Class TableCell

TableCell

An element representing a table cell. A TableCell is always contained within a TableRow and may contain ListItem, Paragraph, or Table elements. For more information on document structure, see the guide to extending Google Docs.

Methods

MethodReturn typeBrief description
appendHorizontalRule()HorizontalRuleCreates and appends a new HorizontalRule.
appendImage(image)InlineImageCreates and appends a new InlineImage from the specified image blob.
appendImage(image)InlineImageAppends the given InlineImage.
appendListItem(listItem)ListItemAppends the given ListItem.
appendListItem(text)ListItemCreates and appends a new ListItem.
appendParagraph(paragraph)ParagraphAppends the given Paragraph.
appendParagraph(text)ParagraphCreates and appends a new Paragraph.
appendTable()TableCreates and appends a new Table.
appendTable(cells)TableAppends a new Table containing the specified cells.
appendTable(table)TableAppends the given Table.
clear()TableCellClears the contents of the element.
copy()TableCellReturns a detached, deep copy of the current element.
editAsText()TextObtains a Text version of the current element, for editing.
findElement(elementType)RangeElementSearches the contents of the element for a descendant of the specified type.
findElement(elementType, from)RangeElementSearches the contents of the element for a descendant of the specified type, starting from the specified RangeElement.
findText(searchPattern)RangeElementSearches the contents of the element for the specified text pattern using regular expressions.
findText(searchPattern, from)RangeElementSearches the contents of the element for the specified text pattern, starting from a given search result.
getAttributes()ObjectRetrieves the element's attributes.
getBackgroundColor()StringRetrieves the background color.
getChild(childIndex)ElementRetrieves the child element at the specified child index.
getChildIndex(child)IntegerRetrieves the child index for the specified child element.
getColSpan()IntegerRetrieves the column span, which is the number of columns of table cells this cell spans.
getLinkUrl()StringRetrieves the link url.
getNextSibling()ElementRetrieves the element's next sibling element.
getNumChildren()IntegerRetrieves the number of children.
getPaddingBottom()NumberRetrieves the bottom padding, in points.
getPaddingLeft()NumberRetrieves the left padding, in points.
getPaddingRight()NumberRetrieves the right padding, in points.
getPaddingTop()NumberRetrieves the top padding, in points.
getParent()ContainerElementRetrieves the element's parent element.
getParentRow()TableRowRetrieves the TableRow containing the current TableCell.
getParentTable()TableRetrieves the Table containing the current TableCell.
getPreviousSibling()ElementRetrieves the element's previous sibling element.
getRowSpan()IntegerRetrieves the row span, which is the number of rows of table cells this cell spans.
getText()StringRetrieves the contents of the element as a text string.
getTextAlignment()TextAlignmentGets the text alignment.
getType()ElementTypeRetrieves the element's ElementType.
getVerticalAlignment()VerticalAlignmentRetrieves the VerticalAlignment.
getWidth()NumberRetrieves the width of the column containing the cell, in points.
insertHorizontalRule(childIndex)HorizontalRuleCreates and inserts a new HorizontalRule at the specified index.
insertImage(childIndex, image)InlineImageCreates and inserts an InlineImage from the specified image blob, at the specified index.
insertImage(childIndex, image)InlineImageInserts the given InlineImage at the specified index.
insertListItem(childIndex, listItem)ListItemInserts the given ListItem at the specified index.
insertListItem(childIndex, text)ListItemCreates and inserts a new ListItem at the specified index.
insertParagraph(childIndex, paragraph)ParagraphInserts the given Paragraph at the specified index.
insertParagraph(childIndex, text)ParagraphCreates and inserts a new Paragraph at the specified index.
insertTable(childIndex)TableCreates and inserts a new Table at the specified index.
insertTable(childIndex, cells)TableCreates and inserts a new Table containing the specified cells, at the specified index.
insertTable(childIndex, table)TableInserts the given Table at the specified index.
isAtDocumentEnd()BooleanDetermines whether the element is at the end of the Document.
merge()TableCellMerges the element with the preceding sibling of the same type.
removeChild(child)TableCellRemoves the specified child element.
removeFromParent()TableCellRemoves the element from its parent.
replaceText(searchPattern, replacement)ElementReplaces all occurrences of a given text pattern with a given replacement string, using regular expressions.
setAttributes(attributes)TableCellSets the element's attributes.
setBackgroundColor(color)TableCellSets the background color.
setLinkUrl(url)TableCellSets the link url.
setPaddingBottom(paddingBottom)TableCellSets the bottom padding, in points.
setPaddingLeft(paddingLeft)TableCellSets the left padding, in points.
setPaddingRight(paddingRight)TableCellSets the right padding, in points.
setPaddingTop(paddingTop)TableCellSets the top padding, in points.
setText(text)TableCellSets the contents as plain text.
setTextAlignment(textAlignment)TableCellSets the text alignment.
setVerticalAlignment(alignment)TableCellSets the vertical alignment.
setWidth(width)TableCellSets the width of the column containing the current cell, in points.

Detailed documentation

appendHorizontalRule()

Creates and appends a new HorizontalRule.

The HorizontalRule will be contained in a new Paragraph.

Return

HorizontalRule — the new horizontal rule

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendImage(image)

Creates and appends a new InlineImage from the specified image blob.

The InlineImage will be contained in a new Paragraph.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
imageBlobSourcethe image data

Return

InlineImage — the new image

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendImage(image)

Appends the given InlineImage.

The InlineImage will be contained in a new Paragraph.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
imageInlineImagethe image data

Return

InlineImage — the appended image

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendListItem(listItem)

Appends the given ListItem.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
listItemListItemthe list item to append

Return

ListItem — the appended list item

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendListItem(text)

Creates and appends a new ListItem.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
textStringthe text contents

Return

ListItem — the new list item

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendParagraph(paragraph)

Appends the given Paragraph.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
paragraphParagraphthe paragraph to append

Return

Paragraph — the appended paragraph

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendParagraph(text)

Creates and appends a new Paragraph.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
textStringthe text contents

Return

Paragraph — the new paragraph

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendTable()

Creates and appends a new Table.

Return

Table — the new table

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendTable(cells)

Appends a new Table containing the specified cells.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
cellsString[][]the text contents of the table cells to add to the new table

Return

Table — the appended table

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

appendTable(table)

Appends the given Table.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
tableTablethe table to append

Return

Table — the appended table

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

clear()

Clears the contents of the element.

Return

TableCell — The current element.


copy()

Returns a detached, deep copy of the current element.

Any child elements present in the element are also copied. The new element doesn't have a parent.

Return

TableCell — The new copy.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

editAsText()

Obtains a Text version of the current element, for editing.

Use editAsText for manipulating the elements contents as rich text. The editAsText mode ignores non-text elements (such as InlineImage and HorizontalRule).

Child elements fully contained within a deleted text range are removed from the element.

var body = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument().getActiveTab().asDocumentTab().getBody();

// Insert two paragraphs separated by a paragraph containing an
// horizontal rule.
body.insertParagraph(0, "An editAsText sample.");
body.insertHorizontalRule(0);
body.insertParagraph(0, "An example.");

// Delete " sample.\n\n An" removing the horizontal rule in the process.
body.editAsText().deleteText(14, 25);

Return

Text — a text version of the current element


findElement(elementType)

Searches the contents of the element for a descendant of the specified type.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
elementTypeElementTypeThe type of element to search for.

Return

RangeElement — A search result indicating the position of the search element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

findElement(elementType, from)

Searches the contents of the element for a descendant of the specified type, starting from the specified RangeElement.

var body = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument().getActiveTab().asDocumentTab().getBody();

// Define the search parameters.
var searchType = DocumentApp.ElementType.PARAGRAPH;
var searchHeading = DocumentApp.ParagraphHeading.HEADING1;
var searchResult = null;

// Search until the paragraph is found.
while (searchResult = body.findElement(searchType, searchResult)) {
  var par = searchResult.getElement().asParagraph();
  if (par.getHeading() == searchHeading) {
    // Found one, update and stop.
    par.setText('This is the first header.');
    return;
  }
}

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
elementTypeElementTypeThe type of element to search for.
fromRangeElementThe search result to search from.

Return

RangeElement — A search result indicating the next position of the search element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

findText(searchPattern)

Searches the contents of the element for the specified text pattern using regular expressions.

A subset of the JavaScript regular expression features are not fully supported, such as capture groups and mode modifiers.

The provided regular expression pattern is independently matched against each text block contained in the current element.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
searchPatternStringthe pattern to search for

Return

RangeElement — a search result indicating the position of the search text, or null if there is no match

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

findText(searchPattern, from)

Searches the contents of the element for the specified text pattern, starting from a given search result.

A subset of the JavaScript regular expression features are not fully supported, such as capture groups and mode modifiers.

The provided regular expression pattern is independently matched against each text block contained in the current element.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
searchPatternStringthe pattern to search for
fromRangeElementthe search result to search from

Return

RangeElement — a search result indicating the next position of the search text, or null if there is no match

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getAttributes()

Retrieves the element's attributes.

The result is an object containing a property for each valid element attribute where each property name corresponds to an item in the DocumentApp.Attribute enumeration.

var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
var documentTab = doc.getActiveTab().asDocumentTab();
var body = documentTab.getBody();

// Append a styled paragraph.
var par = body.appendParagraph('A bold, italicized paragraph.');
par.setBold(true);
par.setItalic(true);

// Retrieve the paragraph's attributes.
var atts = par.getAttributes();

// Log the paragraph attributes.
for (var att in atts) {
  Logger.log(att + ":" + atts[att]);
}

Return

Object — The element's attributes.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getBackgroundColor()

Retrieves the background color.

Return

String — the background color, formatted in CSS notation (like '#ffffff')

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getChild(childIndex)

Retrieves the child element at the specified child index.

var body = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument().getActiveTab().asDocumentTab().getBody();

// Obtain the first element in the tab.
var firstChild = body.getChild(0);

// If it's a paragraph, set its contents.
if (firstChild.getType() == DocumentApp.ElementType.PARAGRAPH) {
  firstChild.asParagraph().setText("This is the first paragraph.");
}

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerThe index of the child element to retrieve.

Return

Element — The child element at the specified index.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getChildIndex(child)

Retrieves the child index for the specified child element.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childElementThe child element for which to retrieve the index.

Return

Integer — The child index.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getColSpan()

Retrieves the column span, which is the number of columns of table cells this cell spans. Non-merged cells have a col span of 1.

Return

Integer — the column span or 0 for a cell which is merged over by another cell

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getLinkUrl()

Retrieves the link url.

Return

String — the link url, or null if the element contains multiple values for this attribute

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getNextSibling()

Retrieves the element's next sibling element.

The next sibling has the same parent and follows the current element.

Return

Element — The next sibling element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getNumChildren()

Retrieves the number of children.

var body = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument().getActiveTab().asDocumentTab().getBody();

// Log the number of elements in the tab.
Logger.log("There are " + body.getNumChildren() +
    " elements in the tab's body.");

Return

Integer — The number of children.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getPaddingBottom()

Retrieves the bottom padding, in points.

Return

Number — the bottom padding, in points

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getPaddingLeft()

Retrieves the left padding, in points.

Return

Number — the left padding, in points

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getPaddingRight()

Retrieves the right padding, in points.

Return

Number — the right padding, in points

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getPaddingTop()

Retrieves the top padding, in points.

Return

Number — the top padding, in points

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getParent()

Retrieves the element's parent element.

The parent element contains the current element.

Return

ContainerElement — The parent element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getParentRow()

Retrieves the TableRow containing the current TableCell.

Return

TableRow — the table row containing the current cell

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getParentTable()

Retrieves the Table containing the current TableCell.

Return

Table — the table containing the current cell

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getPreviousSibling()

Retrieves the element's previous sibling element.

The previous sibling has the same parent and precedes the current element.

Return

Element — The previous sibling element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getRowSpan()

Retrieves the row span, which is the number of rows of table cells this cell spans. Non-merged cells have a row span of 1.

Return

Integer — the row span or 0 for a cell which is merged over by another cell

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getText()

Retrieves the contents of the element as a text string.

Return

String — the contents of the element as text string

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getTextAlignment()

Gets the text alignment. The available types of alignment are DocumentApp.TextAlignment.NORMAL, DocumentApp.TextAlignment.SUBSCRIPT, and DocumentApp.TextAlignment.SUPERSCRIPT.

Return

TextAlignment — the type of text alignment, or null if the text contains multiple types of text alignments or if the text alignment has never been set

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getType()

Retrieves the element's ElementType.

Use getType() to determine the exact type of a given element.

var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
var documentTab = doc.getActiveTab().asDocumentTab();
var body = documentTab.getBody();

// Obtain the first element in the active tab's body.

var firstChild = body.getChild(0);

// Use getType() to determine the element's type.
if (firstChild.getType() == DocumentApp.ElementType.PARAGRAPH) {
  Logger.log('The first element is a paragraph.');
} else {
  Logger.log('The first element is not a paragraph.');
}

Return

ElementType — The element type.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getVerticalAlignment()

Retrieves the VerticalAlignment.

Return

VerticalAlignment — the vertical alignment

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

getWidth()

Retrieves the width of the column containing the cell, in points.

Return

Number — the column width, in points

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertHorizontalRule(childIndex)

Creates and inserts a new HorizontalRule at the specified index.

The horizontal rule will be contained in a new Paragraph.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element

Return

HorizontalRule — the new horizontal rule

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertImage(childIndex, image)

Creates and inserts an InlineImage from the specified image blob, at the specified index.

The image will be contained in a new Paragraph.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element
imageBlobSourcethe image data

Return

InlineImage — the inserted inline image

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertImage(childIndex, image)

Inserts the given InlineImage at the specified index.

The image will be contained in a new Paragraph.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element
imageInlineImagethe image to insert

Return

InlineImage — the inserted inline image

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertListItem(childIndex, listItem)

Inserts the given ListItem at the specified index.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element
listItemListItemthe list item to insert

Return

ListItem — inserted new list item

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertListItem(childIndex, text)

Creates and inserts a new ListItem at the specified index.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element
textStringthe text contents

Return

ListItem — the new list item

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertParagraph(childIndex, paragraph)

Inserts the given Paragraph at the specified index.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element
paragraphParagraphthe paragraph to insert

Return

Paragraph — the inserted paragraph

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertParagraph(childIndex, text)

Creates and inserts a new Paragraph at the specified index.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element
textStringthe text contents

Return

Paragraph — the new paragraph

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertTable(childIndex)

Creates and inserts a new Table at the specified index.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element

Return

Table — the new table

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertTable(childIndex, cells)

Creates and inserts a new Table containing the specified cells, at the specified index.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert
cellsString[][]the text contents of the table cells to add to the new table

Return

Table — the new table

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

insertTable(childIndex, table)

Inserts the given Table at the specified index.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childIndexIntegerthe index at which to insert the element
tableTablethe table to insert

Return

Table — the inserted table

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

isAtDocumentEnd()

Determines whether the element is at the end of the Document.

Return

Boolean — Whether the element is at the end of the tab.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

merge()

Merges the element with the preceding sibling of the same type.

Only elements of the same ElementType can be merged. Any child elements contained in the current element are moved to the preceding sibling element.

The current element is removed from the document.

var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
var documentTab = doc.getActiveTab().asDocumentTab();
var body = documentTab.getBody();

// Example 1: Merge paragraphs
// Append two paragraphs to the document's active tab.
var par1 = body.appendParagraph('Paragraph 1.');
var par2 = body.appendParagraph('Paragraph 2.');
// Merge the newly added paragraphs into a single paragraph.
par2.merge();

// Example 2: Merge table cells
// Create a two-dimensional array containing the table's cell contents.
var cells = [
['Row 1, Cell 1', 'Row 1, Cell 2'],
['Row 2, Cell 1', 'Row 2, Cell 2']
];
// Build a table from the array.
var table = body.appendTable(cells);
// Get the first row in the table.
 var row = table.getRow(0);
// Get the two cells in this row.
var cell1 = row.getCell(0);
var cell2 = row.getCell(1);
// Merge the current cell into its preceding sibling element.
var merged = cell2.merge();

Return

TableCell — The merged element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

removeChild(child)

Removes the specified child element.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
childElementthe child element to remove

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

removeFromParent()

Removes the element from its parent.

var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
var documentTab = doc.getActiveTab().asDocumentTab()
var body = documentTab.getBody();

// Remove all images in the active tab's body.
var imgs = body.getImages();
for (var i = 0; i < imgs.length; i++) {
  imgs[i].removeFromParent();
}

Return

TableCell — The removed element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

replaceText(searchPattern, replacement)

Replaces all occurrences of a given text pattern with a given replacement string, using regular expressions.

The search pattern is passed as a string, not a JavaScript regular expression object. Because of this you'll need to escape any backslashes in the pattern.

This methods uses Google's RE2 regular expression library, which limits the supported syntax.

The provided regular expression pattern is independently matched against each text block contained in the current element.

var body = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument().getActiveTab().asDocumentTab().getBody();

// Clear the text surrounding "Apps Script", with or without text.
body.replaceText("^.*Apps ?Script.*$", "Apps Script");

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
searchPatternStringthe regex pattern to search for
replacementStringthe text to use as replacement

Return

Element — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setAttributes(attributes)

Sets the element's attributes.

The specified attributes parameter must be an object where each property name is an item in the DocumentApp.Attribute enumeration and each property value is the new value to be applied.

var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
var documentTab = doc.getActiveTab().asDocumentTab();
var body = documentTab.getBody();

// Define a custom paragraph style.
var style = {};
style[DocumentApp.Attribute.HORIZONTAL_ALIGNMENT] =
    DocumentApp.HorizontalAlignment.RIGHT;
style[DocumentApp.Attribute.FONT_FAMILY] = 'Calibri';
style[DocumentApp.Attribute.FONT_SIZE] = 18;
style[DocumentApp.Attribute.BOLD] = true;

// Append a plain paragraph.
var par = body.appendParagraph('A paragraph with custom style.');

// Apply the custom style.
par.setAttributes(style);

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
attributesObjectThe element's attributes.

Return

TableCell — The current element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setBackgroundColor(color)

Sets the background color.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
colorStringthe background color, formatted in CSS notation (like '#ffffff')

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setLinkUrl(url)

Sets the link url.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
urlStringthe link url

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setPaddingBottom(paddingBottom)

Sets the bottom padding, in points.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
paddingBottomNumberthe bottom padding, in points

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setPaddingLeft(paddingLeft)

Sets the left padding, in points.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
paddingLeftNumberthe left padding, in points

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setPaddingRight(paddingRight)

Sets the right padding, in points.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
paddingRightNumberThe right padding, in points.

Return

TableCell — The current element.

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setPaddingTop(paddingTop)

Sets the top padding, in points.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
paddingTopNumberthe top padding, in points

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setText(text)

Sets the contents as plain text.

Note: existing contents are cleared.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
textStringthe new text contents

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setTextAlignment(textAlignment)

Sets the text alignment. The available types of alignment are DocumentApp.TextAlignment.NORMAL, DocumentApp.TextAlignment.SUBSCRIPT, and DocumentApp.TextAlignment.SUPERSCRIPT.

// Make the entire first paragraph in the active tab be superscript.
var documentTab = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument().getActiveTab().asDocumentTab();
var text = documentTab.getBody().getParagraphs()[0].editAsText();
text.setTextAlignment(DocumentApp.TextAlignment.SUPERSCRIPT);

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
textAlignmentTextAlignmentthe type of text alignment to apply

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setVerticalAlignment(alignment)

Sets the vertical alignment.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
alignmentVerticalAlignmentthe vertical alignment

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents

setWidth(width)

Sets the width of the column containing the current cell, in points.

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
widthNumberthe column width, in points

Return

TableCell — the current element

Authorization

Scripts that use this method require authorization with one or more of the following scopes:

  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents.currentonly
  • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents