Diference between onEdit or onChange trigger? [closed]

Question

From what I've gathered online, onEdit only works when you edit a cell (not when a row is added or when a note/comment is added) and onChange will capture that a change has occurred and trigger when appropriate.

What is the difference between onEdit and onChange?
What criteria should I use in deciding which to use?

Answer 1

based on a quick search these are the differences between onEdit(e) and onChange(e):

onEdit(e):

brief description:

The onEdit(e) trigger runs automatically when a user changes the value of any cell in a spreadsheet. Most onEdit(e) triggers use the information in the event object to respond appropriately. For example, the onEdit(e) function below sets a comment on the cell that records the last time it was edited. An installable edit trigger runs when a user modifies a value in a spreadsheet.

onEdit(e) can be simple trigger or installable trigger:

Simple Triggers let Apps Script run a function automatically when a certain event, like opening a document, occurs. Simple triggers are a set of reserved functions built into Apps Script, like the function onOpen(e), which executes when a user opens a Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Forms file. Installable triggers offer more capabilities than simple triggers but must be activated before use. For both types of triggers, Apps Script passes the triggered function an event object that contains information about the context in which the event occurred.

these are the disadvantages:

Because simple triggers fire automatically, without asking the user for authorization, they are subject to several restrictions:

• The script must be bound to a Google Sheets, Slides, Docs, or Forms file.
• They do not run if a file is opened in read-only (view or comment) mode.
• Script executions and API requests do not cause triggers to run. For example, calling Range.setValue() to edit a cell does not cause the spreadsheet's onEdit trigger to run.
• They cannot access services that require authorization. For example, a simple trigger cannot send an email because the Gmail service requires authorization, but a simple trigger can translate a phrase with the Language service, which is anonymous.
• They can modify the file they are bound to, but cannot access other files because that would require authorization.
• They may or may not be able to determine the identity of the current user, depending on a complex set of security restrictions.
• They cannot run for longer than 30 seconds.
• In certain circumstances, add-ons for Google Sheets, Slides, Docs, and Forms run their onOpen(e) and onEdit(e) simple triggers in a no-authorization mode that presents some additional complications. For more information, see the guide to the add-on authorization lifecycle.

---

onChange(e):

brief description:

An installable change trigger runs when a user modifies the structure of a spreadsheet itself—for example, by adding a new sheet or removing a column.

onChange(e): is only installable trigger:

Like simple triggers, installable triggers let Apps Script run a function automatically when a certain event, such as opening a document, occurs. Installable triggers, however, offer more flexibility than simple triggers: they can call services that require authorization, they offer several additional types of events including time-driven (clock) triggers, and they can be controlled programmatically. For both simple and installable triggers, Apps Script passes the triggered function an event object that contains information about the context in which the event occurred.

Even though installable triggers offer more flexibility than simple triggers, they are still subject to several restrictions:

these are the disadvantages:

• They do not run if a file is opened in read-only (view or comment) mode.
• Script executions and API requests do not cause triggers to run. For example, calling FormResponse.submit() to submit a new form response does not cause the form's submit trigger to run.
• Installable triggers always run under the account of the person who created them. For example, if you create an installable open trigger, it will run when your colleague opens the document (if your colleague has edit access), but it will run as your account. This means that if you create a trigger to send an email when a document is opened, the email will always be sent from your account, not necessarily the account that opened the document. However, you could create an installable trigger for each account, which would result in one email sent from each account. -A given account cannot see triggers installed from a second account, even though the first account can still activate those triggers.

important note:

The type of change for onChange(e):

• EDIT
• INSERT_ROW
• INSERT_COLUMN
• REMOVE_ROW
• REMOVE_COLUMN
• INSERT_GRID
• REMOVE_GRID
• FORMAT
• or OTHER

onChange(e) trigger needs to be installed eg. simply changing "onEdit" to "onChange" is not enough. this is the installation code:

function createSpreadsheetOpenTrigger() {
   var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
   ScriptApp.newTrigger('myFunction')
    .forSpreadsheet(ss)
    .onOpen()
    .create();
    }