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Version: Current

Find First Empty Cell

Description​

Finds the first empty cell along a specified row or column in a Google Sheet.

The activity can search horizontally across a row or vertically down a column and returns the address of the first empty cell found.

Common settings​

Use Process Data to bind supported inputs to workflow values or upstream outputs. See Common Activity Features for shared execution, error-handling, and output-persistence settings. Availability depends on the activity.

Design-Time Configuration​

Display Text​

A user-defined name for the activity, displayed on the workflow canvas to help identify its purpose.

Connection Name​

The configured Google Sheets connection used to access Google Sheets resources.

Spreadsheet​

The spreadsheet where the search will be performed.

Sheet Name​

The name of the sheet where the operation will be performed.

If not specified, the currently active sheet is used.

Row Number​

The row to scan horizontally.

Use this option to find the first empty cell within a specific row.

Column Letter​

The column to scan vertically.

Use this option to find the first empty cell within a specific column.

note

Specify either Row Number or Column Letter, depending on the desired search direction.

info

For details about selecting spreadsheets and sheets, see Google Sheets Data Selection.

Execution settings​

Configure Wait All Incoming when execution paths converge, and On Error for failure handling. Select Inherit where available to use the workflow-level error policy.

Output​

Cell Address​

The address of the first empty cell found.

Example:

B5

The returned value uses standard A1 notation.

Remarks​

  • The authenticated Google account must have access to the spreadsheet.
  • When Row Number is specified, the search proceeds from left to right across the row.
  • When Column Letter is specified, the search proceeds from top to bottom down the column.
  • Only one search direction should be specified for a single execution.
  • The returned cell address can be used by subsequent Google Sheets activities that accept cell references.

Example: Find a gap in a column​

Set Column Letter to A and leave Row Number empty. If A1 and A3 contain values and A2 is empty, Cell Address is A2. If all returned cells are populated, the activity returns the next position after those values. An empty column returns A1. For a row search, specify its 1-based Row Number instead.

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