Most Likely To — Template

Anonymous “most likely to…” nominations with per‑device spam control, up‑voting, and simple moderation. Frontend runs on GitHub Pages (static). Backend is a Google Apps Script bound to a Google Sheet.

Highlights

• Multiple submissions per device ✅
• A device can’t nominate the same person twice ✅
• Anonymous responses (device-only token) ✅
• One like per device per response ✅
• Admin deletion & admin bypass ✅
• Free hosting (GitHub Pages + Apps Script) ✅

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Contents

• Quick start (10–15 min)
• Google Sheet schema
• Admin actions
• Customization
• Data & exports
• Troubleshooting
• FAQ
• Repo structure
• License

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Quick start (10–15 min)

0) Create (or copy) the Google Sheet

Make a Sheet with three tabs: Names, Votes and Nominations

1) Add names

On the Names tab, fill two columns:

A: id    B: name
1        Alex Kim
2        Priya Singh
3        …

Tip: Paste a single column of names into B, then drag‑fill numbers in A.

2) Backend — Apps Script

1. Open your Sheet → Extensions → Apps Script.

2. Replace everything in Code.gs with the code from /backend/Code.gs (this repo).

3. Project Settings → Script properties → add:

   • ADMIN_KEY → any secret string (e.g., MLT_2026_Sec!ret).

4. Deploy → New deployment → Web app

   • Execute as: Me
   • Who has access: Anyone
   • Copy the /exec URL (you’ll paste it in the frontend).

The script is container‑bound to the sheet (SpreadsheetApp.getActive()), so it must live inside the target Sheet.

3) Frontend — get index.html from /frontend/

If you’re using this repo as a template, the latest index.html lives in /frontend/index.html. (this repo is sometimes used to host a page)

• Option A (recommended): Copy /frontend/index.html to your new repo’s root as /index.html.

• Option B: Keep the file in /frontend/ and add a tiny root redirect file:

  <!-- /index.html at repo root -->
  <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=frontend/index.html">
  <link rel="canonical" href="frontend/index.html">

Then open /index.html and set the config at the top:

const CONFIG = {
  SCHOOL_NAME: "Your School Name",
  WEB_APP_URL: "https://script.google.com/macros/s/…/exec", // paste your Apps Script web app URL
  USE_SOFT_FINGERPRINT: true,
  VERSION: "v0.1.x"
};

Commit the change.

4) Turn on GitHub Pages in a new repo

If you’re starting fresh:

1. On GitHub, click Use this template (or Fork) to create your own repo.

2. Add /index.html at the repo root (copy from /frontend/index.html as above).

3. Go to Settings → Pages:

   • Source: Deploy from a branch
   • Branch: your default branch (e.g., main)
   • Folder: / (root)

4. Click Save. GitHub will publish your site at: https://<your-username>.github.io/<repo-name>/

If you prefer, you can also use the /docs folder: move index.html into /docs/ and choose /docs in Pages settings.

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Google Sheet schema

Create these tabs with exact headers in Row 1.

Names

A: id     B: name
1         Alex Kim
2         Priya Singh
…

Nominations (written by script)

A: timestamp    B: device_id               C: name_id   D: text
2025‑10‑30      6d3b…#-123456789            2           most likely to…

Votes (written by script)

A: timestamp    B: device_id               C: nomination_id
2025‑10‑30      6d3b…#-123456789            17

Settings (optional)

Not required by the code (the admin key uses Script Properties). You can keep other notes/values here.

device_id is a random per‑browser value (with a soft fingerprint after #). It is not personally identifying.

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Admin actions

• Enter admin mode (hidden):

  • Ctrl + Alt + A (works only when not focused in a field), or
  • Click the page title (“Most Likely To”) 5 times quickly.

• Enter your ADMIN_KEY when prompted.

• In Responses view, a Delete button appears under each nomination.

• Admins can also submit even if the same device already nominated the same person (bypass rule).

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Customization

• Branding: update the header text and SCHOOL_NAME in index.html.

• Version tag: bump CONFIG.VERSION to confirm deploys (shows in the footer, and logs in the console).

• New Submission: the top‑right button returns to the form without clearing device data.

• Spam control:

  • Multiple submissions allowed per device.
  • Duplicate (device_id, name_id) nominations are blocked server‑side.
  • Voting is one like per device per nomination.

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Data & exports

• All data lives in your Google Sheet.
• Export via File → Download (CSV/Excel) or build charts/pivots directly in the Sheet.
• “Nomination ID” equals the row number in the Nominations tab (stable ID used for votes & deletes).

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Troubleshooting

404 on Pages

• Ensure an index.html exists at the repo root (Pages serves / or /docs).

• If you keep /frontend/index.html, create a root redirect:

  <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=frontend/index.html">

CORS / “Failed to fetch”

• Frontend fetch() uses no custom headers (to avoid preflight). Keep it that way.
• In Apps Script, re‑Deploy → New deployment after code changes and use the new /exec URL.
• Access must be set to Anyone.

Frontend won’t update

• Bump CONFIG.VERSION and hard refresh (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R). GitHub Pages may cache.

Admin prompt appears while typing

• You’re on an old build that used the A key. Current build only uses Ctrl+Alt+A and the 5‑click title trigger.

No names appear

• Check the Names headers: exactly id | name. Ensure rows have values.

Votes/Nominations not recording

• Verify the tab names and header text match exactly. Apps Script is case‑sensitive.

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FAQ

Are submissions anonymous? Yes. The app stores a random per‑browser device_id (with a soft fingerprint). No login or personal info is collected.

Can students submit multiple times? Yes, but a device cannot submit for the same person twice.

Can I seed responses or fix typos? Yes. Enter admin mode and submit (admins bypass duplicate checks), or delete a response.

Can I change tab/header names? Keep them as specified unless you also update the Apps Script.

Can I host the frontend elsewhere? Yes—any static host works. Point WEB_APP_URL to your Apps Script /exec.

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Repo structure

index.html          # Frontend (GitHub Pages)
backend/Code.gs     # Apps Script backend (paste into the Sheet’s Apps Script)
README.md           # This file

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License

Creative Commons