Updating Heading Styles in Google Docs with Apps Script

Other Questions Google docs
1

Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out how to change the formatting of my Google Doc using Apps Script. Right now, my document has a unique structure with different heading styles. I want to modify it so that Header 1 becomes larger and blue (14pt, underlined), Header 2 is set to 11pt, and normal text remains at 10pt but starts with ‘Topic nº)’ in bold. The challenge is to move the Header 2 content into normal text so that it no longer appears in the Table of Contents. Has anyone ever tried something like this? I’d appreciate any tips or alternative code ideas. Here’s a reworked example:

function modifyDocStyles() {
  var document = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
  var docBody = document.getBody();

  // Implement logic here to update the styles of your document
  // and transfer Header 2 content into normal text
}

Thanks for any help!

2

I’ve tackled a similar project before, and I can offer some insights. The key is to iterate through the document’s content and modify each element based on its type. For Headers 1, you can use setFontSize(14), setUnderline(true), and setForegroundColor(‘#0000FF’). For Header 2, you’ll want to getChild(0) to access its text, then clear the paragraph and insert the content as normal text with the desired formatting. For normal text, you can use setFontSize(10) and insertText(0, 'Topic nº) ') with bold formatting. Remember to update the Table of Contents afterward. It’s a bit complex, but doable with patience and testing. Let me know if you need more specific code examples.

3

hey alice, i’ve done smth similar before. u can use getNumChildren() to loop thru paragraphs, then check their type with getType(). for headers, use setParagraphHeading() to change style. for normal text, insertText() at the start. be careful with TOC updates tho, it can be tricky. good luck!

4

I’ve actually implemented something similar in my work recently. One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need to use the ParagraphElement class to manipulate the text styles effectively. Here’s a rough outline of how you might approach this:

Iterate through all paragraphs in the document. For each paragraph, check its type (Header 1, Header 2, or normal text). Apply the appropriate formatting based on the type. For Header 2, you’ll want to copy the text content, clear the paragraph, then reinsert it as normal text with the desired formatting.

Remember to use methods like setParagraphHeading(), setAttributes(), and insertText() to achieve the desired results. Also, be prepared for some trial and error - Apps Script can be finicky with formatting sometimes.

One last tip: consider using a try-catch block to handle any unexpected errors that might occur during the process. This can save you a lot of troubleshooting time if something goes wrong.