{"id":1025,"date":"2018-06-14T10:06:50","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T10:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/govinddas.com\/?p=1025"},"modified":"2018-06-14T10:06:50","modified_gmt":"2018-06-14T10:06:50","slug":"part-2-google-docs-addon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/part-2-google-docs-addon\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 2- Google docs addon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Text Cleaner<\/a><\/h3>\n

to remove formatting and clean up text<\/em><\/p>\n

Google Docs includes a\u00a0Clear Formatting<\/em>\u00a0option, but it removes everything\u2014links, bold and italics text, colors, and more.\u00a0Text Cleaner<\/a>\u00a0gives you a more granular way to clean up text the way you want, along with extra tools to remove line breaks and spaces.<\/p>\n

Just select the text you want to clean up, then choose the Text Cleaner function you want from its add-on menu to remove links, line breaks, tabs, spaces, or all formatting\u2014or to add smart quotes. You can even create your own customized Clear Formatting tool\u2014simply click\u00a0Configure<\/em>\u00a0to choose the formatting you want to keep and what you want to remove.<\/p>\n

Table Formatter<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"Table<\/div>\n

Google Docs doesn’t include many options to customize your tables. For a Word-style set of standard table designs,\u00a0Table Formatter<\/a>\u00a0is the add-on to install. It includes over 60 built-in table designs, complete with custom header row and first-column designs and alternating colors for each subsequent row. Just select any part of your table, then click the Table Formatter style you want to add that formatting to your table\u2014or check the\u00a0Apply for all tables<\/em>\u00a0box to format every table in your document at once.<\/p>\n

Want your own custom table style? Click the\u00a0Custom Templates<\/em>\u00a0tab in Table Formatter to set your own style with a custom border and row designs.<\/p>\n

Need to split a table? The\u00a0Splitting and Merging of Tables<\/a><\/em>\u00a0add-on gets the job done, splitting your table at the row where your cursor is, and including the title row in the new table along with the cut text. It also tends to break formatting and didn’t reliably merge tables, which is why it doesn’t have a full entry in this roundup\u2014but it can be handy if you really need to split a table quickly.<\/p>\n

Automate Work<\/h2>\n

EasyBib<\/a><\/h3>\n

to add citations to your document<\/em><\/p>\n

\"EasyBib<\/div>\n

The quickest way to build out your bibliography in Google Docs is with the\u00a0EasyBib<\/a>\u00a0add-on from the Chegg team. Just search for the book, article, or website that you’re quoting, select the citation style that you need to use, then add the entry to your bibliography.<\/p>\n

Once you’re done, click\u00a0Generate Bibliography<\/em>\u00a0and the add-on will compile your research, alphabetize everything, and add it to the end of your document.<\/p>\n

For citations that you can’t find online,\u00a0Paperpile<\/a>\u00a0is another great option that both lets you search for journal articles and enter your own citations.<\/p>\n

Search and Navigate<\/a><\/h3>\n

to jump to sections, images, bookmarks, and search results<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Search<\/div>\n

Want an easier way to find your way around long documents? Ablebits’\u00a0Search and Navigate<\/a>\u00a0is the best tool for that. It lists every heading, image, and table in your document so you can jump to them in a click. Or, you can use it to add bookmarks to your text and jump to them, too. There’s a setting to have the add-on open by default with specific documents, which is handy for long documents you know you’ll need help navigating.<\/p>\n

Its search tool is perhaps this add-on’s best feature. Instead of Google Docs’ default tool which makes you click through each result individually, Search and Navigate shows all of the search results together in context so you can preview the results and jump directly to the right one.<\/p>\n

Copy Comments<\/a><\/h3>\n

to create a full copy of a Google Doc<\/em><\/p>\n

Want to copy a Google Doc to make a new version of it? Just click\u00a0File -> Make a Copy<\/em>, and Google Docs will copy the full document with its text and formatting.<\/p>\n

It leaves behind one thing, though: Comments. If you want a copy of your document with all of its comments, use\u00a0Copy Comments<\/a>\u00a0instead. It’ll make a new copy of your document with each of the original comments and replies. The new comments will look a bit odd\u2014they’ll all show as though they were posted from your account, with the original comment author’s name written at the top of the comment and today’s date and time instead of the original comment’s date and time. The document history isn’t copied over, either.<\/p>\n

So it’s a nice way to keep the feedback while editing on your own in a private document\u2014but isn’t a great way to get a full revision archive of your documents.<\/p>\n

Translate+<\/a><\/h3>\n

to translate text inside Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Translate+<\/div>\n

Google offers their own Google Translate add-on, built as\u00a0a demo of how to build a Google Docs add-on<\/a>. It works\u2014but it only supports English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.<\/p>\n

For the full range of Google Translate-supported languages,\u00a0Translate+<\/a>\u00a0is the add-on to grab. It’s a quick way to translate text to and from any language you want, and you can add the translation to your document if you’d like. Only one problem: It only works in Chrome and Safari, and crashes in Firefox.<\/p>\n

Link Chooser<\/a><\/h3>\n

to quickly link to other Google Drive files<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Link<\/div>\n

Want to build a wiki inside of Google Docs? Or just want a quick way to link to one of your other files inside of a document?\u00a0Link Chooser<\/a>\u00a0can help. You can search through your Google Docs documents, spreadsheet, presentations, or Google Drive files, then select the item you want to insert. Seconds later, it’ll add the document’s title linked to the original file.<\/p>\n

It’s far quicker than opening\u00a0drive.google.com<\/code>, copying the link, and pasting it in yourself.<\/p>\n

DocSecrets<\/a><\/h3>\n

to password protect info in your documents<\/em><\/p>\n

\"DocSecrets<\/div>\n

Want to keep some text in your document private while sharing the rest of it with others?\u00a0DocSecrets<\/a>\u00a0can help. Just add a password to the DocSecrets sidebar, then type any secret text you want to add to your document in the add-on’s\u00a0Insert<\/em>\u00a0field. You can select existing text on the page and click\u00a0Censor text<\/em>\u00a0to hide it\u2014but that text would still be visible in the document’s history, making it not nearly as private. Then, to see the hidden text, your collaborators will have to both know your password and have the DocSecrets add-on installed\u2014otherwise all they’ll see is colored lines and dashes.<\/p>\n

Don’t use it for\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0sensitive data like financial info or critical passwords, but it can be a good way to add perhaps a private comment to the bottom of a document, or to keep some important detail hidden in a Google Doc just in case it gets shared publicly.<\/p>\n

Speakd<\/a><\/h3>\n

to listen to your document<\/em><\/p>\n

A fun counterpart to Google Docs’ built-in\u00a0Voice Typing<\/em>\u00a0tool,\u00a0Speakd<\/a>\u00a0can read English documents back to you. Select the text you want to hear, then click\u00a0Play<\/em>\u00a0to have a robotic voice read it back to you. It’s similar to the standard voice-over tool on your computer, and since that doesn’t work inside Google Docs, it can be a handy way to spare your eyes for a few minutes and to make Google Docs a bit more accessible.<\/p>\n

Add Extra Content to Documents<\/h2>\n

Wolfram|Alpha for Google Docs<\/a><\/h3>\n

to research right from Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Wolfram<\/div>\n

You’re writing a report, and need to know the day World War II ended, the periodical table name of phosphorous, the number of calories in a banana, or the capital of Iran. Don’t open a new tab and Google it\u2014that’s a sure way to get distracted. Instead, just type that exact phrase into your document, select it, then click the\u00a0Compute Selection<\/em>\u00a0option in the\u00a0Wolfram|Alpha add-on<\/a>. Seconds later, your text will be replaced with the correct answer from Wolfram|Alpha’s databases.<\/p>\n

It’s an almost magical way to fill in data you don’t know in your documents, one that works equally well to solve math problems in Google Docs. And if you need something else\u2014a picture of a flag, a graph of a function, the steps to solve an equation, or the full nutritional information of some food, just open the Wolfram|Alpha sidebar to find that data and insert it into your document as an image.<\/p>\n

MindMeister<\/a><\/h3>\n

to turn an outline into a mind map<\/em><\/p>\n

\"MindMeister<\/div>\n

This add-on was a surprise\u2014I assumed the MindMeister add-on would force you to open MindMeister to build a mind map, or at least make you have an account. You don’t need either.<\/p>\n

Instead, just install\u00a0MindMeister’s Google Docs add-on<\/a>, then select your outline and click\u00a0Insert as Mind Map<\/em>\u00a0in the MindMeister add-on menu. Seconds later, you’ll get an image of your mind map in your Google Doc. It’s a great way to turn your outline into a mind map\u2014and may be the quickest way to make a basic mind map in any app. You can’t edit it\u2014but you could always go use MindMeister’s full app if you want more features.<\/p>\n

Lucidchart Diagrams<\/a><\/h3>\n

to add diagrams, flowcharts, and other graphics to documents<\/em><\/p>\n

Lucidchart Diagrams<\/a>\u00a0isn’t quite as simple to use\u2014it can only let you start making a new diagram from a document, then it sends you to the Lucidchart app to build your full diagram. Once that’s done, you can insert the graphic from Lucidchart’s sidebar. It’s still simpler to use than other diagram add-ons, but not as simple as doing everything directly inside Google Docs.<\/p>\n

Lucidchart Pricing:<\/strong>\u00a0Free for up to 25Mb of storage; from $5.95\/month\u00a0Basic<\/a>plan for 100MB of storage and unlimited documents<\/p>\n

Yob Graph Editor<\/a><\/h3>\n

to graph data and equations in Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Yob<\/div>\n

Google Docs includes an\u00a0equation editor<\/a>\u00a0to type up equations complete with symbols and super\/sub script characters, but it doesn’t have a way to graph those equations.\u00a0Yob Graph Editor<\/a>\u00a0is the best way to do that. From its sidebar, you can type in the functions you want to graph or data tables you want to plot, then set the window and label text and styles before inserting a full-sized graph image into your document. You can even zoom in and out of the graph in the sidebar to have the final image show exactly what you want.<\/p>\n

If you want to graph an equation you’ve already written with Google Docs’\u00a0Insert -> Equation<\/em>tool,\u00a0Wizkids CAS<\/a>\u00a0is another option\u2014though it watermarks the graphs and is a bit more difficult to use. Or, for more advanced graphs and equations, the Wolfram|Alpha add-on is a great option.<\/p>\n

Auto-Latex Equations<\/a><\/h3>\n

to render LaTeX equations in Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Auto-Latex<\/div>\n

If you just want a simpler way to insert formatted equations without having to use Google Docs’ equation editor,\u00a0Auto-Latex Equations<\/a>\u00a0gives you another option. You can type equations in LaTeX markup, then open the add-on’s sidebar and turn all of your equations into a formatted equation in an image in seconds.<\/p>\n

Want your original LaTeX markup equation again? Just put your cursor before the equation graphic and click\u00a0De-render equation<\/em>\u00a0to turn the image back into text.<\/p>\n

Another way to simplify writing equations is\u00a0EquatIO<\/a>, a $100\/year Google Chrome add-on that lets you draw equations or type them in plain text like\u00a0two plus two equals four<\/code>, and then turn them into formatted equations in Google Docs.<\/p>\n

Flat Music Notation<\/a><\/h3>\n

to create music in Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Flat<\/div>\n

Flat Music Notation<\/a>\u00a0does more than just let you build sheet music and add it to your Google Docs document\u2014it also lets you hear your creation and tweak it on the fly as a simple music composition tool. From its pop-over, you can add notes directly to your sheet music and hear what they sound like as they’re added. Once you’ve filled in your sheet music, press the play button at the bottom to hear your creation before inserting it as an image in your Google Docs document. It’s simple enough, anyone could use it to add musical notation to their document.<\/p>\n

VexTab Music Notation<\/a><\/h3>\n

to write sheet music in Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

For a quicker way to write more advanced sheet music,\u00a0VexTab<\/a>\u00a0lets you write sheet music in a\u00a0custom text markup<\/a>\u2014what LaTeX is to math equations. Type in your notes, timing, guidance, and even lyrics, then convert them to a sheet music image and insert them into your Google Docs document.<\/p>\n

Supermetrics<\/a><\/h3>\n

to build reports from your data in Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Supermetrics<\/div>\n

Writing a report about your company’s marketing?\u00a0Supermetrics<\/a>\u00a0can pull your stats and analytics right into your Google Docs documents. Just connect your Google Analytics\u2014or other apps with a paid subscription\u2014account, tell Supermetrics what data you need, and seconds later it’ll add it to a table in your document.<\/p>\n

It’s best in Google Sheets, where you can analyze your data in tables and build graphs from it, but can still be a handy way to grab quick data in Google Docs.<\/p>\n

Supermetrics Pricing:<\/strong>\u00a0Free for 100 Google Analytics queries per day; $49\/month\u00a0Supermetrics Pro<\/a>\u00a0(with an annual subscription) for YouTube, Twitter, AdWords, MailChimp, Facebook, and other data sources.<\/p>\n

HelloSign<\/a><\/h3>\n

to add your signature to a document<\/em><\/p>\n

\"HelloSign<\/div>\n

Once you’ve finished your report or made an invoice for your clients in Google Docs, it’s time to sign and save the document. For that,\u00a0HelloSign<\/a>\u00a0is the best add-on, both to add your own signature and to get others to sign the document.<\/p>\n

You can add your own signature for free, either using a signature you’ve already saved to HelloSign or drawing a new one inside Google Docs. Then, if you want to requests others’ signatures, you can send the document to the HelloSign app right from Google Docs and then request their signatures there.<\/p>\n

HelloSign Price:<\/strong>\u00a0Free to add your own signature to documents, or to have others sign documents 3 times per month; from $15\/month Pro plan for unlimited signatures<\/p>\n

Publish Your Work<\/h2>\n

Mail Merge Contacts<\/a><\/h3>\n

to make template letters and emails from Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Mail<\/div>\n

Need to make a set of customized documents, or send mail merged emails?\u00a0Mail Merge Contacts<\/a>\u00a0is the simplest way to do that in Google Docs. You’ll first need to add your contact info to Google Contacts, and then will need to fill in your document template with variables like\u00a0|phone|<\/code>\u00a0that the add-on will replace with the correct data. Then, click\u00a0Merge to Letters<\/em>\u00a0to create personalized documents, or click\u00a0Merge to Emails<\/em>\u00a0to send each message as a personalized email from your Gmail account.<\/p>\n

To merge data from a Google Sheets spreadsheet in the same way, the\u00a0Mail Merge<\/a>\u00a0add-on works great\u2014but costs $70. Or, you could use the\u00a0Smartsheet Merge<\/a>\u00a0add-on to do the same with data from a Smartsheet spreadsheet.<\/p>\n

Preview Markdown<\/a><\/h3>\n

to convert Markdown text into Google Docs formatting<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Preview<\/div>\n

Love writing in Markdown, but need to turn it into formatted Google Docs documents?\u00a0Preview Markdown<\/a>\u00a0is the best add-on of the three Markdown tools we tested in the Docs store.<\/p>\n

Just write Markdown formatted text in Google Docs, then open the Preview Markdown add-on to get a sidebar that shows your fully formatted text. It’ll automatically refresh as you write, for a quick confirmation that your Markdown formatting is correct. And when you’re finished writing, just copy the text from the sidebar and paste it into your document to quickly format your writing.<\/p>\n

gd2md-html<\/a><\/h3>\n

to export a formatted Google Docs document in Markdown or HTML<\/em><\/p>\n

Or, need the opposite? Want to write with Google Docs formatting tools, then turn that into a Markdown document?\u00a0gd2md-html<\/a>\u00a0is the best option, despite its unwieldy name.<\/p>\n

Just write your document with standard Google Docs formatting, then open the gd2md-html sidebar and tap\u00a0Markdown<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0HTML<\/em>. Seconds later, you’ll have your entire document converted into Markdown or HTML formatting that you can copy and use anywhere you want. And if you change something in your document, just click the\u00a0Markdown<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0HTML<\/em>\u00a0button again to get updated code.<\/p>\n

It worked almost perfectly in our tests\u2014much better than the other Markdown export add-ons. The only catch: It always converts your full document, and won’t work if you have any selected text. So make sure you haven’t selected any text before trying to convert your document.<\/p>\n

Image Extractor<\/a><\/h3>\n

to download images from your documents<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/div>\n

Typically the only way to extract images from a Google Docs document is to download the document as HTML, then find the image in the ZIP file Google saves.\u00a0Image Extractor<\/a>\u00a0saves you that step.<\/p>\n

Just run the Image Extractor add-on, click an image you want to save, then click the\u00a0Download Image<\/em>\u00a0button to save a copy to your computer. It’s a great way to grab an image before copying your document text to publish on your blog.<\/p>\n

WordPress.com for Google Docs<\/a><\/h3>\n

to publish WordPress blog posts from Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"WordPress<\/div>\n

After you’ve researched and written in Google Docs, and collaborated with others on editing, it’s time to publish it. Today, odds are you’ll want to publish your document online instead of printing it. If so, the\u00a0WordPress.com for Google Docs<\/a>\u00a0add-on is the best way to publish your document to your blog.<\/p>\n

Just format your document with standard Google Docs formatting\u2014or write in Markdown text if you’d like\u2014then use the WordPress add-on to save the document as a new draft post to your WordPress.com or self-hosted WordPress blog. It’ll convert the text and even copy over any images from your document to your blog. Then you can publish the post from your WordPress admin whenever you’re ready.<\/p>\n

For step-by-step details, check our\u00a0How to Publish to WordPress from Google Docs<\/a>\u00a0guide. Or if you use Jekyll and GitHub Pages to publish your blog, the\u00a0Gabriel<\/a>\u00a0add-on lets you convert your document to Markdown and publish it to GitHub.<\/p>\n

Scrifter<\/a><\/h3>\n

to format your document for a screenplay<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Scrifter<\/div>\n

Scrifter<\/a>\u00a0is a handy way to turn your screenplay text into a formatted screenplay that looks the part. Just type in your scenes and dialogue as normal, then select\u00a0Auto-Format select<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0everything<\/em>\u00a0in the add-on’s menu. Minutes later, your text will magically look like a formatted screenplay (one that was faithful to at least the first few scenes of the\u00a0Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy<\/a><\/em>, the screenplay we tested it with).<\/p>\n

Or, if you want to add your own formatting as you go, just open its sidebar to manually add scenes, headings, action, and dialog sections.<\/p>\n

Scrifter’s more popular alternative,\u00a0Screenplay Formatter<\/a>, gives you more manual formatting options\u2014but doesn’t include Scrifter’s rather handy auto formatting tools.<\/p>\n

Avery Label Merge<\/a><\/h3>\n

to make badges and labels from Google Docs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Avery<\/div>\n

Avery Label Merge<\/a>\u00a0takes a few more steps to use than the average add-on, but is the best way to make labels in Google Docs. You’ll first need to make a Google Sheets spreadsheet with the data you want in your labels, with column header names like\u00a0Name<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Address<\/em>\u00a0that will be easily recognizable.<\/p>\n

Then, open a blank Google Docs document and select the Avery Label Merge add-on. Select whether you want labels or badges, followed by the size of Avery paper you’ll be using (and you can find their standard label and page sizes\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0if you’re using another brand of labels). That’ll add a rectangle to your document\u2014with the Avery sidebar on the right.<\/p>\n

Now, you’ll be asked for the data to make the labels with. Select the Google Sheets spreadsheet you made before and you’ll see its column headers in the sidebar. Select an item to add it to your label, then format that text the way you want it to look in the finished label as in the screenshot above. Finally, click\u00a0Merge<\/em>\u00a0and you’ll get a brand new Google Doc filled with the labels or badges you want\u2014each with the unique contact info from your Google Sheets spreadsheet.<\/p>\n

HelloFax<\/a><\/h3>\n

to fax your Google Docs document<\/em><\/p>\n

From the same team as HelloSign,\u00a0HelloFax<\/a>\u00a0is the quickest way to fax documents from Google Docs for those clients who still don’t use email. Just write your document\u2014and perhaps sign it with HelloSign\u2014then enter the fax number, recipient name, and message. Then click\u00a0Send<\/em>, and your fax will be sent as quickly as you could have emailed the document.<\/p>\n

Need to receive faxes? Just create a paid HelloFax account on their site to get your own fax number.<\/p>\n

HelloFax Pricing:<\/strong>\u00a0Send first 10 pages for free; from $9.99\/month\u00a0Home Office<\/a>plan for 300 pages\/month.<\/p>\n

\n

From formatting your text and tables to turning your text into data and graphs automatically, Google Docs add-ons can turn your word processor into a powerful tool to help you write faster, work more efficiently, make nicer looking documents, and share them with more people.<\/p>\n

You don’t need them all\u2014in fact, once you install more than a couple dozen add-ons, it can be hard to find the ones you want in Google Docs’\u00a0Add-ons<\/em>menu. So install the tools that fit your needs the most, the ones you think you’re most likely to use. Then bookmark this post, and whenever you can’t find a feature you need in Google Docs, check it for an add-on that do what you need. Chances are, there’s something to do just about anything you want in Google Docs.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Text Cleaner to remove formatting and clean up text Google Docs includes a\u00a0Clear Formatting\u00a0option, but it removes everything\u2014links, bold and italics text, colors, and more.\u00a0Text Cleaner\u00a0gives you a more granular way to clean up text the way you want, along with extra tools to remove line breaks and spaces. Just select the text you want to clean up, then choose the Text Cleaner function you want from its add-on menu to remove links, line breaks, tabs, spaces, or all formatting\u2014or…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2,587],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","hentry","category-general-discussion","category-great-tech-blogs","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/govinddas.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}