Generate a Google Doc (and PDF) of row data when a cell in a row of a sheet is edited

Question

I have a Google Form and Google Sheet set up to collect information I need. I currently have a script that will send me, and the form submitter, an email with a PDF attached that contains the contents of their form submission.

I am trying to edit that script and create another one that sends me a new version of the PDF after I go in and make a change to one of the cells associated with the original form submission (update the status of an issue, add notes, correct grammar, etc.).

This is what I have, I am still very new at programming and would appreciate any help...

(18 NOV @1425) It works! var last_column was not allowing the column after the edited cell to be defined. When I replaced last_column in var data with the actual number of columns that contained the data it worked great! Thank you to everyone who helped me figure this out, and learn a little along the way!

function onSheetEdit(e) {

    var source = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
    var source_sheet = source.getSheetByName("Form Responses 1");
    var range = source_sheet.getDataRange();
    var ActiveRow = source_sheet.getActiveRange().getRow();
    var data = source_sheet.getRange(ActiveRow,1,1,4).getValues();

    var columnA = data[0][0];
    var columnB = data[0][1];
    var columnC = data[0][2];
    var columnD = data[0][3];

(18 NOV @0800) Another friend suggested I change the beginning to this... The email also sends, and now I am getting "1" "1" "/" and "1" in my four document placeholders...

function onSheetEdit(e) {

var source_sheet = e.source.getActiveSheet();
    if (source_sheet.getName() !== "Form Responses 1") return; //exit the script if edits are done on other sheets
    var data = source_sheet.getRange(e.range.rowStart, 1, 1, source_sheet.getLastColumn())//(StartRow,StartColumn,NumberofRowstoGet,NumberofColumnstoGet)
   .getValues()[0];
    Logger.log(data);

    var columnA = data[0][0];
    var columnB = data[0][1];
    var columnC = data[0][2];
    var columnD = data[0][3];

(17 NOV @1845) I had a friend help me from work and this is as far as we got... The email sends now, but the placeholders are not populating the data correctly in the PDF file attachment. It appears that the only data that is populating is data from row 1, and of that data, only the cell that was edited, and the data in the cells to the right of it...

function onSheetEdit(e) {

    var source = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
    var source_sheet = source.getSheetByName("Form Responses 1");
    var range = source_sheet.getDataRange();
    var last_column = source_sheet.getActiveRange().getColumn();
    var ActiveRow = source_sheet.getActiveRange().getRow();
    var data = source_sheet.getRange(ActiveRow,1,1,last_column).getValues();

    var columnA = data[0][0];
    var columnB = data[0][1];
    var columnC = data[0][2];
    var columnD = data[0][3];

(16 NOV @1700) I edited the script to this but still no emails generated. I get this error emailed to me when script fails: "Cell reference out of range (line 13, file "Copy of Form confirmation emails")". Line 13 is "var row".

function onSheetEdit() {

    var source = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
    var source_sheet = source.getActiveSheet()
    var row = source_sheet.getActiveCell().getRow();
    var last_column = source_sheet.getLastColumn();
    var data = source_sheet.getRange(row,1,1,last_column).getValues();

    var columnA = data[0][0];
    var columnB = data[0][1];
    var columnC = data[0][2];
    var columnD = data[0][3];

(16 NOV @ 1330) I tried this instead but still no emails generated...

function onSheetEdit() {

    var source = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
    var source_sheet = source.getActiveSheet()
    var row = source_sheet.getActiveCell().getRow();
    var last_column = source_sheet.getLastColumn();
    var data = source_sheet.getRange(row,1,1,last_column);

    var columnA = data.values[0];
    var columnB = data.values[1];
    var columnC = data.values[2];
    var columnD = data.values[3];

Original script...

function onSheetEdit(e) {

    var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
    var rows = sheet.getActiveCell().getRow();

    var columnA = e.values[0];
    var columnB = e.values[1];
    var columnC = e.values[2];
    var columnD = e.values[3];      


    var docTemplate = "1WyWeCLQQ3en1EbKjOLcWxlOLc0fHHDpZrB9yfXZ7nv8";
    var docName = "Test form script";
    var carbonCopyEmail = "jeffery.crane@goarmy.com";
    var submitterEmail = columnB;
    var dataName = columnC; 
    var submitDate = columnA;
    var attachmentName = docName + ' for data ' + dataName

    var submitterEmailPlaceholder = 'keyUsername';
    var submitDatePlaceholder = 'keyTimestamp';
    var templatePlaceholder1 = 'keyQuestion1';
    var templatePlaceholder2 = 'keyQuestion2';

    var submitterSubject = "Test Script Confirmation Email for data " + dataName;
    var submitterBody = "Attached is a PDF confirmation sheet with the details of your submission of data: " + dataName + " submitted on " + submitDate;
    var carbonCopySubject = "Test Script Submission Notification Email for data " + dataName;
    var carbonCopyBody = "Attached is a PDF confirmation sheet with the details of " + submitterEmail + "'s submission of data: " + dataName + " on " + submitDate;





    //Gets document template defined by the docID above, copys it as a new temp doc, and saves the Doc’s id
    var copyId = DocsList.getFileById(docTemplate)
    .makeCopy(attachmentName)
    .getId();
    //Open the temporary document
    var copyDoc = DocumentApp.openById(copyId);
    //Get the document’s body section
    var copyBody = copyDoc.getActiveSection();

    //POSSIBLE MODIFICATION TO ADD LINES OF CODE
    //Replace place holder keys with the spreadsheet values in the google doc template
    //This section of the script looks for instances where the key appears in the Google Doc and replaces the instance 
    //with the defined variable
    //For instance, whenever "keyUserName" (defined above as submitterEmailPlaceholder) appears in the Google Doc, 
    //the value from the spreadsheet in columnB replaces "keyUserName" 
    copyBody.replaceText(submitDatePlaceholder, columnA);
    copyBody.replaceText(submitterEmailPlaceholder, columnB);
    copyBody.replaceText(templatePlaceholder1, columnC);
    copyBody.replaceText(templatePlaceholder2, columnD);

    //Save and close the temporary document
    copyDoc.saveAndClose();

    //Convert temporary document to PDF
    var pdf = DocsList.getFileById(copyId).getAs("application/pdf");

    //Attaches the PDF and sends the email to the form submitter
    MailApp.sendEmail(submitterEmail, submitterSubject, submitterBody, {htmlBody: submitterBody, attachments: pdf});

    //Attaches the PDF and sends the email to the recipients in copyEmail above
    MailApp.sendEmail(carbonCopyEmail, carbonCopySubject, carbonCopyBody, {htmlBody: carbonCopyBody, attachments: pdf});

    //Deletes the temporary file
    DocsList.getFileById(copyId).setTrashed(true);
}

Answer 1

You cannot do data.values, data is a range object, you should do getValues() to get an array of values: data[row][col]

 var data = source_sheet.getRange(row,1,1,last_column).getValues()

var columnA = data[0][0];
var columnB = data[1][0];
var columnC = data[2][0];
var columnD = data[3][0];

Answer 2

Why instead of mess manually with the cells values of the responses sheet you don't use the form edit link? You can put it into the mail you are already sending.

You can get it from:

var editLink = lastResponse.getEditResponseUrl(); 

When the form is submitted again from the edit link the script you wrote script will be run again sending the updated PDF.