What is the difference between getActive() and getActiveSpreadsheet() in Apps Script?

Question

Whats the difference between these two methods from class SpreadSheetApp in Google Apps Script?

Both return "currently active spreadsheet, or null if there is none". Whats the difference between them, exactly? When should I use each one?

Omegaomelet

Answer 1

For me they're quite interchangeable really. Both return Spreadsheet object and has access to methods available to Class Spreadsheet. Feel free to use whichever you prefer.

Same results:

 Logger.log("getActiveSpreadSheet() "+SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getUrl());
 Logger.log("getActive() "+ SpreadsheetApp.getActive().getUrl() );

Nari

I tested in the Script Editor with SpreadsheetApp.getActive() === SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet(), and the answer was false, any ideas? – Prevalent

Answer 2

They don't seem to return a pointer to the same animal. I don't know why (don't have time to investigate) but

1. The sheet returned by getActiveSheet() has the getRangeByName() method - and the one from getActive() doesn't have it
2. The sheet returned by getActiveSheet() doesn't have the getCharts() method - and the one from getActive() does have it

Either something really over my head makes this justifiable or it is just dismal language/syntax design (maybe some legacy crap that never got resolved?)

Nikethamide

Strange, it's other way around for me - object returned by getActiveSheet() has getCharts(), but doesn't have getRangeByName(). The object is actually of a class Sheet, not Spreadsheet (as returned by getActive() or getActiveSpreadsheet()). Besides, the question in OP wasn't about getActiveSheet() anyway. – Upend

Answer 3

Following this article, function getActiveSpreadsheet() is deprecated.

So it's better to use function getActive().

Crinoline