Google Docs API – How to Get the Position of a Paragraph

google docsgoogle-apps-script

Using GAS, I'm trying to navigate paragraphs in a google doc and record their starting position so that I can display an interactive navigation menu in a sidebar. But I can't find any GAS method that returns the position of a paragraph (or an element for that matter), except when the cursor is within that paragraph. I thought of inserting bookmarks to retrieve their positions, but it seems that one cannot insert a bookmark without having first a position…

Am I missing anything?

Note that I'm aware of the fact that headings have hash locations (except for normal paragraphs) that are easy to retrieve using a TOC; but I can't use these hash locations directly in any GAS add-on, because the caja compiler prevents it. Besides, I'd like to list more than headings in my navigation menu.

Best Answer

Use the Document.newPosition(element, offset) method, where element is your Paragraph object and offset is 0.

For example:

var newParagraph = body.appendParagraph("some text");
var paragraphPosition = doc.newPosition(newParagraph, 0);

Related Solutions

Google Docs – How to Enable Header Numbering

Well, it seems easier to do that by scripting the document like this:

var pars = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument().getBody().getParagraphs();
var counterh1 = 0;
for(var i=0; i < pars.length; i++) {
    var par = pars[i];
    var hdg = par.getHeading();
    if (hdg == DocumentApp.ParagraphHeading.HEADING1) {
          counterh1++; 
          var content = par.getText();
          var chunks = content.split('\t');
          if(chunks.length > 1) { 
              par.setText(counterh1+'.\t'+chunks[1]); 
          } else {
              par.setText(counterh1+'.\t'+chunks[0]); 
          }
    }
}

Google Docs – Group Paragraphs Together on Same Page

2020 Update

This is now available!

Every answer here is out-of-date except @AlexanderPozdneev's (+1), which mentions the new Keep with next menu item. There also is a Keep lines together and Prevent single lines:

This is very useful and sure to be appreciated by the community.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Google Docs – How to Enable Header Numbering

Google Docs – Group Paragraphs Together on Same Page

2020 Update

Related Topic