Get multiple cell action in Apple Numbers package

The Get multiple cell action of the Apple Numbers package enables you to retrieve the values from an entire table, specific row, or a defined cell range within a spreadsheet, and store it in a table variable.

Settings

  • Use one of the following options to provide session name:
    • Session name: Enter the name of the session used to open the spreadsheet with the Open action.
    • Variable: Enter the session variable that you added in the Open action.
  • Select whether to retrieve values from the Active or a Specific sheet.
    • Active: Retrieves the value from the currently active sheet.
    • Specific: Retrieves the value specified by the sheet name and table name. Complete the following fields:
      • Sheet name: Specify the sheet name to retrieve the value For example, Sheet1.
      • Table name: Specify the table name for the provided sheet. For example, Table1.
  • Select any one of the following options to get value:
    • Full table: Select this option to extract all the data from the entire table, including every row and column within that table.

      Select the check box Set header row to set the specified table's first row as the table variable header.

    • Specific rows: Select this option to extract data only from the specified row within the table. Complete the following fields:
      • From row: Specify the row number from which you want the value to be retrieved. For example, 10
      • To row: Specify the row number up to which you want the value to be retrieved. For example, 40
    • Cell range: Select this option to extract data from a specified rectangular block of cells defined by a starting and ending cell (for example, from B2 to D5). Complete the following fields:
      • From cell: Specify the cell address from which you want the value to be retrieved. For example, A1
      • To cell: Specify the cell address up to which you want the value to be retrieved. For example, C20
  • Choose from the Value type option to read either the visible text or value of the cell:
    • Visible text
    • Cell value

    For example, if the cell has 70% as cell content, Cell value option will read the value as 70 ignoring the % format whereas Visible text option will read the content as 70%.

  • Select a table variable to store the extracted values.

Example

You are working on the Employee Numbers spreadsheet. In Sheet 1, titled Employee records, there are two tables: Table 1 contains the Employee data set, and Table 2 includes the Employee performance appraisal data. You select to work on a specific sheet 1 and table (Employee performance appraisal data), let's understand how data retrieval will vary based on the options you select. Before you start building the bot, you can create the following data sets on your desktop in .xlsx format as below

Table 1. Employee performance appraisal data
Name Department Job title Salary Appraisal percentage
Claire M Marketing Manager

$50,000

 10%
Jane Smith Sales Manager

$50,000

 11%
Paul Johson Product management Manager

$60,000

 12%
Roger Smith Technical writer Writer

$30,000

 11%
Andrew Robson Finance Sr. manager

$60,000

 12%
  1. Double-click or drag the Apple numbers > Open action. Select the file path that you saved on your desktop.
  2. Double-click or drag the Get multiple cell action and provide the following inputs:
    1. Select the Specific sheet option and enter Employee records in the Sheet name field to retrieve the values.
    2. In the Table name field, enter Employee performance appraisal data.
    3. Choose Visible text option to read the visible text of the cell.
    4. Select Full table to extract all the data from the entire table. When you run the bot, you will see the following output:

      Retrieving data without selecting header check box

    5. Select Full table and select the check box Set header row. When you run the bot, you will see the following output:

      Retrieving data by selecting header check box

    6. Select Specific rows and enter the following range in the From row and To row fields : 2:4. Save and then run the bot. The output is displayed as: 
      Claire M,Marketing,Manager,$50,000,10%
 Jane Smith,Sales,Manager,$50,000,11%
Paul Johson,Product management,Manager,$60,000,12%
    7. Select Cell range and enter the following range in the From cell and To cell fields : A1:C6. Save and then run the bot. The output is displayed as: 
      Name,Department,Job title
Claire M,Marketing,Manager
 Jane Smith,Sales,Manager
Paul Johson,Product management,Manager
Roger Smith,Technical writer, Writer
Andrew Robson,Finance,Sr. manager