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Google has released new application programming interfaces (APIs) that it says will make it easier for developers to connect their applications and the data in them to Google’s Slides and Sheets apps.
The APIs will give developers a way to take advantage of some of the features in both the Slides and Sheets apps to enhance and manipulate the data in their own applications, Google Sheets Product Manager Tom Holman said in a post on the company’s Apps Update blog.
The goal is to make it easier for users to work with data across multiple applications without having to cut and paste the data or to import and export it between applications. The APIs will help workers get to data when and where they need it, Holman said.
For example, the new Slides API will give developers a way to build applications where users can push data and charts to Slides and take advantage of its functionality to create more full-featured reports.
Similarly, the Sheets API gives developers access to some of its mobile and Web interfaces such as pivot tables and charts. This kind of access gives developers a way to build applications that let users push data to Sheets where multiple users can collaborate and work on the data and then put it back into the original app, Holman said.
Several developers are already exploring new ways to integrate their applications with Google Slides and Sheets using the new APIs. Among those working on integrations with the Sheet’s API are Salesforce, SAP Anywhere, Sage, Anaplan and Asana.
Sage, for instance, has used the Sheets API to give users of its financial and accounting software a way to export their reports and charts to Sheets in a single click. Users can then work on the spreadsheet, and any changes they make are kept in sync with Sage, Google said in a video offering up some examples of how the Sheets API integrations would work.
A number of vendors—including SalesforceIQ, Conga, Trello and ProsperWork—are working on similarly integrating their applications with the Google Slides API. The goal is to give users a way to use data from these apps to quickly and easily create fully formatted Google Slide presentations without having to import data, or cut and paste it, resize it or do any other manual work, according to Google.
In addition to the two new APIs, Google also announced a new capability that allows users to embed linked charts from Sheets into Slides or Docs, Holman said. Such linking ensures that any changes to the underlying data in a spreadsheet can be quickly reflected in any associated charts or documents, he said.