class SpreadsheetApp method .getValue()

SpreadsheetApp is the Apps Script service.

.getValue() is the method name you will see after a dot in your code.

What it does

Reads the value stored in a single cell.

Why it's used

Read a single setting cell, status flag, or lookup key.
Check one cell before deciding what the rest of the script should do.

Common errors

Forgetting parentheses on getValue. Write SpreadsheetApp.getValue(), not SpreadsheetApp.getValue or getValue by itself.
Skipping dots between chained calls. Each step needs a dot, like SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Data').getValue().
Adding spaces where they do not belong. Write SpreadsheetApp.getValue(), not SpreadsheetApp .getValue(), SpreadsheetApp.getValue (), or SpreadsheetApp . getValue().
Wrong capitalization. Use SpreadsheetApp and getValue, not spreadsheetapp or getvalue.

Snippets using this method

Official Google docs

Explore

Related methods

.setValue()
Writes a value into a single cell.
.getValues()
Reads values from every cell in a range as a 2D array.
.getDisplayValue()
Reads the formatted text shown in a cell, not the raw value.
.getDisplayValues()
Reads the formatted text shown in every cell in a range.
.setValues()
Writes a 2D array of values into a range of cells.

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