Apps Script - Can't use google.script.run from within a js function in an html template?

Question

UPDATED: This is totally possible. I just was closing the host window before the async method completed. My interpretation was that the running context would persist, even i

Answer 1

Instead of using HtmlService.createTemplateFromFile you could use:

 HtmlService.createHtmlOutputFromFile('simpleDialog');

Here you can find more information about this function https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/html/

Answer 2

The culprit here is this line in onSave() function:

google.script.host.close();

Remove/comment this line and the script runs fine. The error you see is because you close the sidebar with that line, severing connection to the server-side script.

If you do need to close the sidebar after onSave() has finished executing, move that line to the success handler callback:

function onSave(){          
  google.script.run
    .withSuccessHandler(onSuccess)
    .withFailureHandler(onFailure)
    .doWorkInAppsScriptFile();        
}

function onSuccess(data) 
{
  // do something with returned data
  // close the sidebar
  google.script.host.close();
}

function onFailure(error)
{
  alert("onFailure: " + error);
}