Insert a "sub-bullet" inside a bullet using Google Docs API

Question

I have a Python application using the Google Docs API where I need to perform an operation such as the following. Imagine I have this structure on a document:

1. Text 1
    1.1 Internal text
2. Text 2

I want to insert a text below but inside the bullet of Text 1, and have the resulting structure as:

1. Text 1
    1.1 New text
    1.2 Internal text
2. Text 2

I have tried to use the insertText text request to insert \n\tNew text on the location after Text 1, but it resulted in:

1. Text 1
2.    New text
    2.1 Internal text

I would like to know what I can do to have the desired structure using the Google Docs API. Could anyone tell me how to do that?

George · Accepted Answer · 2023-02-11 06:55:46Z

1

Try this:

You can use the insertText from Docs API in inserting text in the sub-bullet. You just need to locate the index of the first bullet line.

Based from your existing document structure you can use the code below

Code:

from googleapiclient.discovery import build
from google.oauth2.credentials import Credentials
from google.oauth2 import service_account

#Authentication
#Service Credentials
SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE = '/content/credentials.json'
SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/documents']
creds = service_account.Credentials.from_service_account_file(SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE, scopes=SCOPES)

#Document API build
service = build('docs', 'v1', credentials=creds)

# Document Id
document_id = "Document ID here"
new_text = 'New Text'

#Retrieve the current content of the document
document = service.documents().get(documentId=document_id).execute()
#Search for the last index of first line
content_index = document['body']['content'][2]['startIndex']

requests = [
    {
        'insertText': {
            'location': {
                'index': content_index
            },
            'text': new_text + '\n'
        }
    }
]
result = service.documents().batchUpdate(documentId=document_id, body={'requests': requests}).execute()

Note: We may differ on authentication steps since I am using service account in connecting the google docs API

Output:

References:

Inserting text

Google Docs API

answered Feb 11, 2023 at 6:55

George

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2 Comments

Vítor Cézar Over a year ago

In fact I would like to insert a text with one more level of nesting despite the presence or not of another bullet with the desired level. So, I would like to know how to insert New text even if Internal text doesn't exist. I modified my question to make that clear. But thanks for your solution anyway, it gave me a new option that I will try to adapt to achieve what I want. I clarified my question to make it clearer.

George Over a year ago

Thank you for replying. I'm glad my solution gave you an option to your issue. I would like to support you. But the issue of your comment is a new document structure, and that is different from your initial question. So can you post it as a new question by including the detailed information? Because when your initial question is changed, other users who see your question are confused. By posting it as a new question, other users including me can try to solve it.

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Insert a "sub-bullet" inside a bullet using Google Docs API

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