Updating text in Google Docs through API: Search and replace method?

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1

Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out how to change text in a Google Docs file using their API. I want to do a search and replace kind of thing. I’ve looked at the official docs, but they only talk about adding new text or getting rid of it. They don’t say anything about changing what’s already there.

I’ve been searching online for hours, trying to find some examples or even just a hint about how to do this, but I’m coming up empty. Has anyone done this before? Any tips or code snippets would be super helpful!

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

def update_doc_text(doc_id, search_text, replace_text):
    service = build('docs', 'v1', credentials=creds)
    document = service.documents().get(documentId=doc_id).execute()
    
    requests = [
        {
            'replaceAllText': {
                'containsText': {'text': search_text},
                'replaceText': replace_text
            }
        }
    ]
    
    result = service.documents().batchUpdate(
        documentId=doc_id, body={'requests': requests}).execute()
    return result

This is just a guess though. I’m not sure if it’s the right way to do it. Any help would be awesome!

2

I’ve actually tackled this issue before in a project. Your code is heading in the right direction, but there are a few tweaks that might help. First off, make sure you’re using the latest version of the Google Docs API - they’ve made some improvements recently.

One thing I found useful was to break down the search and replace into smaller chunks if you’re dealing with a large document. It can help prevent timeouts and makes error handling easier.

Also, don’t forget about formatting. If your replaced text needs to maintain specific styling, you might need to use the ‘replaceAllTextWithMatch’ method instead. It preserves the original text’s formatting.

Lastly, if you’re doing multiple replacements, consider batching them together in a single API call. It’s more efficient and can speed up your script considerably. Just be mindful of the API’s rate limits to avoid getting throttled.

3

Your approach is on the right track. The replaceAllText method is indeed appropriate for performing a search and replace operation using the Google Docs API. However, ensure that your creds object is correctly set up with the necessary OAuth 2.0 credentials before proceeding. Also, keep in mind that the containsText field is case-sensitive, so any case-insensitive matching will need to be handled separately. Finally, note that this method replaces all instances of the search text in the document, so if you need more controlled behavior, you might consider using findReplace instead.

4

hey dude, your code looks pretty good! i’ve used that replaceAllText thing before and it works like a charm. just make sure ur creds are set up right or it’ll blow up in ur face lol. one thing tho, it’s case-sensitive so watch out for that. if u need more control, maybe check out findReplace instead. good luck!