Insert Cells
Description
Inserts one or more cells into a Google Sheet.
Existing cells are shifted to create space for the newly inserted cells.
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 cells will be inserted.
Sheet Name
The name of the sheet where the operation will be performed.
If not specified, the currently active sheet is used.
Selection Type
Determines whether a single cell or a range of cells will be inserted.
Cell Address
The cell at which the new cell will be inserted.
Required when Selection Type is set to Single.
From
The starting cell of the range to insert.
Required when Selection Type is set to Multiple.
To
The ending cell of the range to insert.
Required when Selection Type is set to Multiple.
Shift Direction
Determines how existing cells are shifted to create space for the inserted cells.
Supported options include:
- Shift Down
- Shift Right
For details about selecting spreadsheets, sheets, and cell ranges, 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
Result
A Boolean value indicating whether the insert operation completed successfully.
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| True | The specified cells were successfully inserted. |
| False | The insert operation was unsuccessful. |
Remarks
- The authenticated Google account must have permission to modify the spreadsheet.
- Inserting cells affects only the selected cells and does not insert entire rows or columns.
- When Shift Down is selected, existing cells below the insertion point are moved downward.
- When Shift Right is selected, existing cells to the right of the insertion point are moved right.
- Existing formulas, references, charts, and dependent calculations may be adjusted automatically by Google Sheets.
- To insert entire rows or columns, use the Insert Rows or Insert Columns activities.
Example: Operate on a cell range
Choose Multiple, set From to B2 and To to C4, and select the required shift direction (Down or Right). Both endpoints are included. This changes the selected cells and shifts their neighbors; use a row/column activity when the operation must affect entire rows or columns.
Handle validation and service exceptions through On Error; a successful result is not a substitute for checking that the selected range is correct.