Yesterday, Google announced the general availability of a new API for Google Docs that will help developers to automate their tasks that users manually do in the company’s online office suite. This API lets users read and write documents programmatically so that users can integrate data from various sources.
Since Google Cloud Next 2018, this API has been in developer preview and is now available to all developers. This API lets users automate processes, create documentation in bulk and generate invoices or contracts.
With this API, developers can set up processes that manipulate documents. It gives the ability to insert, move, delete, merge and format text, insert inline images and work with lists.
Zapier, Netflix, Mailchimp and Final Draft are some of the companies that built solutions based on the new API during the preview period. Zapier integrated the Docs API into its workflow automation tool for helping users to create offer letters based on a template. Netflix used it to build an internal tool that allows its engineers to gather data and automate its documentation workflow.
This API will help the users to regularly create similar documents with changing order numbers and line items based on information from third-party systems. The API’s import/export abilities help users for using the Docs for internal content management systems.
Few users are happy with this news and excited to use the API. One of the users commented on HackerNews, “That is such great work. Getting the job done with the tools already around is just such a good feeling.”
Whereas, few others think that it will take some time for Google to reach where Microsoft is now. Another comment reads, “They will have a lot of catchup to do to get where Office is now. I’m frankly amazed by how good Microsoft Flow has been.” Another user commented, “Microsoft Flow is a really powerful – in terms of advanced capabilities it offers.”
To know more about this news, check out Google’s official post.
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