Creating dynamic tables in Google Docs invoices using API

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1

I’m trying to make an invoice template in Google Docs that can add rows to a table based on how many items are in an order. Right now I have a sample row but I want to add more rows automatically depending on the size of an array I have.

Here’s what I’m dealing with:

  • A template with a table that has one sample row
  • An array of items that can change in length
  • Need to add rows to match the array size
  • Want to fill in the cells with info from the array

I’ve been working on this for a few days and I’m stuck. Is there an easy way to do this?

Here’s an example of what my input data looks like:

[
  ['Widget A', '5', '10.00', '50.00'],
  ['Gadget B', '2', '15.00', '30.00'],
  ['Doohickey C', '1', '25.00', '25.00']
]

The tricky part is that this array could have any number of items.

I’m using the Google API Client Library for PHP. I can replace text in the doc, but I’m not sure how to add rows to the table. Any ideas on how to tackle this?

2

I’ve worked on similar implementations before and found that leveraging the Docs API’s batchUpdate method makes it much more efficient. Start by determining the number of items in your array and then build a request that inserts the necessary rows into your table, considering that you already have one sample row. Once the rows are added, follow up with a request to populate the cells with your data. This combined approach minimizes API calls and helps manage performance. Remember to incorporate error handling to catch any issues during the update process.

3

hey samuel, i’ve dealt with this before. you’ll wanna use the insertTableRow method from the Docs API. loop thru ur array, inserting a row for each item. then use updateTableCellStyle to format. it’s a bit fiddly but doable. lmk if u need more specifics!

4

In my experience, a reliable approach was to first retrieve the table from your template using a method like getTableByIndex. After that, determine how many extra rows you need by comparing your data array length with the existing sample row. I then looped through the array and constructed a series of insertTableRow requests for every additional item, and immediately followed by updateTableCellContent calls to populate the cells—including the initial row. Bundling these operations into a single batchUpdate call really streamlined the process. Be cautious of any cell merging in your template, as it can complicate the insertion logic. Also, caching the template’s structure when processing multiple invoices can save a lot of time in the long run.