Automation Doctor
Today I’ll show you how to generate QR codes using Google Apps Script (GAS).
No API registration required — you can use it immediately!
Generating QR Codes with Google Chart Tool
Since GAS can’t generate QR codes on its own, we call an external API.
The simplest option is the Google Chart Tool:
https://developers.google.com/chart
Basic: Get a QR Code Image in GAS
Here’s the minimal code required to generate a QR code via GET request:
// Function to generate a QR code
function generateQR(data) {
// Send GET request to Google Chart Tool
let url = 'https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=100x100&cht=qr&chl=' + data;
let option = {
method: "get",
muteHttpExceptions: true
};
let result = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, option);
// Return the image blob
return result;
}
Advanced: Save the QR Image to a Specific Folder
To save the generated QR code as a file in Google Drive:
// Function to generate a QR code
function generateQR(data) {
let url = 'https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=100x100&cht=qr&chl=' + data;
let option = {
method: "get",
muteHttpExceptions: true
};
let result = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, option);
return result;
}
// Function to save the file
function generateImageFile(url) {
// Generate the QR code and store it as "blob"
let blob = generateQR(url);
// Specify your folder ID (replace ****** with your own)
let folder = DriveApp.getFolderById("******");
// Save the file
folder.createFile(blob).setName("*****.png");
}
Automation Doctor:
“Surprisingly easy, isn’t it?
If you have questions, drop them in the comments!”
Reference
Himanahito — “Google Apps ScriptでQRコードを生成してみる”
https://note.com/himajin_no_asobi/n/n51de21bf73e5
Update
Google Charts API became unavailable, so here’s the new working code using the API from goqr.me.
function generateQRCodeFromSheet(data) {
const baseUrl = 'https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/';
const qrCodeUrl = `${baseUrl}?data=${encodeURIComponent(data)}`;
// Insert the QR code image URL into the active sheet
const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
const cell = sheet.getActiveCell(); // Puts the QR code in the currently selected cell
cell.setFormula(`=IMAGE("${qrCodeUrl}")`);
}
This works almost the same as before.
If you want margin (the code above has none), use this version:
function generateQRCodeFromSheet(data) {
const baseUrl = 'https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/';
const qrCodeUrl = `${baseUrl}?data=${encodeURIComponent(data)}&margin=10`;
const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
const cell = sheet.getActiveCell();
cell.setFormula(`=IMAGE("${qrCodeUrl}")`);
}
API reference:
https://goqr.me/api
That’s all — happy automating!
