How to synchronize asynchronous calls to Slides api and Slides class built in App Script?

Question

I am trying to create a slide in Google App Script and then add a text box to this newly created slide. The first call is to the Slides api and the second call is made using inbuilt methods. However, because of the asynchronous nature of these two lines, the 2nd is operating before the 1st and causing an obvious error.

Slides.Presentations.batchUpdate({'requests': requests}, presentationId);
var shape = presentation.getSlideById(newpageId).insertShape(SlidesApp.ShapeType.TEXT_BOX, 0, 0, width, height/4);

My question would be: How to create a callback or use a promise to make the needed adjustments?

Mike Harb · Accepted Answer · 2021-10-03 17:47:06Z

I tried a different approach, I grouped all the request in chronological order and it worked:

 var requests = [{
    'createSlide': {
      'objectId': newpageId,
      'insertionIndex': current_index,
      'slideLayoutReference': {
        'predefinedLayout': 'BLANK'
      }
    }
  },
  {
    "createShape": {
      "objectId": `silaComment${questionNumber}${token}`,
      "elementProperties": {
        "pageObjectId": newpageId,
        "size": {
          "width": {
            "magnitude": 3000000,
            "unit": "EMU"
          },
          "height": {
            "magnitude": 3000000,
            "unit": "EMU"
          }
        },
        "transform": {
          "scaleX": 0.6807,
          "scaleY": 0.4585,
          "translateX": 6583050,
          "translateY": 1673950,
          "unit": "EMU"
        }
      },
      "shapeType": "WAVE"
    }
  },
  {
    "insertText": {
      "objectId": `silaComment${questionNumber}${token}`,
      "text": comment + '\nasked by ' + name,
      "insertionIndex": 0
    }
  }]; 
Slides.Presentations.batchUpdate({'requests': requests}, presentationId);

TheMaster · Accepted Answer · 2021-10-03 17:58:35Z

1

You could simply wait:

Utilities.sleep();

But this requires estimating the api call execution time.

Apps script currently doesn't support promises. Even if it did, the batchUpdate call to the api doesn't return a promise.

edited Oct 3, 2021 at 17:58

answered Oct 3, 2021 at 17:52

TheMaster

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3 Comments

user555121 Over a year ago

Are you sure OP is correct about batchupdate being async? I doubt it. From documentation: In any case, the updates in your request are guaranteed to be applied together atomically.

TheMaster Over a year ago

@Kos The documentation says "All updates in the request" are applied atomically. I'm not sure about async of batchUpdate, but I've seen the same disconnect between built in Sheets class after sheets api request. Apps script is either reading a cached copy of the Sheets class or the atomic operation of api returns data before the actual atomic application of all updates. Either way, I'm sure there's a sync issue.

user555121 Over a year ago

reading a cached copy - probably this, you right

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