Linking Google Forms and Kintone

Introduction

This article introduces how to capture Google Form responses into Kintone using Google Apps Scripts.

Google Forms allows end users to easily create and send questionnaires and event invitations, but there are many advantages of capturing the form responses into Kintone's databases over spreadsheets.

1. Access controls
   Kintone allows end users to set granular access controls to the data in its Apps. For example, records that have a "Keep private" answer for one of their Google Form questions can be set so that only the HR department will be able to view the submission data.
2. Business Process Management
   Workflows can be set for each record in the Kintone App, which makes the post form submission actions clearer. For example, after receiving a Google Forms submission into Kintone, the record can be assigned to a Design team member to work on creating creatives related to the submission data.
3. Communication
   Each record inside the Kintone App has a feature for posting comments for other team members to read. For example, after receiving a Google Forms submission, an Events team member can write a comment in the record, to reach out to a Sales team member who may have some connection with the submitter of the form.
   
   

In this article, we go through the following steps for the development:

1. Create a Google Form
2. Create a Kintone App
3. Create a Google Apps Script program

1.Create a Google Form

Step 1

A Google account will be needed for this step.
Log in to your Google account, select Google Forms from the Google app icon (or directly login from https://docs.google.com/forms/), and click the "+" under "Start a new form".

Step 2

Enter the title and description of your form.

Step 3

Click the Settings icon, check "Collect email address", uncheck all boxes under "Requires sign in", and save the changes.

Step 4

Click the "Add Question" icon, select a question type, such as "Multiple choice". Enter your question in the question field, and the response options.

 

Select "Required" as below if the question is mandatory.

Step 5

Repeat the process and add more questions.

Google Forms will save every change you make. Finish off your form, and move on to the next step - create a Kintone App.

2. Create a Kintone App

Step 1

Log in to Kintone, and create a new Kintone App with fields similar to the ones placed in your Google Form.
As reference, this is the Kintone App layout and settings used in the screenshots in this article. 

Field Type	Field Name	Field Code
Link	Email	Email
Radio Button	Would you like to participate in this event?	attend
Number	The number of participants	number_of_participants
Text Area	The names of the participants	names_of_participants

Step 2

Click on the Apps settings tab, and click on "API Token".

 

Generate a new API Token, check the "Add records" check-box, and save the settings.

 

Apply the changes made to your App

3. Create a Google Apps Script Program

Step 1

Reopen the Google form created in the previous step and click "Script editor" from the "Other" menu.

 

Enter a project name and a file name.

Step 2

In this article, we will use the following library: https://github.com/Arahabica/KintoneManager

Copy the Project Key from the link above. On Google Forms, select "Resources" and then "Libraries".

 

 

Paste the project key into the "Add a Library" field. Click "Add" to add the library, select the latest version, and save the settings.

 

Step 3

Copy the following code in to your Google Apps Script.
The strings "Email", "attend", "number_of_participants" and "names_of_participants" that are listed in the code are the field codes of the fields in the Kintone App. Make sure these names match the field code in your App.
Make sure to also change the "subdomain", "appid" and "token" to values that correspond to your Kintone App.

 

Once finished, save your code.

 

Code Explanation

 

Getting data from the Google form

 

The e.response.getItemResponses() function retrieves the submitted form data:

 

The e.reponse.getRespondentEmail() function is used to get the email address of the form submitter, and the request data for Kintone is created:

 

Sending data to Kintone

 

The information of the Kintone App created above is set with the following:

The imported library is initialized, the request data is JSON formatted, and is then sent to Kintone:

The submission to Kintone succeeds if the response code is "200".

Step 4

Select "Current project’s triggers" from the Edit menu and select a function to run when an event occurs of the Google Form. Click Save when done.

 

 

The set up for Google Apps Script is now complete.

 

4. Test the integration

Click the Send button in the upper right corner of the Google form you created, fill out the Send form and click the Send button.

 

Recipients will receive links to the Google Form.

 

 

Once the form is submitted, the response data should be added to your Kintone App.

 

5. Finally

Using Google form enables you to easily create forms for questionnaires, event attendance, etc. and send them to recipients via email or SNS, as well as embedding them on your company website. It also lets you manage data results efficiently by registering responses to a Kintone app automatically.