Interface Element

    Element

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

    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 Retrieves the element's next sibling element.
    get Parent()
    		Container Element Retrieves the element's parent element.
    get Previous Sibling()
    		Element 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 Merges the element with the preceding sibling of the same type.
    remove From Parent()
    		Element Removes the element from its parent.
    set Attributes(attributes)
    		Element Sets the element's attributes.

    Detailed documentation

    as Body()

    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

    as Date()

    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

    as Equation()

    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

    as Equation Function()

    Returns the current element as a Equation Function .

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

    Return

    Equation Function — 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

    as Equation Function Argument Separator()

    Returns the current element as a Equation Function Argument Separator .

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

    Return

    Equation Function Argument Separator — 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

    as Equation Symbol()

    Returns the current element as a Equation Symbol .

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

    Return

    Equation Symbol — 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

    as Footer Section()

    Returns the current element as a Footer Section .

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

    Return

    Footer Section — 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

    as Footnote()

    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

    as Footnote Section()

    Returns the current element as a Footnote Section .

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

    Return

    Footnote Section — 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

    as Header Section()

    Returns the current element as a Header Section .

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

    Return

    Header Section — 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

    as Horizontal Rule()

    Returns the current element as a Horizontal Rule .

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

    Return

    Horizontal Rule — 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

    as Inline Drawing()

    Returns the current element as a Inline Drawing .

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

    Return

    Inline Drawing — 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

    as Inline Image()

    Returns the current element as a Inline Image .

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

    Return

    Inline Image — 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

    as List Item()

    Returns the current element as a List Item .

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

    Return

    List Item — 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

    as Page Break()

    Returns the current element as a Page Break .

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

    Return

    Page Break — 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

    as Paragraph()

    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

    as Person()

    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 Rich Link , for example, a link to a Google Sheets file.

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

    Return

    Rich Link — The current element with its type set as Rich Link .

    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

    as Table()

    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

    as Table Cell()

    Returns the current element as a Table Cell .

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

    Return

    Table Cell — 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

    as Table Of Contents()

    Returns the current element as a Table Of Contents .

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

    Return

    Table Of Contents — 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

    as Table Row()

    Returns the current element as a Table Row .

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

    Return

    Table Row — 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

    as Text()

    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

    get Attributes()

    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 Document App.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

    get Next Sibling()

    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

    get Parent()

    Retrieves the element's parent element.

    The parent element contains the current element.

    Return

    Container Element — 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

    get Previous Sibling()

    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

    get Type()

    Retrieves the element's Element Type .

    Use get Type() 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

    Element Type — 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

    is At Document End()

    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 Element Type 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 — 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

    remove From Parent()

    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 — 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

    set Attributes(attributes)

    Sets the element's attributes.

    The specified attributes parameter must be an object where each property name is an item in the Document App.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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