How to extract URL from Link in Google Sheets using a formula?

Question

I have copied from a website a series of hyperlinks and pasted them in a google sheet. The values show up as linked text, not hyperlink formulas, and are still linked correc

Answer 1

The built-in SpreadsheetApp service doesn't seem to support pulling such URLs out, but the “Advanced” Sheets service does.

Enable the Advanced Sheets service according to Google's instructions, and then try this code:

function onOpen() {
  var menu = SpreadsheetApp.getUi().createMenu("Extract URLs");
  menu.addItem("Process =EXTRACT_URL(A1) formulas", "processFormulas");
  menu.addToUi();
}

function EXTRACT_URL() {
  return SpreadsheetApp.getActiveRange().getFormula();
}

function processFormulas() {
  var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  var sheet = spreadsheet.getActiveSheet();
  var rows = sheet.getDataRange().getFormulas();
  for (var r = 0; r < rows.length; r++) {
    var row = rows[r];
    for (var c = 0; c < row.length; c++) {
      var formula = row[c];
      if (formula) {
        var matched = formula.match(/^=EXTRACT_URL\((.*)\)$/i);
        if (matched) {
          var targetRange = matched[1];
          if (targetRange.indexOf("!") < 0) {
            targetRange = sheet.getName() + "!" + targetRange;
          }
          var result = Sheets.Spreadsheets.get(spreadsheet.getId(), {
            ranges: targetRange,
            fields: 'sheets.data.rowData.values.hyperlink'
          });
          try {
            var value = result.sheets[0].data[0].rowData[0].values[0].hyperlink;
            sheet.getRange(r + 1, c + 1).setValue(value);
          } catch (e) {
            // no hyperlink; just ignore
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

This creates a custom function called EXTRACT_URL, which you should call with a reference to the cell that contains the link; for example, =EXTRACT_URL(B3).

Unfortunately it doesn't work immediately, because the Advanced Sheets service can't be used directly by custom functions. So this script adds a menu called “Extract URLs” to the spreadsheet menu bar, with one menu item labeled “Process =EXTRACT_URL(A1) formulas”. When you click it, it will replace all uses of the EXTRACT_URL function with the URL itself.