G Suite gets more customization tools including new App Maker

May 19, 2017

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G Suite gets more customization tools including new App Maker 4

As Google I/O 2017 starts to wind down and fans plot their new developments or their next big purchase based on Google tech, the enterprise market got some welcome news about some tools Google will roll out for G Suite. G Suite is Google's platform mainly intended for the enterprise that gives companies access to their own cloud version of many of Google's consumer tools. G Suite makes apps like Gmail, Drive and others available to an enterprise as their own private version of the tools. The new tools and features Google is rolling out will help enterprises leverage G Suite to be much more useful and productive and continues their efforts to match some other offerings in the enterprise market.

The first new item Google is rolling out is App Maker, “a low-code, application development tool.” Using App Maker, developers can create custom apps quickly through the use of templates, a drag-and-drop UI and “point-and-click data modeling.” Google says developers will also be able to extend and customize these apps by tapping into a variety of APIs using App Script.

Google also highlighted some of the G Suite APIs that will be available for developers. For instance, a Sheets API enables reading, writing and formatting data in a Sheets file via separate app. The same thing can be done for presentations using the Slides API which enables functions like pulling in data from third-party sources on the fly. Google says their Gmail API will be useful for users who want to process their inboxes more efficiently and effectively by doing things like automating responses or moving messages to different labels. This includes being able to do thing like create and send an email from within another app with the appropriate information being passed over to Gmail.

Googles App Script is a JavaScript-based platform for customizing apps like Sheets, Docs or Forms. Google says developers can use App Script to customize those apps by doing things like adding menu items or sidebars. Besides the Drive oriented capabilities, Google is also making Gmail Add-ons available as a developer preview to make it easier to incorporate the Gmail platform. Google makes a special note that use of the Gmail Add-ons will work across all platforms for Gmail.

Google I/O 2017 coverage presented by BESTEK

Jeff Causey Author

Raised in North Carolina, Jeff Causey is a licensed CPA in North Carolina. Jeff's past Android devices include an HTC EVO, a Samsung Note II, an LG G3, and a Motorola Moto X Pure Edition along with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1. He currently uses a Samsung Galaxy S8 and (very rarely) a Nexus 7 (2013). He is also using a Verizon-branded Motorola Moto Z Play Droid supplied by his job. Jeff used to have a pair of Google Glass and a Moto 360 Sport in his stable of gadgets. Unfortunately, his kids have all drunk the Apple Kool-Aid and have i-devices. Life at home often includes demonstrations of the superiority of his Android based devices. In his free time, Jeff is active an active runner usually training for his next marathon, owns a Mazda MX-5 Miata, and plays Dungeons & Dragons. Jeff has three grown kids and a golden retriever.