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Process paperwork pronto with the new Google Docs API

February 11, 2019
Adam Tishok

Product Manager

Anu Srivastava

Senior Developer Programs Engineer

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At the heart of any business process or workflow is a document—invoices, proposals, contracts, reports, you name it. But the workflows you rely on to run your business often connect to content and services that also live outside of documents.

One way to keep work flowing between documents and the apps you use everyday is to use APIs. Today, we’re announcing a new API that can be used to automate tasks and jumpstart documentation: the Google Docs API.

Speedy documents, automatic workflows

When your business requires documents that need consistency and accuracy, an API makes a difference. Take invoicing for example. With the Docs API, you can generate invoices automatically and programmatically add information like order numbers or when a balance is due. You can also use the API to import and export documents from your content management system (CMS)—this way you can collaborate within Docs without leaving your system. Or you can use the API to make programmatic edits to the same document over time (or even multiple documents at once) to reduce documentation errors and eliminate unnecessary review processes. There are tons of opportunities.

We first introduced the Google Docs API at Cloud Next 2018, where we kicked off our developer preview.

Since then, we’ve collaborated with several partners to automate workflows. Check them out:

  • Create new documents from templates in Zapier. Zapier is an automation tool that helps you create custom workflows. With its Docs API integration you can create, collaborate, and share dynamic documents using Docs templates with just a few workflow rules. For example, if you’re an HR manager, you might use the same template for offer letters. Instead of manually populating information, you can use the Docs API to automatically populate details in an offer letter every time a candidate reaches the right stage. Read more in this post.
  • Automate workflows like Netflix. Netflix used the Docs API to automate their engineering response processes so they can quickly gather data and automate documentation. Now the team spends less time manually creating documentation, and more time on other strategic work.
  • Import Google Docs like Final DraftFinal Draft, a premier editing tool for screenplays, is integrating the Docs API to help its customers quickly upload scripts and screenplays from Docs into Final Draft software
Getting started


The Docs API makes it easy to automate common word processing tasks, with the added perk of real-time editing and collaboration that’s already built into the Docs app. With this addition, G Suite now has a complete set of APIs for DocsSheets, and Slides.


Watch this video to get started:

Video Thumbnail

You can also reference documentation and demos on the Docs API website, or jump right into code samples. What will you build?

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