Dealing with spreadsheets is cumbersome, especially on the phones. Spreadsheets are not a great way to even look through the existing data. Enter Appsheet, an online tool that lets you create an app from the spreadsheets without any code. You can also add data directly from these apps and also look through them with a UI that is optimized for the phones. Here’s how you can create an app on your own from the spreadsheets.
Also Read:- 14 Best Google Sheets Add-Ons to Manage and Manipulate Data (2020)
Create an app from the Spreadsheets with AppSheet
AppSheet is a third-party service that is acquired by Google Cloud recently. Google also made a free plan where you can build a prototype app and use it on your own. Though Google calls it a prototype plan, the only feature that it lacks from the basic premium plan is deploying your app to your team. With the free plan, you can install the app on your phone, add, edit or remove data, use it offline, and get notifications support, etc.
To start creating an app, open the AppSheet website, and click on the “Start for free” button at the top right corner.
Now select the source of the data to include in your apps. You can choose from Google Sheets, Excel on Office 365, files from Dropbox, box, etc.
Once selected, log-in to the respected service and choose any of three ways to start building an app. You can start from the existing data on your sheets or you can build an app from the scratch with the Idea and add data to the app later or you can just use sample apps from the templates provided. As we want to build an app from the existing sheets, Ill select the “Start with your own data” option.
Now select the data you want to include.
Here you can click on the “Add Table” option to add data additional data that you want to include in the app.
Once the data is added in the data tab, it will generate an app on its own as a basic template. In the UX tab, you can customize it from looks to the structure and page layout of the app.
Click on the New View option to add multiple tabs in the app.
The opening brand tab allows you to change theme, logo, primary color, etc.
In the behavior tab, you can set actions for automatic workflow.
Once you have customized the app, click on the Save option at the top right corner. Now click on the Share app option in the left sidebar. Add emails of the people who can access the app. If you are not on the premium plan, only your email works to start using the app on your phone.
Now, install the AppSheet app (Android/iOS) on your phone open the e-mail from the App sheet to install the app. By clicking on the link, it will open a web page and shows you the procedure to install the app.
Install the app and login with the Google account that you have created the app.
That’s it, now you can open the app and access all the data in a much nice view and also add, edit or delete the data right from the app.
Wrapping Up
You can also try out other services like Appypie, Glideapps, Opensapp, Mendix Studio, etc which also can help you create an app from the spreadsheet easily without any code. Anyhow, most services have a premium plan. Services like Mendix Studio need a premium plan to even start customizing apps but offers way more customization and layouts.
Also Read: 11 Best Chrome Extensions for Google Meet