Line Items
DocsAutomator has powerful features for adding groups of data / line items to your documents
Line items are groups of data which vary in length. Think of line items on invoices, a list of attendees at a conference, the ingredients needed in a recipe, etc. We can't define the length of these lists in the template as we don't know how many items will be added. This is where DocsAutomator's Line Items feature enters the game!
Line Items = Groups of data / lists of things
You declare line items as a line item row in your templates. Here is an example:
Starting a row with {{line_items_$num}} tells DocsAutomator to expect a list of things. The variables after that line item key word belong to that set of line items. To learn more about creating Google Doc templates, go here: Google Doc Template Guide
Here is a printed result with two options:
Mapping Data by Data Source
Mapping your data depends on your data source. Here are the different options including links to learn more:
Data Source | Mapping |
---|---|
Airtable | |
ClickUp | Line items not available currently |
Glide | |
Noloco | |
Zapier | |
API |
Multiple Line Items
You can add as many line items as you need. Just increment the number and make sure they are declared in the right order ({{line_items_1}}, {{line_items_2}}, ...). Example with two line items:
You can mix variables and static text in line items (see static text "pieces" in the line items 1 example above) and cells can also span multiple lines
You can add as many rows above or below a line items row (for headers, footers, ...)
Variables have to be unique per line item row
Line items have to be declared as an entire row and not partially (for instance the last three columns of a 5 column row)
Adding Images
You can add images inside of line items. Image placeholders are declared in the same way as regular image placeholders, with the image_ prefix: {{image_name}}. You can then map a single image or a list of images for that image placeholder.
Grouping
Line items can be grouped by any line item variable / placeholder (except images). For more, see Line Items Grouping + Calculations
Conditionally Show / Hide Rows
DocsAutomator allows you to conditionally show / hide rows depending on certain criteria. You set this via the options / gear icon on each line item variable:
Once clicked, you can set show / hide conditions based on values for that placeholder.
To learn more, go here: Conditional Show / Hide
Conditional Styling of Text / Rows
DocsAutomator allows for styling text and rows conditionally. You find this on the via options next to each variable. On there, you'll be able to set styles for certain conditions:
There are many options for text styles as well as defining the row background color dynamically.
Styles for even / odd rows
A special styling option is applying style depending on even or odd rows. This allows for alternating the background color of rows, which is common for many line item situations.
FAQs
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