The challenge
We’re building a tool that reads aloud what users type in Google Docs. It needs to work on most platforms and browsers. We’re using Google Apps Script with a sidebar that plays audio through the HTML5 Audio tag.
The issue
Getting text updates from Google Docs is too slow. Here’s our current process:
- Sidebar checks our cloud script every few milliseconds
- Cloud script looks at the synced doc
- If there are changes, it sends them to the sidebar
- Sidebar plays the audio
This takes 1-3 seconds, which is too long for our needs.
What we’ve tried
We can’t find a way to get text directly from the doc to the sidebar. The sync to Google’s cloud is the main bottleneck.
What we want to know
Is there a faster way to get text changes from Google Docs? Can we bypass the cloud sync somehow?
Update
It looks like it’s not possible right now. A Chrome Extension might work by parsing the Google Docs page, but it’s tricky.
Has anyone found a better solution for this?
have u considered using the google docs realtime api? it might give u faster updates than the regular api. also, maybe try websockets for quicker communication between ur sidebar and server. just brainstorming here, not sure if itll work but worth a shot!
I’ve encountered similar challenges with real-time text processing in Google Docs. Unfortunately, bypassing the cloud sync isn’t feasible due to Google’s security measures. A potential workaround could involve a client-side solution using the Google Docs Realtime API, as Bob_Clever suggested, which offers more immediate access to document updates.
Another approach is to optimize your current setup by reducing the polling frequency and implementing a diff algorithm to process only the changed portions. This adjustment could help reduce processing time and network overhead.
If these strategies prove insufficient, you may need to consider alternative platforms, such as a custom web-based text editor using direct WebSocket connections for real-time updates.
As someone who’s worked extensively with Google Docs APIs, I can tell you that real-time text updates are indeed tricky. Have you looked into using the Google Drive API’s ‘changes’ endpoint? It allows you to track changes to files in near real-time.
Another approach could be to implement a client-side solution using JavaScript to detect keystrokes directly in the Google Docs interface. This might require injecting custom JS into the page through a browser extension, which can be feasible depending on your users’ setup and browser security settings.
Alternatively, you could explore using a different platform altogether. There are collaborative text editors like Etherpad or Firebase-backed solutions that offer better real-time capabilities out of the box. Each method comes with trade-offs in complexity, scalability, and maintainability, so weigh these options carefully against your specific project requirements.