Automating Paragraph Formatting in Google Docs with Google Apps Script

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Google Apps Script is a powerful tool for automating tasks across Google Workspace applications. In this blog post, we will walk through how to use Google Apps Script to update specific paragraphs in a Google Doc. We will cover two functionalities:

  1. Bold paragraphs that end with a question mark.
  2. Insert a blank line above paragraphs containing bold text.

We’ll also include an image to enhance the visual appeal of this post.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Open Google Apps Script:
  2. Bold Paragraphs Ending with a Question Mark:
    • Below is the script to find and bold paragraphs that end with a question mark in your Google Doc.
function boldParagraphsEndingWithQuestionMark() {
  // Replace with the ID of your Google Doc
  var docId = 'YOUR_DOC_ID_HERE';
  var doc = DocumentApp.openById(docId);
  var body = doc.getBody();
  var paragraphs = body.getParagraphs();
  
  for (var i = 0; i < paragraphs.length; i++) {
    var text = paragraphs[i].getText();
    if (text.endsWith('?')) {
      paragraphs[i].setBold(true);
      Logger.log('Bolded paragraph: ' + text);
    }
  }
}
  1. Insert Blank Line Above Bold Paragraphs:
    • Below is the script to insert a blank line above paragraphs that contain bold text.
function addBlankLineAboveBoldParagraphs() {
  // Replace with the ID of your Google Doc
  var docId = 'YOUR_DOC_ID_HERE';
  var doc = DocumentApp.openById(docId);
  var body = doc.getBody();
  var paragraphs = body.getParagraphs();

  for (var i = paragraphs.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
    var paragraph = paragraphs[i];
    var text = paragraph.getText();

    Logger.log(text);
    // Check if the paragraph contains bold text
    if (paragraph.isBold()) {
      // Insert a blank paragraph directly above
      body.insertParagraph(i, '');
    }
  }
}
  1. Customize the Scripts:
    • Replace 'YOUR_DOC_ID_HERE' with the actual ID of your Google Doc. You can find this ID in the URL of your document (it’s the long string of characters between /d/ and /edit).
  2. Run the Scripts:
    • Save your scripts and click the play button (Run) to execute them. You might be prompted to authorize the scripts to access your Google Docs.
  3. Verify the Changes:
    • Open your Google Doc and check if the paragraphs ending with a question mark are bolded and if blank lines are inserted above bold paragraphs.

Explanation of the Scripts

  • Bold Paragraphs Script:
    • DocumentApp.openById(docId): Opens the Google Doc with the specified ID.
    • getBody(): Retrieves the body of the document.
    • getParagraphs(): Retrieves all the paragraphs in the document.
    • getText(): Gets the text of a paragraph.
    • setBold(true): Sets the paragraph text to bold.
  • Insert Blank Line Script:
    • isBold(): Checks if the paragraph text is bold.
    • insertParagraph(i, ''): Inserts a blank paragraph above the specified index.

Image for Visual Representation

Here is an illustration to help visualize the process:

Full Combined Script

function boldParagraphsEndingWithQuestionMark() {
  // Replace with the ID of your Google Doc
  var docId = 'YOUR_DOC_ID_HERE';
  var doc = DocumentApp.openById(docId);
  var body = doc.getBody();
  var paragraphs = body.getParagraphs();
  
  for (var i = 0; i < paragraphs.length; i++) {
    var text = paragraphs[i].getText();
    if (text.endsWith('?')) {
      paragraphs[i].setBold(true);
      Logger.log('Bolded paragraph: ' + text);
    }
  }
}

function addBlankLineAboveBoldParagraphs() {
  // Replace with the ID of your Google Doc
  var docId = 'YOUR_DOC_ID_HERE';
  var doc = DocumentApp.openById(docId);
  var body = doc.getBody();
  var paragraphs = body.getParagraphs();

  for (var i = paragraphs.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
    var paragraph = paragraphs[i];
    var text = paragraph.getText();

    Logger.log(text);
    // Check if the paragraph contains bold text
    if (paragraph.isBold()) {
      // Insert a blank paragraph directly above
      body.insertParagraph(i, '');
    }
  }
}

Conclusion

With Google Apps Script, you can automate and streamline many of your Google Docs tasks. This guide showed you how to bold paragraphs ending with a question mark and insert blank lines above paragraphs with bold text. Experiment with other features of Google Apps Script to enhance your productivity even further.