Extend the Google Workspace UI

This page describes your options for extending the Google Workspace user interface (UI). You can extend the Google Workspace UI for many reasons, including:

  • Integrate your app or service into Google Workspace, so that users can use the app directly from one or more Google Workspace apps. For example, build a Google Workspace Add-on that creates smart chips and link previews for your service inside Google Docs.
  • Help Google Workspace users be more productive or improve their workflow. For example, build a Google Chat app that lets users report weekly timesheets directly from Google Chat.
  • Add capabilities that aren't natively available in Google Workspace. For example, add a custom menu in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

You can publish most of the options for extending the Google Workspace UI to the Google Workspace Marketplace, an online store where users can find and install third-party apps that integrate with Google Workspace.

Overview of options for extending the Google Workspace UI

The following table lists the options for extending the Google Workspace UI and compares them by these characteristics:

  • Apps extended: Lists the Google Workspace apps that you can extend with the given option.
  • Coding options: Lists the ways that you can build, including:
    • AppSheet: A no-code development platform.
    • Apps Script: A cloud-based, low-code development platform based in JavaScript.
    • Full dev: Your own tech stack that supports your preferred coding language.
  • UI frameworks: Indicates the types of UI frameworks that you can use to to build each option, including:
    • Card-based: Card interfaces are predefined widgets and cards built with either the Card Service using Apps Script or by returning properly formatted JSON to render cards with your preferred tech stack (full dev). Card-based interfaces don't require knowledge of HTML or CSS, and work well on both desktop and mobile clients.
    • HTML: Apps Script offers an HTML service for developing web pages that can interact with server-side Apps Script functions. Interfaces developed with the HTML service are highly customizable, but require more manual work to create a great user experience.
    • iFrame: iFrames embed external content into Google Workspace and offer the most customizability for user interfaces.

Following the table are descriptions for each option.

What you can build Preview Apps extended Coding options Card-based UI HTML UI iFrame UI
Google Workspace Add-ons Google Workspace Add-on example
Gmail
Drive
Calendar
Docs
Sheets
Slides
Apps Script
Full dev
Link previews and smart chips | Google Workspace Add-ons Google Workspace Add-on link previews example
Docs
Sheets
Slides
AppSheet
Apps Script
Full dev
Email drafts | Google Workspace Add-ons Google Workspace Add-on for email drafts example
Gmail
Apps Script
Full dev
Calendar conferencing | Google Workspace Add-ons Google Workspace Add-on for Calendar conferencing example
Calendar
Apps Script

Uses existing UI

Editor Add-ons Editor Add-on example
Docs
Sheets
Slides
Forms
Apps Script
Google Chat apps Chat app example
Chat
AppSheet
Apps Script
Full dev
Custom functions Custom function example
Sheets
Apps Script

Uses existing UI

Macros Macro example
Sheets
Apps Script

Uses existing UI

Custom menus, dialogs, and sidebars Menu and sidebar example
Docs
Sheets
Slides
Forms
Apps Script
Google Drive apps Drive app example
Drive
Full dev

Uses existing UI

Google Classroom add-ons Google Classroom add-ons
Classroom
Full dev

Google Workspace Add-ons

Google Workspace Add-on example

Google Workspace Add-ons are applications that integrate with Google Workspace apps. A Google Workspace Add-on can extend multiple Google Workspace apps. Most often, the app opens in a sidebar from within the Google Workspace app that it extends.

View Google Workspace Add-ons documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

Apps Script
Full dev

Extends the following apps:

Gmail
Drive
Calendar

Docs
Sheets
Slides

Available UI frameworks:

Card framework



Link preview example

Google Workspace Add-ons that extend Docs can create custom link previews from a third-party service. Similar to smart chips that Docs generates for mentions of a person, file, calendar event, or other entity within a Google Workspace application, an add-on can generate a smart chip for a third-party link and show a preview card when someone hovers over the chip.

You can add link previews to existing Google Workspace Add-ons or create a separate Google Workspace Add-on specifically for link previews.

View link previews and smart chips documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

AppSheet
Apps Script
Full dev

Extends the following apps:

Docs
Sheets
Slides

Available UI frameworks:

Card framework



Email drafts | Google Workspace Add-ons

Email draft example

Google Workspace Add-ons that extend Gmail can provide a custom interface when the user composes new messages or replies to existing messages. To use this interface, users open the add-on from within the email draft, either at the bottom of the draft or in the More options menu.

View email drafts documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

Apps Script
Full dev

Extends the following apps:

Gmail

Available UI frameworks:

Card framework



Calendar conferencing | Google Workspace Add-ons

Calendar conferencing example

If you're a web conferencing provider, you can build a Google Workspace Add-on that extends Google Calendar with your conference solution. The add-on adds a conferencing option for Calendar events, letting users create and join those conferences directly from Calendar.

View Calendar conferencing documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

Apps Script

Extends the following apps:

Calendar

Available UI frameworks:

Uses existing UI


Editor Add-ons

Editor Add-on example

Editor Add-ons are apps that extend Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Forms. Editor Add-ons can only extend one app per add-on, but you can publish multiple Editor Add-ons in the same Marketplace listing. Users open Editor Add-ons from the Extensions menu in the app that they extend.

You can use the following interfaces for an Editor Add-on:

  • A sidebar next to the application that it extends.
  • A dialog overlaying the app it extends.
  • A menu item that runs a script.
  • A custom function in a Google Sheets spreadsheet.

View Editor Add-ons documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

Apps Script

Extends the following apps:

Docs
Sheets
Slides
Forms

Available UI frameworks:

HTML
iFrame



Chat apps

Chat app example

Chat apps bring resources and services into Chat. You can design Chat apps to interact with users in many ways, including:

  • Respond to slash commands with a text message or card message.
  • Open a dialog to help users complete multi-step processes, like filling in form data.
  • Preview links by attaching cards with helpful information that let users take action directly from the conversation.

View Chat apps documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

AppSheet
Apps Script
Full dev

Extends the following apps:

Chat

Available UI frameworks:

Card framework



Custom functions

Custom function example

Custom functions let you add more functions in Sheets. Users can find and use them just like any of the hundreds of built-in functions available in Sheets. You can publish a custom function as an Editor Add-ons.

View custom functions documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

Apps Script

Extends the following apps:

Sheets

Available UI frameworks:

Uses existing UI


Macros

Macro example

Macros are recordings in Sheets that duplicate a specific series of UI interactions that you define. You can link a macro to a keyboard shortcut or run it from the Extensions > Macros menu.

When you record a macro, Sheets automatically creates an Apps Script function that replicates the UI interactions. You can edit macros directly within the Apps Script editor. You can write macros from scratch in Apps Script, or take functions you've already written and turn them into macros.

View macros documentation

Coding options:

Apps Script

Extends the following apps:

Sheets

Available UI frameworks:

Uses existing UI


Custom menus, dialogs, and sidebars

Custom menu example

You can add custom menus, prompts, alerts, and HTML-based dialogs and sidebars to files in Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. Custom menus appear next to the default menus of the app they extend. Dialogs, sidebars, prompts, and alerts are typically activated by user actions like menu item clicks, or by triggers like event-driven triggers.

View custom menus, dialogs, and sidebars documentation

Coding options:

Apps Script

Extends the following apps:

Docs
Sheets
Slides
Forms

Available UI frameworks:

HTML
iFrame



Drive apps

Drive app example

If your app supports Drive files, you can integrate with the Drive user interface to present your app as an option to create or open files. Your app can appear in the New > More menu and the Open with menu when a user right-clicks a file in Drive. When a user selects your app from either menu, your app opens in a new window.

View Drive apps documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

Full dev

Extends the following apps:

Drive

Available UI frameworks:

Uses existing UI


Google Classroom add-ons

Classroom add-ons

Google Classroom add-ons let educators create attachments on coursework, announcements, or coursework materials. These attachments open third-party content in iframes in Classroom. The iframes open separate URLs depending on the user type and Classroom context.

View Classroom add-ons documentation

Publishable



Coding options:

Full dev

Extends the following apps:

Classroom

Available UI frameworks:

iFrame