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Hi Reader,

Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #356, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form!

I’m delighted to have my friend Justin Keene of EdTech-Training sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

His company teaches educators how to use the Canvas LMS through self-paced learning courses, but here’s the cool part: he built the entire training platform itself with Google Apps Script!

By combining libraries, web apps, and APIs, Justin powers real-time progress tracking, logs data to BigQuery, and surfaces insights in Looker Studio dashboards.

It’s a great example of how Apps Script can go way beyond quick fixes and actually scale into full products and businesses.

So if you work with the Canvas LMS and enjoy these newsletters, please support him by checking out this week’s sponsor link.

➜ News

I.
​10 ways you can use the new AI function in Google Sheets >>​

II.
​The accuracy of the ISEMAIL and ISURL functions have been improved to recognize more domains and email addresses.

​Read more here >>​

III.
​Arrow keys now move an object by a 1-pixel distance in Google Slides! Previously, the arrow keys moved objects in bigger steps.

Since I’m obsessive about the little things, I welcome this update ;)

​Read more here >>​

Brought to you by: EdTech-Training - Canvas Teacher Training Hands-On Canvas LMS Training — Powered by Google Apps Script How do you know if your teachers really understand Canvas? Our self-paced training course provides authentic learning by guiding educators through real tasks inside Canvas, using the same skills they'll need in their classrooms. Each task includes support materials with videos to build confidence and is automatically evaluated using Google Apps Script. Teachers get instant feedback, while schools gain accountability through a live Looker Studio dashboard and Canvas grade book. No passive videos. No live facilitators needed. Hands-on, self-paced, and measurable—just the way training should be. Over 2,500 tasks completed this summer by educators in real Canvas courses. Seeing is believing. Try the free demo today!

➜ Sheets Tip #356: Notes in Google Sheets

In this tip, we look at the notes feature in Google Sheets.

Notes in Google Sheets serve as a hidden layer of information, allowing you to add crucial context without cluttering the main grid.

Think of them as digital sticky notes attached to individual cells.

The main benefits of notes are to:

• Explain Data: Add context without visual noise.
• Embed Instructions: Guide users directly within a cell.
• Leave Contextual Reminders: Add a personal note right where you need it e.g. "Resume review here".

Notes achieve this with minimal clutter in your Sheet.

(One could argue that they are almost too subtle, and easily missed though!)

Here's an example of a note to explain an expense value in a P&L statement. Cells with notes have a black triangle in the top right corner:

The note shows whenever the mouse cursor hovers over that cell:

How to add Notes

To add a note to the selected cell, either go to the menu Insert > Note or right-click and select "Insert note".

One final thing to note (haha, see what I did there) is that you can see all the notes and their positions in the Print Preview screen:

Go to the menu: File > Print

Toggle the notes on or off under the menu: Formatting > Show notes

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend who might enjoy it.

Have a great week!

Cheers,
Ben

P.S. Actually, I don't think I'm going to do it​