Nested Line Items

Add hierarchical data to your documents with up to 3 levels of nesting - perfect for invoices with services and tasks, bills of materials, or any parent-child-grandchild data structure.

Currently available for Airtable or via DocsAutomator's API

Overview

Nested line items allow you to display hierarchical data from linked tables in your documents. Instead of a flat list, you can show:

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Supported levels:

• Level 1 (Parent): Main items from your line items table

• Level 2 (Child): Items from a linked table within Level 1

• Level 3 (Grandchild): Items from a linked table within Level 2

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Prerequisites

Before using nested line items, ensure your data source has linked tables set up:

Data Source	Requirement
Airtable	Linked record fields connecting your tables

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Placeholder Format

Each nesting level uses a specific placeholder prefix:

Level	Prefix	Example
Level 1 (Parent)	{{line_items_N}}	{{line_items_1}}{{product_name}}
Level 2 (Child)	{{line_items_N_1}}	{{line_items_1_1}}{{component}}
Level 3 (Grandchild)	{{line_items_N_2}}	{{line_items_1_2}}{{specification}}

Where N is the line item table number (1, 2, 3, etc.).

Example Template Structure

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Service              │ Description      │ Price         │  ← Header row
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ {{line_items_1}}{{service}} │ {{description}} │ {{price}} │  ← Level 1
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ {{line_items_1_1}}{{task}}  │ {{hours}}       │           │  ← Level 2
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ {{line_items_1_2}}{{detail}} │                │           │  ← Level 3
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Setting Up Nested Line Items

Step 1: Configure Your Data Source

For Airtable

1. Navigate to your automation settings

2. Under Line Items, select your primary linked field (Level 1)

3. Click "+ Add Level 2" to select a linked field from your Level 1 table

4. Click "+ Add Level 3" to select a linked field from your Level 2 table

The UI shows a hierarchical view of your linked tables:

Line Items
└── Services (Level 1)
    └── Tasks (Level 2)
        └── Specifications (Level 3)

Step 2: Create Your Template

Using the Template Editor

1. Open your Google Doc template in DocsAutomator

2. Click "Add Line Items" in the sidebar

3. Configure Level 1 (Parent) columns:

   • Add column names and headers

   • Example: service_name, description, price

4. Click "+ Add Nested Level" for Level 2

5. Configure Level 2 (Child) columns:

   • Example: task_name, hours

6. Click "+ Add Nested Level" for Level 3 (optional)

7. Click "Add Line Items" to insert the table

Manual Template Creation

You can also create the template table manually in Google Docs:

1. Insert a table with your desired columns

2. Add header row (optional)

3. Add one row per nesting level with the appropriate placeholders

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Different Column Counts Per Level

Each nesting level can have a different number of columns. DocsAutomator automatically handles this by merging cells when a nested row has fewer columns than its parent.

Example:

• Level 1: 5 columns (Product, SKU, Category, Qty, Price)

• Level 2: 3 columns (Component, Size, Material)

• Level 3: 2 columns (Spec Name, Spec Value)

The Level 2 and Level 3 rows will have their last cells merged to span the remaining columns.

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Auto-Numbering with Nested Items

When you enable auto-numbering with nested line items, DocsAutomator generates hierarchical numbers automatically:

1      Product A
1.1      Component 1
1.1.1      Specification A
1.1.2      Specification B
1.2      Component 2
2      Product B
2.1      Component 3
2.1.1      Specification C

To enable auto-numbering:

1. Toggle "Add auto row numbers" in your line item settings

2. Configure width and alignment as needed

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Sorting Nested Line Items

You can configure sorting independently for each nesting level:

1. In your automation settings, find the Sorting section

2. Select a field to sort by for Level 1

3. Choose ascending or descending order

4. Repeat for Level 2 and Level 3

Smart sort labels help you understand the sort behavior:

• Numbers: "1 → 9" or "9 → 1"

• Dates: "Oldest first" or "Newest first"

• Text: "A → Z" or "Z → A"

• Checkboxes: "Unchecked first" or "Checked first"

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Use Cases

Invoice with Services and Tasks

Airtable Structure:
Invoices → Services (linked) → Tasks (linked)

Template:
{{line_items_1}}{{service_name}}  |  {{line_items_1}}{{rate}}
{{line_items_1_1}}{{task_name}}   |  {{line_items_1_1}}{{hours}}

Bill of Materials (BOM)

Airtable Structure:
Products → Components (linked) → Parts (linked)

Template:
{{line_items_1}}{{assembly}}      |  {{qty}}  |  {{cost}}
{{line_items_1_1}}{{component}}   |  {{qty}}  |  {{cost}}
{{line_items_1_2}}{{part_number}} |  {{qty}}  |  {{cost}}

Project Report

Airtable Structure:
Projects → Phases (linked) → Milestones (linked)

Template:
{{line_items_1}}{{phase_name}}        |  {{status}}  |  {{due_date}}
{{line_items_1_1}}{{milestone}}       |  {{status}}  |  {{due_date}}
{{line_items_1_2}}{{deliverable}}     |  {{status}}  |

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Best Practices

1. Use views for sorting: Create sorted views in Airtable and select them in DocsAutomator for consistent ordering

2. Test with small datasets first: Verify your template works correctly with a few records before generating large batches

3. Consider column alignment: Design your template so nested rows align logically with parent rows

4. Use meaningful field names: Clear placeholder names make templates easier to maintain

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Troubleshooting

Nested rows not appearing

• Verify linked record fields have data

• Check that Level 2/3 linked fields are selected in DocsAutomator

• Ensure placeholders use correct prefix (_1 for Level 2, _2 for Level 3)

Wrong nesting order

• Check your Airtable view sorting

• Configure sorting in DocsAutomator's line item settings

Merged cells not aligning

• Ensure your template table has the correct number of columns

• Verify that each level's placeholders are in separate rows

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Related Documentation

• Line Items

• Line Items Grouping + Calculations

• Auto Row Numbers

• Airtable