This is a sample Google Apps Script designed to replace all instances of specific text within a Google Slides presentation, while simultaneously applying a desired text style. The built-in Presentation.replaceAllText() method within the Google Slides service is limited; it efficiently replaces text strings but lacks the functionality to modify text formatting during the replacement process. This limitation poses a challenge when aiming for styled text replacements. This report presents a detailed script solution that overcomes this constraint.
Have you ever needed to replace text across your Google Slides presentation but also wanted to apply specific formatting to the new text at the same time? The standard replaceAllText() method in Apps Script is handy for bulk text replacement, but it falls short when you need to control the styling – like font, size, or colour – during the replacement process.
Community contributor Kanshi Tanaike has developed a clever solution to overcome this limitation. Tanaike has shared a Google Apps Script function that not only finds and replaces text throughout all elements in your slides (including shapes, tables, and grouped objects) but also applies your desired text styles simultaneously.
The script works by iterating through the elements on each slide. When it finds the text you want to replace, it uses TextRange methods to perform the replacement and apply the specified formatting attributes, such as font family, size, colour, bold, italics, underline, and more.
This approach provides significantly more control than the built-in method, allowing you to ensure that automatically replaced text matches the exact styling you need for visually consistent and polished presentations. Tanaike’s post includes the full script, configuration details for specifying the text and styles, and sample slides showing the results.
