Trying to create multiple PDF for each row in a Google Sheet - pdf

Question

I am trying to create a separate PDF for each row in a Google Sheet using a Google Doc as a template. I can get it to work when I use the active row; however, when I try to loop the createpdf function the only PDF I am left with is the last row. My thoughts are that I am deleting all of the files beforehand but I can't figure out where the error is. Any help would be awesome.
var TEMPLATE_ID = '1Mxrm0kny8R7ROlBou8kSUc8dOvvH8PvtQ-EC_Nd3FUQ';
function onOpen() {
SpreadsheetApp
.getUi()
.createMenu('Create PDF')
.addItem('Create PDF', 'createPdf')
.addToUi();
}
for (var i=2; i < 3; i++) { function createPdf() {
if (TEMPLATE_ID === '') {
SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert('TEMPLATE_ID needs to be defined in code.gs');
return;
}
// Set up the docs and the spreadsheet access
var copyFile = DriveApp.getFileById(TEMPLATE_ID).makeCopy(),
copyId = copyFile.getId(),
copyDoc = DocumentApp.openById(copyId),
copyBody = copyDoc.getBody(),
activeSheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet(),
numberOfColumns = activeSheet.getLastColumn(),
activeRow = activeSheet.getRange(i, 1, 1, numberOfColumns).getValues(),
headerRow = activeSheet.getRange(1, 1, 1, numberOfColumns).getValues(),
columnIndex = 0,
fileName = activeRow[0][0] + activeRow[0][1],
pdfFile,
pdfFile2;
// Replace the keys with the spreadsheet values
for (;columnIndex < headerRow[0].length; columnIndex++) {
copyBody.replaceText('%' + headerRow[0][columnIndex] + '%',
activeRow[0][columnIndex]);
}
// Create the PDF file and delete the doc copy
copyDoc.saveAndClose();
pdfFile = DriveApp.createFile(copyFile.getAs("application/pdf"));
pdfFile2 = pdfFile.setName(fileName)
copyFile.setTrashed(true);
return pdfFile2;
}}

Answer 1

Tip: pay attention to formatting your code properly, because it will help you understand its structure. Here's what you have after passing it through jsbeautifier:
var TEMPLATE_ID = '1Mxrm0kny8R7ROlBou8kSUc8dOvvH8PvtQ-EC_Nd3FUQ';
function onOpen() {
SpreadsheetApp
.getUi()
.createMenu('Create PDF')
.addItem('Create PDF', 'createPdf')
.addToUi();
}
for (var i = 2; i < 3; i++) {
function createPdf() {
if (TEMPLATE_ID === '') {
SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert('TEMPLATE_ID needs to be defined in code.gs');
return;
}
// Set up the docs and the spreadsheet access
var copyFile = DriveApp.getFileById(TEMPLATE_ID).makeCopy(),
copyId = copyFile.getId(),
copyDoc = DocumentApp.openById(copyId),
copyBody = copyDoc.getBody(),
activeSheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet(),
numberOfColumns = activeSheet.getLastColumn(),
activeRow = activeSheet.getRange(i, 1, 1, numberOfColumns).getValues(),
headerRow = activeSheet.getRange(1, 1, 1, numberOfColumns).getValues(),
columnIndex = 0,
fileName = activeRow[0][0] + activeRow[0][1],
pdfFile,
pdfFile2;
// Replace the keys with the spreadsheet values
for (; columnIndex < headerRow[0].length; columnIndex++) {
copyBody.replaceText('%' + headerRow[0][columnIndex] + '%',
activeRow[0][columnIndex]);
}
// Create the PDF file and delete the doc copy
copyDoc.saveAndClose();
pdfFile = DriveApp.createFile(copyFile.getAs("application/pdf"));
pdfFile2 = pdfFile.setName(fileName)
copyFile.setTrashed(true);
return pdfFile2;
}
}
The indenting clarifies a few problems:
The for loop on i is in global scope, not part of any function. It will therefore execute every time ANY function in the script is invoked, but is not explicitly invocable, as it would be in a function.
The function createPDF is declared inside that for loop. This is in global scope (see point 1), so it's still available to be called from other functions such as the menu created by your onOpen(). HOWEVER, because it's just a declaration, it is NOT invoked by the i loop! (This was the primary concern of your question.)
There's a return call inside createPdf() that is probably a left-over from the original copy of this code which produced a single PDF. Because it returns in the first time through the loop, it will STILL make a single PDF. That line needs to be moved or deleted.
return pdfFile2;
Flipping those couple of lines and deleting the return should sort us out.
var TEMPLATE_ID = '1Mxrm0kny8R7ROlBou8kSUc8dOvvH8PvtQ-EC_Nd3FUQ';
function onOpen() {
SpreadsheetApp
.getUi()
.createMenu('Create PDF')
.addItem('Create PDF', 'createPdf')
.addToUi();
}
function createPdf() {
for (var i = 2; i < 3; i++) {
if (TEMPLATE_ID === '') {
SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert('TEMPLATE_ID needs to be defined in code.gs');
return;
}
// Set up the docs and the spreadsheet access
var copyFile = DriveApp.getFileById(TEMPLATE_ID).makeCopy(),
copyId = copyFile.getId(),
copyDoc = DocumentApp.openById(copyId),
copyBody = copyDoc.getBody(),
activeSheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet(),
numberOfColumns = activeSheet.getLastColumn(),
activeRow = activeSheet.getRange(i, 1, 1, numberOfColumns).getValues(),
headerRow = activeSheet.getRange(1, 1, 1, numberOfColumns).getValues(),
columnIndex = 0,
fileName = activeRow[0][0] + activeRow[0][1],
pdfFile,
pdfFile2;
// Replace the keys with the spreadsheet values
for (; columnIndex < headerRow[0].length; columnIndex++) {
copyBody.replaceText('%' + headerRow[0][columnIndex] + '%',
activeRow[0][columnIndex]);
}
// Create the PDF file and delete the doc copy
copyDoc.saveAndClose();
pdfFile = DriveApp.createFile(copyFile.getAs("application/pdf"));
pdfFile2 = pdfFile.setName(fileName)
copyFile.setTrashed(true);
}
}