# SheetBridge Property Type Mapping ### Before You Begin * All type detection is based on the actual data in the column, not Google Sheets' cell formatting settings. *** ### Introduction When SheetBridge connects your spreadsheet, it inspects each column and maps it to the closest supported Adalo property type. Most standard column types transfer cleanly, but some Google Sheets formats require a bit of preparation to work as expected in Adalo. *** ## Supported Google Sheet Property Types ### Text **Google Sheets format:** Any cell containing plain text, or a mix of text and numbers. **How it works in Adalo:** Maps to a Text property. This is the default fallback for any column that does not clearly match another type. Use Text for names, descriptions, status labels, IDs, and any other freeform string data. **Things to know:** * Cells with mixed content in the same column (for example, some rows contain numbers and others contain words) will cause the entire column to be treated as Text. * Keeping data types consistent within a column is the best way to ensure accurate type mapping. *** ### Number **Google Sheets format:** Numeric cells, including integers and decimals. **How it works in Adalo:** Maps to a Number property. You can use this for counts, quantities, ratings, prices, and any other numeric value. **Things to know:** * **Currency columns** (formatted with a $ or other symbol in Sheets) are treated as Numbers. The currency symbol and formatting are not carried over into Adalo -- only the raw numeric value is stored. * **Percentage columns** are stored as their decimal equivalent only when the cell is formatted as a percentage in Sheets. For example, a cell displaying 75% is stored as 0.75 in Adalo. If you want to display it as a percentage in your app, multiply by 100 using a formula or handle formatting in the UI. * Avoid mixing numeric and non-numeric values in the same column. A single text entry in an otherwise numeric column can cause the whole column to be read as Text. * ***eg. If a column stores "75%" as plain text, it would remain as the string "75%".*** *** ### True/False **Google Sheets format:** Checkbox cells (Insert > Checkbox in Google Sheets). **How it works in Adalo:** Maps to a True/False property. This is useful for toggles, completion status, yes/no flags, and similar binary fields. **Things to know:** * Google Sheets checkboxes reliably map to True/False. * Text values like "TRUE", "FALSE" must be set in all records or they are treated as Text properties, not True/False. * If you need a boolean field, use the Checkbox cell type in your sheet rather than typing the values manually. *** ### Date & Time **Google Sheets format:** Date, Time, or Date+Time formatted cells. **How it works in Adalo:** Maps to a Date & Time property. Adalo stores the full timestamp when one is available. **For best results, use Date+Time formatted cells.** **Things to know:** * **Date only** (for example, 2025-06-01): SheetBridge stores this with a time of midnight UTC. Be aware of time zone differences if your app displays or filters by time. * **Time only** (for example, 14:30): Stored as a time value. If you need to combine it with a date for sorting or display, consider using a combined Date+Time column in your sheet instead. * **Date+Time** (for example, 2025-06-01 14:30): Transfers cleanly and is the most reliable format for date-related filtering and sorting in Adalo. * Cells formatted as dates in Sheets but containing plain text (for example, "June 2025") are treated as Text and will not work with date-based filtering or sorting. * When updating Date or Date/Time in Sheets with ***"Current Time"*** you need to change the formatting to ***"none"*** *** ### Image (URL-based) **Google Sheets format:** A column containing direct image URLs (plain text links ending in .jpg, .png, .gif, etc.). **How it works in Adalo:** Adalo does not have a dedicated image column type for External Collections. Image URLs stored in Text Properties and can be used with Image components in your Adalo app. **Things to know:** * Images inserted directly into Google Sheets cells using Insert > Image are **not accessible** through SheetBridge and will not appear in Adalo. Only URL-based image references are supported. * Make sure image URLs are publicly accessible. Links that require authentication or Google Drive sharing permissions will not load in your app. *** ### Formulas **Google Sheets format:** Cells containing a formula (for example, =A2&" "\&B2 or =TODAY()). **How it works in Adalo:** SheetBridge reads the **output value** of the formula, not the formula itself. The resulting value is mapped to the appropriate type based on what the formula returns -- Text, Number, Date, etc. **Things to know:** * Formula columns work well for computed values you want to display in your app (for example, a full name combined from first and last name columns). * Formulas that return errors (like #REF! or #VALUE!) will appear as empty in Adalo. Resolve formula errors in Sheets before connecting. * SheetBridge does not write formula values back from Adalo. If a user updates a field in your app that corresponds to a formula column, the formula in Sheets will be overwritten with a static value. *** ### Dropdown (Data Validation) **Google Sheets format:** Cells using Google Sheets data validation dropdowns. **How it works in Adalo:** The selected value from the dropdown is treated as plain Text. The list of allowed options defined in Sheets is not transferred to Adalo. **Things to know:** * If you want to restrict input to a specific set of options in your Adalo app, you will need to configure that separately using a separate collection for options or a form with a Picker component. * Dropdown validation in Sheets does not prevent users from entering other values through Adalo forms. *** ### Hyperlinks **Google Sheets format:** For hyperlinks created via Insert > Link or HYPERLINK() formulas **How it works in Adalo:** Links come through as a Text Property with cell label as the record. * For hyperlinks created via Insert > Link, the display text is stored, ***not the underlying URL***. * For HYPERLINK() formulas, the formula's display output is stored. **Things to know:** * The cell's display value is stored as Text. If you need the raw URL available in your app, paste the full URL directly into the cell rather than using Google Sheets' Insert Link feature *** ## Unsupported Google Sheet Property Types The following Google Sheets features are not supported by SheetBridge and will either be ignored or may produce unexpected results: | Feature | Behavior in SheetBridge | | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Images inserted directly into cells | Not accessible; will appear empty | | Merged cells in header row | Can cause columns to be skipped or misread | | Multi-line cell content | Supported as Text, but line breaks are replaced with single spaces during processing. | | Rich text formatting (bold, color) | Formatting is stripped; only the plain text value is stored | | Named ranges | Not supported; SheetBridge reads tab structure only | | Array formulas spanning multiple cells | May produce unexpected output; use with caution | *** ### Tips for Clean Type Mapping * Keep each column to a single, consistent data type. * Use native Checkbox cells for boolean fields rather than typing TRUE/FALSE as text. * Use Date+Time formatted cells when you need date filtering or sorting in your app. * Store image references as plain URLs in a dedicated column. * Resolve any formula errors in your sheet before connecting to SheetBridge. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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