Set up Google Cloud

• Go to the Google Cloud Console.

• Sign in with your Google account or create a new one.

• Click Create Project or select an existing project from the project dropdown.

• Name your project (e.g., "Coverletter Automation") and click Create.

• Ensure billing is enabled for the project (required for API usage; Google Cloud offers a free tier for initial use).

• Navigate to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.

• Click Create Service Account, provide a name (e.g., "sheets-automation"), and grant it the Editor role for basic access.

• Create a JSON key for the service account and download it.

• Copy the JSON key content and set it as an environment variable in your project:

  GOOGLE_CREDENTIALS={...paste JSON credentials here...}
  

Enable Google Sheets API

• In the Google Cloud Console, go to APIs & Services > Library.
• Search for Google Sheets API.
• Click Enable to activate the API for your project.
• If prompted, ensure the API is linked to your project and credentials are properly configured.

Deploy Project on Netlify

• Deploy the cloned project to Netlify to make it accessible online.
• Sign in to Netlify, connect your GitHub account, and select the cloned repository.
• Configure build settings (use default settings if unsure) and deploy the site.
• Note the deployed URL provided by Netlify for use in the Google Sheet.

• Make a copy of the provided Google Sheets template to your Google Drive.

• Open the copied Google Sheet in Google Drive.
• Click the Share button in the top-right corner.
• Add the email address of the email client (or service account email used for automation) to the sharing settings. it would be like [email protected]
• Grant Editor access to ensure the client can read and modify the sheet as needed for automation.

• In the copied template, populate the first row (A1 to G1) with the following values:
  • A1: HTML Template for Resume
    • Insert the HTML content or template used for generating resumes.
  • B1: Resume ID
    • The ID of the resume file stored in Google Drive.
    • How to Fetch Resume ID:
      1. Open the resume file in Google Drive.
      2. Copy the ID from the URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/{ResumeID}/view.
  • C1: Default Subject
    • Specify the default email subject line for outgoing emails.
  • D1: Resume Link
    • Provide a publicly accessible link to the resume (e.g., FlowCV, GitHub file, or Gist).
  • E1: Deployed Link
    • Enter the URL of the project deployed on Netlify (from Step 3).
  • F1: Google Sheet ID
    • The ID of the copied Google Sheet template.
    • How to Fetch Sheet ID:
      1. Open the Google Sheet.
      2. Copy the ID from the URL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/{SheetID}/edit.
  • G1: Grok API Key
    • Input the API key for Grok (obtain from xAI API).
• Add Links for Email and Cover Letter Fetching:
  • Starting from the 3rd row in Column B, add links to resumes or related resources.
  • Adding these links will automatically trigger the fetching of emails and cover letters for processing.

• In the copied Google Sheet, locate the EmailTools menu in the toolbar.
• Click EmailTools > Initiate Trigger.
• This sets up an automatic trigger to fetch emails and cover letters and send emails based on the data in the sheet.

• Dispatch Emails from This Sheet
  • Sends emails using data from the currently active sheet.
• Dispatch Emails from Across Sheets
  • Sends emails using data from all sheets in the workbook.
• Add Missing Cover Letter
  • Automatically fetches and adds a cover letter if it’s missing.
• Add Missing Emails
  • Automatically fetches and adds email addresses if they’re missing.