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Google releases new API to help developers automate Google Docs

Many times, when working with documents, you may find yourself doing the same things over and over again, whether that’s copying pieces of information from one document to another or filling out forms at work. Whatever the case may be, Google is now ready to help automate your workflow with the new Google Docs API.

The Google Docs API, via TechCrunch, is primarily intended to help with invoicing, one of the most common tasks Google Docs is used for, but allows developers to create new tools that can automatically do just about anything you would normally do to a document. This includes reading and editing existing docs and creating entirely new ones. Other aspects of documents, like lists, tables, and images are also fully accessible to the Google Docs API.

The Docs API is launching after a nearly year-long developer preview period which started around Google Cloud Next, during which companies like Netflix, Mailchimp, Final Draft, and Zapier were able to test it out and give Google valuable feedback. In that time, Zapier was able to use the API to connect Google Docs to their wider automation options, allowing for the automatic creation of documents based on templates.

Anyone who wishes to get started developing with Google Docs can check out the official quickstart guide, which includes examples for languages like JavaScript, Python, Java, and Go, or jump straight into the full REST API documentation. Another useful resource offered is an example of how a Google Doc is structured, when managing it as a JSON object.

The new Docs API should complement existing options made available through Google Docs Apps Script. A similarly in-depth API has also long been available for Google Sheets.

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Author

Avatar for Kyle Bradshaw Kyle Bradshaw

Kyle is an author and researcher for 9to5Google, with special interests in Made by Google products, Fuchsia, and uncovering new features.

Got a tip or want to chat? Twitter or Email. Kyle@9to5mac.com

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