Google App Script for DiffBot API

This package demonstrates calling Diffbot from a Google Apps doc, such as a spreadsheet, presentation, or form. You can see a live demo here.

The Google App Script for DiffBot API has couple of functions to call Automatic APIs and CrawlBot APIs.

There are 5 files in the package.

• README - This help file.
• diffbot.gs - The main client library providing interface to call DiffBot APIs. Use to create and enhance Google Spreadsheet or can be used as a standalone script.
• Code.gs - Contains code to customize Google Spreadsheet and use diffbot.gs to call DiffBot APIs and output result in sheet.
• Help.html - Help content for sample Google Spreadsheet.
• DiffBot example.xlsx - An example Excel spreadsheet. Can be used as a template to create sample Google Spreadsheet.

Installation

• Create a new Google spreadsheet on Google Drive. Alternatively, use the Excel sheet as a template in the package.
• From within your new spreadsheet, select the menu item Tools > Script editor. If you are presented with a welcome screen, click Blank Project.
• Delete any code in the script editor and paste in the code in the Code.gs file in the package. This script is an example script that uses functions from diffbot.gs to call DiffBot APIs.
• Create new script file from File->New->Script file.
• Delete any code in the script editor and paste in the code in the diffbot.gs file in the package. This script is actual client script that calls DiffBot APIs.
• Similarly create an HTML file from File->New->Html file and copy and paste content from Help.html file in package.
• Select the menu item File > Save. Name your new script and click OK.
• Switch back to your spreadsheet and reload the page.
• Select the menu item DiffBot > Get Article Information. (The DiffBot menu is a custom menu that the script added to the spreadsheet. It should have appeared a few seconds after you reloaded the spreadsheet.)
• A dialog box will appear and tell you that the script requires authorization. Click Continue. A second dialog box will then request authorization for specific Google services. Read the notice carefully, then click Accept.

Configuration

• Enter your DiffBot Developer Token by selecting menu DiffBot->Settings. You can get DiffBot Developer Token from DiffBot website.

Usage

• Now that the script is authorized, select DiffBot > Get Article Information again. After a moment, a new sheet will be created with the article information fetched using the DiffBot API.
• All other DiffBot Automatic APIs can be called from DiffBot menu.
• Sheet that contains URL should be active when selecting any menu to call DiffBot API.
• List of URLs should start from second row. First row is considered header.

Creating custom script

If you are a developer and want to create and enhance your own Google Spreadsheet then you just need diffbot.gs file.

Calling DiffBot Article API

Add the diffbot.gs file in your project and you can call API like this:

// Call the diffbot client
var jsonstr = diffbot('www.example.com', DEVELOPER_TOKEN, 'article');
// convert json string to javascript object
obj = JSON.parse(jsonstr);

It supports following APIs

• article
• frontpage
• image
• product
• analyze

In case of any error returned from DiffBot object will contain error and errorCode fields. Otherwise it will contain fields returned from API. See the DiffBot documentation for complete details of fields returned.

Calling DiffBot CrawlBot API

Add the diffbot.gs file in your project and you can call API like this:

// Define the seeds
var seeds = ['http://www.example1.com', 'http://www.example2.com'];
// Call the diffbot client
var jsonstr = diffbot_crawl(DEVELOPER_TOKEN, 'CrawlJobName', 'start', seeds);
// convert json string to javascript object
obj = JSON.parse(jsonstr);

It supports following commands.

• status
• start
• pause
• resume
• restart
• delete

In case of any error returned from DiffBot object will contain error and errorCode fields. Otherwise it will contain fields returned from API. See the DiffBot documentation for complete details of fields returned.

-Initial commit by Muhammad Jawaid Shamshad([email protected])-