Can GAS modify the footnote separator in Google Docs?

Other Questions Google docs
1

Hey everyone! I’ve been working on a Google Doc and I’m trying to change the look of that line separating the main text from the footnotes. You know, the divider that Google Docs adds automatically.

I’ve scoured all the menus without any luck finding a way to remove or adjust it. It’s really frustrating!

Does anyone know if it’s possible to alter this separator using Google Apps Script (GAS)? Maybe there’s some clever workaround or script magic available?

I appreciate any tips or suggestions, thanks in advance!

2

sry, mate. i’ve tried messing with GAS to change that separator thing too. no luck :frowning:

seems like google doesn’t want us tweaking it. maybe try an add-on? heard some can do weird formatting tricks. or just get creative with your layout to hide it?

good luck!

3

I’ve looked into this issue, and unfortunately, GAS doesn’t provide direct access to modify the footnote separator. It’s a limitation in the current API. However, I’ve found a workaround that might help. You could use GAS to insert a custom horizontal line just above where the footnotes begin. Here’s the general approach:

  1. Get the position of the first footnote.
  2. Insert a horizontal line element just above that position.
  3. Style the line to your preferences.

This won’t remove the original separator, but it can visually override it. The downside is that you’d need to run the script each time you add or remove footnotes, as their position might change. It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest I’ve gotten to solving this problem programmatically.

4

I’ve experimented with this limitation before, and unfortunately, Google Apps Script doesn’t allow direct modification of the footnote separator. In my experience, a practical workaround involves creating a custom footer that mimics the appearance of the separator. You can temporarily remove the footnotes, add a footer containing a horizontal line, style it to your preference, and then reinsert the footnotes. This method isn’t perfect, as it doesn’t actually change the built-in separator, but it does help control the visual layout in a useful way.