[Pinned] Complete Clasp x GAS Guide for Absolute Beginners (ZIDOOKA!)

This series is a practical guide for "busy sole proprietors" and "staff in small companies" to automate their own work.

"I want to eliminate daily routine work." "I can't afford to hire anyone, but I need help." "I've never done programming, but I want to do something about it."

I wrote this for you.

What you will learn in this series is not just how to write GAS (Google Apps Script). It is how to create "your own digital secretary who works 24/7 without complaining" with your own hands.

Why "Clasp" for busy you?

"I don't have time to study programming!" You might think so. However, because you are busy, you should use the strongest weapon.

By using a tool called Clasp and using the same tools as professional engineers (VS Code), the learning cost drops dramatically.

1. AI (Copilot) writes for you:

   • This is the biggest reason.
   • If you write "Aggregate sales data" in English (or Japanese), AI will write the code.
   • You just need to be the "director". You don't need to memorize code from scratch.

2. Even if you fail, you can undo with "Ctrl+Z":

   • It's scary to break tools used in business.
   • With this method, you can return to the "working state" anytime, like a save point in a game.
   • You can try and error with peace of mind.

3. Get "efficiency skills" for a lifetime:

   • The usage of "black screen (terminal)" and "VS Code" learned here can be applied to all IT tasks other than GAS.
   • Your business combat power should be orders of magnitude higher by the time you finish reading this series.

The future you get with this series

By the time you finish reading this series, you will be able to do the following:

• Liberation from copy-paste work every morning: GAS creates a report while you are drinking coffee.
• Eradication of mistakes: Input mistakes that always happen when humans do it become zero.
• Transformation into "IT-savvy manager/staff": You will be able to create small tools yourself without relying on external vendors.

Without difficult theories, I will explain focusing only on "usable from today" and "useful in the field". Now, let's go on a journey to accelerate your business!

• Environment construction power: The power to install and configure development tools on your PC.
• VS Code utilization: The power to master the world's strongest editor.
• AI pair programming: Essential skills for modern engineers to write code in cooperation with AI.

Target Audience

• People who want to improve business efficiency but feel the limits of the browser GAS editor
• People who have no programming experience but admire a full-fledged development environment
• People who hated the "black screen" without trying
• People looking for teaching materials to teach GAS to new employees

Series Index (Chapters)

Each chapter proceeds on the premise of the content of the previous chapter. Please read in order without skipping.

• Chapter 0: What are GAS and Clasp anyway?
  • Concretely imagine what you can do with GAS and the meaning of using Clasp.
• Chapter 1: Minimum things to know before using Clasp
  • Learn common language of engineers such as "terminal", "path", "directory".
• Chapter 2: Setting up the environment for Clasp
  • Carefully explain the installation procedure of Node.js, Clasp, VS Code like looking at screenshots.
• Chapter 3: Connecting Google Account and Clasp
  • Clear the first barrier "Authentication".
• Chapter 4: Creating your first GAS project
  • Taste the pleasure of creating a project with a single command.
• Chapter 5: Writing GAS code
  • Write code in VS Code, get help from AI, and run it on Google's server.
• Chapter 6: Understanding push / pull
  • Understand the mechanism of file upload/download and prevent accidents.
• Chapter 7: Image of using GAS for "Real Work"
  • Think about usage in specific business scenarios (aggregation, notification, form).
• Chapter 8: Points where beginners always get stuck
  • It is a "cane before falling" so as not to panic even if an error occurs.
• Chapter 9: What to do next
  • Guide to TypeScript, Git, and further automation.

Are you ready? Let's open the door to new skills!