How to Update Text Boxes in Google Slides Using Google Apps Script

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Managing presentations can often require updating content frequently to keep up with new information or changes. Google Apps Script provides a powerful way to automate updates in Google Slides. This blog post will show you how to programmatically select specific slides and text boxes within them, and update their contents.

What You’ll Need

  • A Google Slides presentation with text boxes you wish to update.
  • Basic knowledge of JavaScript and Google Apps Script.

Step 1: Identify Your Slides and Text Boxes

First, you need to determine which slides and which text boxes within those slides you want to update. This will typically depend on your slide layout and how consistently it’s used across your presentation.

Step 2: Open the Script Editor

  • Open your Google Slides presentation.
  • Click on “Extensions” > “Apps Script” to open the script editor.

Step 3: Write the Script to Update Text Boxes

Below is a basic script that demonstrates how to update text boxes across all slides in your presentation. It assumes each slide has at least one text box and that you want to replace the existing content with new text.

function updateTextBoxes() {
  var presentation = SlidesApp.getActivePresentation();
  var slides = presentation.getSlides();
  
  slides.forEach(function(slide, index) {
    var shapes = slide.getShapes();
    shapes.forEach(function(shape) {
      if (shape.getShapeType() === SlidesApp.ShapeType.TEXT_BOX) {
        // Accessing the text range of the text box
        var textRange = shape.getText();
        // Clear existing text
        textRange.clear();
        // Set new text content
        textRange.setText('New text content for slide ' + (index + 1));
      }
    });
  });
}

Step 4: Customize the Script

You can customize the setText method call to replace 'New text content for slide ' + (index + 1) with whatever new content is appropriate for your use case. You can also add conditions to select specific slides based on their titles or other criteria if needed.

Step 5: Save and Run the Script

Save the script and then run the updateTextBoxes function to apply the updates to your presentation.

Step 6: Verify the Changes

Open your Google Slides presentation and go through the slides to ensure that the text boxes have been updated as expected.

Conclusion

This script provides a basic framework for updating text in a Google Slides presentation using Google Apps Script. It can be expanded and customized based on specific requirements, such as updating different types of content, applying formatting, or handling more complex slide structures.