You have several strategies to implement your workflow.
Using a csv file
You could use the Import Text component of the ShapeDiver plugin to import a csv file into your definition. It is then straightforward in Grasshopper to parse the data from this file and use it to drive pricing and other data updates.
You could then either work by uploading a new csv file to update the data, or link to a csv file stored in an online location and reference its URL (see the documentation of Import components).
Using an Excel file
If you need to work with native Excel files, it is possible but at the moment a little more complicated because Excel files are not supported as inputs for the ShapeDiver plugin currently. However, if you are working in Rhino 8, you can use the Stream Import component to import a .xlsl file as a .NET Memory Stream, which can then be read and parsed in a C# script component using the NPOI Nuget Package for example. This solution will involve more development inside Grasshopper.
I am attaching the example Rhino 8 Grasshopper file below.
240216_ExcelTest.ghx (170.8 KB)
Once again here, you could either work by uploading a new Excel file to update the data, or link to an Excel file stored in an online location and reference its URL.
Reading data from a Google Sheet
The last option I would recommend looking into is to read an online Google Sheet file remotely. There are again two ways to do this:
- Using a C# script like in the previous solution and the Google Sheets API Nuget package. Note that this solution will necessitate the most development to achieve results.
- Using the Switflet plugin to place GET requests to your Google Sheet. Since Switflet takes care of a big part of the API syntax, this solution is lighter in development effort.
I currently do not have code examples for the two solutions above but we will work on adding such examples to our documentation in the near future.
Caching considerations
Note that if you are referencing a csv or Excel file by URL, or calling an external Google Sheet, updating the data in the sheet will not be sufficient to update the computation results of the ShapeDiver model, since solutions for specific parameter sets are cached on our servers. After updating the sheet, it will be necessary to clear the cache of the model in order to recompute all solutions.
This step is not necessary if the chosen solution involves uploading new Excel/csv files to the ShapeDiver model.