Add row to Google Spreadhseet via API - ajax

Question

I am building a Chrome extension which should write new rows into a Google Spreadsheet. I manage to read the sheet content but am not able to write an additional row. Currently my error is "400 (Bad Request)". Any idea what I am doing wrong here?
I have gone through the Google Sheets API documentation and other posted questions here but was not able to find any solution.
Here is the code which I use to GET the sheet content (this works):
function loadSpreadsheet(token) {
var y = new XMLHttpRequest();
y.open('GET', 'https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/spreadsheet_id/default/private/values?access_token=' + token);
y.onload = function() {
console.log(y.response);
};
y.send();
}
And this is the code I try to POST a new row (gives me "400 - Bad Request"):
function appendRow(token){
function constructAtomXML(foo){
var atom = ["<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>",
'<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:gsx="http://schemas.google.com/spreadsheets/2006/extended">',//'--END_OF_PART\r\n',
'<gsx:name>',foo,'</gsx:name>',//'--END_OF_PART\r\n',
'</entry>'].join('');
return atom;
};
var params = {
'body': constructAtomXML("foo")
};
url = 'https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/spreadsheet_id/default/private/full?alt=json&access_token=' + token;
var z = new XMLHttpRequest();
z.open("POST", url, true);
z.setRequestHeader("Content-type", "application/atom+xml");
z.setRequestHeader("GData-Version", "3.0");
z.setRequestHeader("Authorization", 'Bearer '+ token);
z.onreadystatechange = function() {//Call a function when the state changes.
if(z.readyState == 4 && z.status == 200) {
alert(z.responseText);
}
}
z.send(params);
}
Note: spreadsheet_id is a placeholder for my actual sheet ID.

Answer 1

Follow the protocol and to make it work.
Assume spreadsheet ID is '1TCLgzG-AFsERoibIUOUUE8aNftoE7476TWYKqXQ0xb8'
First use the spreadsheet ID to retrieve list of worksheets:
GET https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/worksheets/1TCLgzG-AFsERoibIUOUUE8aNftoE7476TWYKqXQ0xb8/private/full?alt=json
There you can read list of worksheets and their IDs. Let use the first worksheet from the example. You'll find its id in feed > entry[0] > link array. Look for "rel" equal 'http://schemas.google.com/spreadsheets/2006#listfeed'.
In my example the URL for this worksheet is (Worksheet URL): https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/1TCLgzG-AFsERoibIUOUUE8aNftoE7476TWYKqXQ0xb8/ofs6ake/private/full
Now, to read its content use:
GET [Worksheet URL]?alt=json
Besides list-row feed, you'll also find a "post" URL which should be used to alter spreadsheet using list-row feed. It's the one where "rel" equals "http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#post" under feed > link.
It happens that it is the same URL as for GET request. In my case: https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/1TCLgzG-AFsERoibIUOUUE8aNftoE7476TWYKqXQ0xb8/ofs6ake/private/full. Just be sure to not append alt=json.
Now, to insert a new row using list-row feed you need to send POST with payload which is specified in docs. You need to send a column name prefixed with "gsx:" as a tag name. However it may not be the same as the column name in the spreadsheet. You need to remove any white-spaces, make it all lowercase and without any national characters. So to make your example work you need to replace <gsx:Name> with <gsx:name>.
Before the change you probably had the following payload message:
Blank rows cannot be written; use delete instead.
It's because the API didn't understand what the "Name" is and it just dropped this part of entry from the request. Without it there were no more items and the row was blank.
Alternatively you can read column names from the GET response. Keys from objects in feed > entry array that begins with gsk$ are columns definitions (everything after $ sign is a column name).
=================================================================
EDIT
To answer a question from the comments.
I've changed two things from your example:
function appendRow(token){
function constructAtomXML(foo){
var atom = ["<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>",
'<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:gsx="http://schemas.google.com/spreadsheets/2006/extended">',
'<gsx:name>',foo,'</gsx:name>',
'</entry>'].join('');
return atom;
};
/*
var params = {
'body': constructAtomXML("foo")
};
*/
var params = constructAtomXML("foo");
url = 'https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/'+spredsheetId+'/default/private/full?alt=json&access_token=' + token;
var z = new XMLHttpRequest();
z.open("POST", url, true);
z.setRequestHeader("Content-type", "application/atom+xml");
z.setRequestHeader("GData-Version", "3.0");
z.setRequestHeader("Authorization", 'Bearer '+ token);
z.onreadystatechange = function() {//Call a function when the state changes.
if(z.readyState == 4 && z.status == 200) {
alert(z.responseText);
}
}
z.send(params);
}
1) <gsx:Name> to <gsx:name>. Without it you'll receive an error.
2) params object should be a String! Not an object with some 'body' key. You just need to pass a value you want to send to the server.