Interface Element

    • Elements are generic representations of content within a Google Docs document.

    • Various specific content types, such as ListItem, Paragraph, and Table, are considered elements and inherit methods from the generic Element .

    • The content includes a table listing numerous classes that implement the generic Element, along with brief descriptions of what each represents within a document.

    • A table of methods is provided, showing different ways to interact with an Element, including casting it to a specific type, copying, retrieving attributes, and navigating the document structure.

    • Detailed documentation for several as methods demonstrates how to explicitly set an element's type for improved auto-completion and provides authorization scopes needed for these methods.
    Element

    A generic element. Document contents are represented as elements. For example, ListItem , Paragraph , and Table are elements and inherit all of the methods defined by Element , such as getType() .

    Implementing classes

    Name Brief description
    Body The content of a tab in a Google Docs document.
    Container Element A generic element that may contain other elements.
    Date An element representing a formatted date
    Equation An element representing a mathematical expression.
    Equation Function An element representing a function in a mathematical Equation .
    Equation Function Argument Separator An element representing a function separator in a mathematical Equation .
    Equation Symbol An element representing a symbol in a mathematical Equation .
    Footer Section An element representing a footer section.
    Footnote An element representing a footnote.
    Footnote Section An element representing a footnote section.
    Header Section An element representing a header section.
    Horizontal Rule An element representing an horizontal rule.
    Inline Drawing An element representing an embedded drawing.
    Inline Image An element representing an embedded image.
    List Item An element representing a list item.
    Page Break An element representing a page break.
    Paragraph An element representing a paragraph.
    Person An element representing a link to a person.
    Rich Link An element representing a link to a Google resource, such as a Drive file or a YouTube video.
    Table An element representing a table.
    Table Cell An element representing a table cell.
    Table Of Contents An element containing a table of contents.
    Table Row An element representing a table row.
    Text An element representing a rich text region.
    Unsupported Element An element representing a region that is unknown or cannot be affected by a script, such as a page number.

    Methods

    Method Return type Brief description
    as Body()
    		Body Returns the current element as a Body .
    as Date()
    		Date Returns the current element as a Date .
    as Equation()
    		Equation Returns the current element as an Equation .
    as Equation Function()
    		Equation Function Returns the current element as a Equation Function .
    as Equation Function Argument Separator()
    		Equation Function Argument Separator Returns the current element as a Equation Function Argument Separator .
    as Equation Symbol()
    		Equation Symbol Returns the current element as a Equation Symbol .
    as Footer Section()
    		Footer Section Returns the current element as a Footer Section .
    as Footnote()
    		Footnote Returns the current element as a Footnote .
    as Footnote Section()
    		Footnote Section Returns the current element as a Footnote Section .
    as Header Section()
    		Header Section Returns the current element as a Header Section .
    as Horizontal Rule()
    		Horizontal Rule Returns the current element as a Horizontal Rule .
    as Inline Drawing()
    		Inline Drawing Returns the current element as a Inline Drawing .
    as Inline Image()
    		Inline Image Returns the current element as a Inline Image .
    as List Item()
    		List Item Returns the current element as a List Item .
    as Page Break()
    		Page Break Returns the current element as a Page Break .
    as Paragraph()
    		Paragraph Returns the current element as a Paragraph .
    as Person()
    		Person Returns the current element as a Person .
    as Rich Link()
    		Rich Link Returns the current element as a Rich Link , for example, a link to a Google Sheets file.
    as Table()
    		Table Returns the current element as a Table .
    as Table Cell()
    		Table Cell Returns the current element as a Table Cell .
    as Table Of Contents()
    		Table Of Contents Returns the current element as a Table Of Contents .
    as Table Row()
    		Table Row Returns the current element as a Table Row .
    as Text()
    		Text Returns the current element as a Text .
    copy()
    		Element Returns a detached, deep copy of the current element.
    get Attributes()
    		Object Retrieves the element's attributes.
    get Next Sibling()
    		Element |null Retrieves the element's next sibling element.
    get Parent()
    		Container Element |null Retrieves the element's parent element.
    get Previous Sibling()
    		Element |null Retrieves the element's previous sibling element.
    get Type()
    		Element Type Retrieves the element's Element Type .
    is At Document End()
    		Boolean Determines whether the element is at the end of the Document .
    merge()
    		Element |null Merges the element with the preceding sibling of the same type.
    remove From Parent()
    		Element |null Removes the element from its parent.
    set Attributes(attributes)
    		Element Sets the element's attributes.

    Detailed documentation

    asBody()

    Returns the current element as a Body .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    Body — 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

    asDate()

    Returns the current element as a Date .

    When you know an element is a Date , use this method to set its type as a Date . Doing so lets autocomplete in the Apps Script editor show you the methods you can use with a Date .

    Return

    Date — The current element with its type set as Date .

    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

    asEquation()

    Returns the current element as an Equation .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    Equation — 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

    asEquationFunction()

    Returns the current element as a EquationFunction .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    EquationFunction — 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

    asEquationFunctionArgumentSeparator()

    Returns the current element as a EquationFunctionArgumentSeparator .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    EquationFunctionArgumentSeparator — 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

    asEquationSymbol()

    Returns the current element as a EquationSymbol .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    EquationSymbol — 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

    asFooterSection()

    Returns the current element as a FooterSection .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    FooterSection — 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

    asFootnote()

    Returns the current element as a Footnote .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    Footnote — 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

    asFootnoteSection()

    Returns the current element as a FootnoteSection .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    FootnoteSection — 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

    asHeaderSection()

    Returns the current element as a HeaderSection .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    HeaderSection — 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

    asHorizontalRule()

    Returns the current element as a HorizontalRule .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    HorizontalRule — 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

    asInlineDrawing()

    Returns the current element as a InlineDrawing .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    InlineDrawing — 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

    asInlineImage()

    Returns the current element as a InlineImage .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    InlineImage — 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

    asListItem()

    Returns the current element as a ListItem .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    ListItem — 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

    asPageBreak()

    Returns the current element as a PageBreak .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    PageBreak — 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

    asParagraph()

    Returns the current element as a Paragraph .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    Paragraph — 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

    asPerson()

    Returns the current element as a Person .

    When you know an element is a Person , use this method to set its type as a person. Doing so lets autocomplete in the Apps Script editor show you the methods you can use with a person element.

    Return

    Person — The current element with its type set as Person .

    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

    Returns the current element as a RichLink , for example, a link to a Google Sheets file.

    When you know an element is a RichLink , use this method to set its type as a RichLink . Doing so lets autocomplete in the Apps Script editor show you the methods you can use with a RichLink .

    Return

    RichLink — The current element with its type set as RichLink .

    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

    asTable()

    Returns the current element as a Table .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    Table — 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

    asTableCell()

    Returns the current element as a TableCell .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    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

    asTableOfContents()

    Returns the current element as a TableOfContents .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    TableOfContents — 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

    asTableRow()

    Returns the current element as a TableRow .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    TableRow — 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

    asText()

    Returns the current element as a Text .

    Use this method to aid auto-complete whenever a given element is known to be of a specific type.

    Return

    Text — 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

    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

    Element — 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

    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.

     const 
  
 doc 
  
 = 
  
 DocumentApp 
 . 
 getActiveDocument 
 (); 
 const 
  
 documentTab 
  
 = 
  
 doc 
 . 
 getActiveTab 
 (). 
 asDocumentTab 
 (); 
 const 
  
 body 
  
 = 
  
 documentTab 
 . 
 getBody 
 (); 
 // Append a styled paragraph. 
 const 
  
 par 
  
 = 
  
 body 
 . 
 appendParagraph 
 ( 
 'A bold, italicized paragraph.' 
 ); 
 par 
 . 
 setBold 
 ( 
 true 
 ); 
 par 
 . 
 setItalic 
 ( 
 true 
 ); 
 // Retrieve the paragraph's attributes. 
 const 
  
 atts 
  
 = 
  
 par 
 . 
 getAttributes 
 (); 
 // Log the paragraph attributes. 
 for 
  
 ( 
 const 
  
 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

    getNextSibling()

    Retrieves the element's next sibling element.

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

    Return

    Element |null — 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

    getParent()

    Retrieves the element's parent element.

    The parent element contains the current element.

    Return

    ContainerElement |null — 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

    getPreviousSibling()

    Retrieves the element's previous sibling element.

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

    Return

    Element |null — 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

    getType()

    Retrieves the element's ElementType .

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

     const 
  
 doc 
  
 = 
  
 DocumentApp 
 . 
 getActiveDocument 
 (); 
 const 
  
 documentTab 
  
 = 
  
 doc 
 . 
 getActiveTab 
 (). 
 asDocumentTab 
 (); 
 const 
  
 body 
  
 = 
  
 documentTab 
 . 
 getBody 
 (); 
 // Obtain the first element in the active tab's body. 
 const 
  
 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

    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.

     const 
  
 doc 
  
 = 
  
 DocumentApp 
 . 
 getActiveDocument 
 (); 
 const 
  
 documentTab 
  
 = 
  
 doc 
 . 
 getActiveTab 
 (). 
 asDocumentTab 
 (); 
 const 
  
 body 
  
 = 
  
 documentTab 
 . 
 getBody 
 (); 
 // Example 1: Merge paragraphs 
 // Append two paragraphs to the document's active tab. 
 const 
  
 par1 
  
 = 
  
 body 
 . 
 appendParagraph 
 ( 
 'Paragraph 1.' 
 ); 
 const 
  
 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. 
 const 
  
 cells 
  
 = 
  
 [ 
  
 [ 
 'Row 1, Cell 1' 
 , 
  
 'Row 1, Cell 2' 
 ], 
  
 [ 
 'Row 2, Cell 1' 
 , 
  
 'Row 2, Cell 2' 
 ], 
 ]; 
 // Build a table from the array. 
 const 
  
 table 
  
 = 
  
 body 
 . 
 appendTable 
 ( 
 cells 
 ); 
 // Get the first row in the table. 
 const 
  
 row 
  
 = 
  
 table 
 . 
 getRow 
 ( 
 0 
 ); 
 // Get the two cells in this row. 
 const 
  
 cell1 
  
 = 
  
 row 
 . 
 getCell 
 ( 
 0 
 ); 
 const 
  
 cell2 
  
 = 
  
 row 
 . 
 getCell 
 ( 
 1 
 ); 
 // Merge the current cell into its preceding sibling element. 
 const 
  
 merged 
  
 = 
  
 cell2 
 . 
 merge 
 ();

    Return

    Element |null — 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

    removeFromParent()

    Removes the element from its parent.

     const 
  
 doc 
  
 = 
  
 DocumentApp 
 . 
 getActiveDocument 
 (); 
 const 
  
 documentTab 
  
 = 
  
 doc 
 . 
 getActiveTab 
 (). 
 asDocumentTab 
 (); 
 const 
  
 body 
  
 = 
  
 documentTab 
 . 
 getBody 
 (); 
 // Remove all images in the active tab's body. 
 const 
  
 imgs 
  
 = 
  
 body 
 . 
 getImages 
 (); 
 for 
  
 ( 
 let 
  
 i 
  
 = 
  
 0 
 ; 
  
 i 
 < 
 imgs 
 . 
 length 
 ; 
  
 i 
 ++ 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 imgs 
 [ 
 i 
 ]. 
 removeFromParent 
 (); 
 }

    Return

    Element |null — 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

    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.

     const 
  
 doc 
  
 = 
  
 DocumentApp 
 . 
 getActiveDocument 
 (); 
 const 
  
 documentTab 
  
 = 
  
 doc 
 . 
 getActiveTab 
 (). 
 asDocumentTab 
 (); 
 const 
  
 body 
  
 = 
  
 documentTab 
 . 
 getBody 
 (); 
 // Define a custom paragraph style. 
 const 
  
 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. 
 const 
  
 par 
  
 = 
  
 body 
 . 
 appendParagraph 
 ( 
 'A paragraph with custom style.' 
 ); 
 // Apply the custom style. 
 par 
 . 
 setAttributes 
 ( 
 style 
 );

    Parameters

    Name Type Description
    attributes
    		Object The element's attributes.

    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
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