insert a People Smart Chip
  1. Click on a cell and type @ followed by the person’s name or email.
  2. Select the person from the list.
  3. Google Sheets will insert a people chip, displaying their name and email details.
    displaying their name and email details

2. Using Smart Chips with the Google Sheets API

The Google Sheets API now supports inserting file and people smart chips, enabling developers to programmatically add rich, interactive content to spreadsheets. Smart chips convert plain text like a file name or an email address into clickable, context-aware links that enhance collaboration and clarity.

While these chips can certainly be added manually inside Google Sheets, leveraging the API allows for automation at scale. For instance, instead of manually inserting smart chips for dozens of team members or linking project files one by one, the API significantly simplifies the process. By using a script, you can insert them in bulk, thereby saving time and reducing the chances of manual errors. In this way, the API not only boosts efficiency but also ensures consistency across your spreadsheets.

  • File Smart Chips: The API can insert chips that reference specific files from Google Drive. These chips appear as clickable cards within a cell, making it easy for users to access documents right from the spreadsheet.
  • People Smart Chips: The API can also insert chips that link to a person's Google account using their email address, so others can see their name, profile info and contact them easily.

Best Use Cases for Using File and People Smart Chips in Google Sheets

  1. Embed people smart chips to assign owners to tasks and file smart chips to link project documents. This helps teams know who's responsible and gives instant access to related files.
  2. Generate automated reports where each row includes a people chip and a file chip linking to a specific document like a performance report, invoice or deliverables.
  3. Use people chips to assign HR representatives or managers, and file chips to link to onboarding materials, forms or company policies.
  4. Teachers can use people chips for student names and file chips to attach assignment documents, report cards, or project files all in one place.
  5. Add file chips linking to resource documents like schedules, guidelines or manuals and people chips for the point-of-contact or responsible manager.
  6. Create approval sheets where people smart chips identify the approvers, and file smart chips to attach the documents pending review like contracts, budgets, or creative assets.
  7. Attach campaign briefs (file chips) and assign responsible marketers (people chips) to each entry, keeping your marketing team aligned and accountable.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. Can I use smart chips with Google Apps Script?

As of now, Google Apps Script does not fully support inserting file or people smart chips directly. You can insert links or formulas like HYPERLINK(), but these won’t convert into smart chips automatically. For inserting rich chips programmatically, you need to use the Google Sheets API v4, which supports richTextValue with richLink references.

  1. Are smart chips available for all users in Google Sheets?

Yes, smart chips are available for most Google Workspace users and even personal Google Accounts. However, to use people chips effectively, the person you’re mentioning should either be part of your organization or saved in your Google Contacts. If you want to insert these chips automatically using code, you’ll need developer access and the right permissions through the Google Sheets API.

  1. How to automate smart chip insertion in Google Sheets?

To automate inserting smart chips like file or people chips, use the Google Sheets API with updateCells requests that include richTextValue.richLink objects. This allows you to insert clickable, interactive chips in bulk across cells. While Apps Script has limited support, external tools can leverage the full API functionality to automate the process.

Conclusion

File and people smart chips bring a new level of interactivity and clarity to Google Sheets. Whether you're manually adding them for quick context or automating their insertion using the Google Sheets API, smart chips consistently help keep your data connected, organized, and actionable. Moreover, they enhance everything from project tracking to report automation. By streamlining access to relevant files and team members, these chips greatly simplify collaboration and significantly reduce the time spent searching for documents or contacts. Embracing smart chips means turning your spreadsheets into dynamic, information-rich tools that work smarter for you and your team.

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