# Darty-Ai with Google Sheets
Darty-Ai seamlessly integrates Google Sheets with Adobe Illustrator, allowing dynamic artwork creation driven directly by cloud-based data.
This guide covers how to get started using public Google Sheets with Darty-Ai. It's perfect for quick setup and collaboration across teams without requiring any credentials or authentication.
# Basic Usage - Public Sheets
The easiest way to begin is by using a publicly shared Google Sheet. This requires no configuration and works out of the box.
Get started right away by watching our Public Google Sheets Video (opens new window).
# Steps to Import a Public Google Sheet
- Open your Google Sheet in a browser and copy the full URL from the address bar.
- In Adobe Illustrator, open Darty-Ai and go to the Data tab.
- Click the cloud icon to open the Cloud Import dialog.
- Paste the URL into the input field and click Import.
That’s it — your data is now live in Illustrator and ready to drive your variable artwork.
# Reloading Remote Data
Often you’ll need to revise your Google Sheet and reload the updated data into Illustrator. Here’s how:
- In Darty-Ai, go to the Data tab and click the cloud icon.
- From the Recent Cloud Files list, click the cloud icon next to your sheet to reopen it in the browser.
- Make your edits to the sheet.
- Important: After editing, click into a different cell (this confirms the last change).
- Back in Darty-Ai, click the Reload button to refresh the data from the sheet.
You are now ready to use the updated data with your Illustrator art template.
# Troubleshooting Public Sheets
If the Google sheet doesn't load, and it says message at the bottom that the loading operation couldn't be carried out try the following to fix:
- Double check that it's publicly shared.
- Click the share button and Google Sheets and under general access make sure that "anyone with link" is set to "Viewer".
# Advanced - Private Sheets
Data-privacy is required in some organizations, therefore Darty-Ai allows for integrating private-account Google Sheets. Completing these setup steps will ensure the authorized variable data travels securely from the web to your artwork template.
# Account Setup
# Import Account Setup into Darty-Ai
These steps bring the newly created service account into Darty-Ai. After this is done, private sheets can be imported right away.
# Export Service Accounts for Team Sharing
Use the Darty-Ai export account button to save a shareable copy of the Google Sheets service account JSON file to your team-members.