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Google Slides Function - Template Guide
Google Slides Function - Template Guide

Google Slides Function - Template Guide

With the Google Slides Function, you can create custom templates inside Google Slides using your Airtable data. The Google Slides Function contains templates including: Tables, Text, Images, Links, YouTube Videos, Google Drive Videos, Charts from Google Sheets, and Grids. This approach allows the most flexible templating system for Airtable. This guide is for use with the

The templates use a syntax called Handlebars. You can create Simple or Complex templates.

  • *Simple Templates: **{{template-type options....}}
  • Complex templates with inner body: {{#template-type options...}} {{inner-types}} {{/template-type}}

In this article

Airtable Configuration

The easiest way to insert your data is to use Lookup fields in your base. Create a lookup field for each set of values you want from your base.

  • *Example: **You have a secondary table in your base called People with the primary field called Name. You have 3 records in the table. You have a record for Larry, a record for Mo, and a record for Curly. In your main table called Clients, you need to add a Lookup field that looks up the People table and the Name field. Once your template table is set up, each record will be inserted to a column.

Once you set up your Table source and a Lookup field, you can then reference any field from the secondary table in your base inside your template table in Google.

Formatting Template Parameters

To format the templates, add the template type name, then a space followed by an =. Finally, surround your data or formatting in parentheses.

Example

{{date value="{{Airtable date field name}}" pattern="YYYY-MM-DD"}}
image

Merge Fields

Field Placeholder

{{Your Field Name}}

These are used to insert your data anywhere in the file. Wrap the name of your Airtable Field in two curly braces.

Example

{{Quote Name}}

The placeholder text of {{Quote Name}} will be replaced with the data stored in the Quote Name Airtable field.

Text

{{text}}

Inserts data from the selected Airtable Field into the text box. Insert a text box and position it where you want the merged data to go. Then enter the {{text}} field and options.

{{text}} Parameters

field

The Airtable field name that contains the text you want to insert

{{text field="Quote_Explanation"}}

The text from the Quote_Explanation Airtable field will be displayed.

value

Set static text that will display in place of the merge field.

Examples

{{text value="This text will display"}}

No Airtable data will display. Instead it will display “This text will display”

keepShape

If set to “1”, the text box that contains the merge field will maintain all of it’s styling features, such as borders, background color, font size, font color, etc.

“0” is default, which will not maintain styling. “1” will maintain styling.

useStyle

Use the styles provided for the template text

“0” is the default, which will not maintain template styling. "1” will maintain template styling.

Examples

{{text field=”Quote Name” keepShape=”1” useStyle=”0”}}

{{text field=”Quote Name” useStyle=”1”}}

{{text field=”Quote Name”}}

{{text field=”Quote Name”}}

For all three examples, the content from the Quote Name Airtable field will be populated.

In the first example, both the text box and text will maintain the template styling, even though useStyle is set to 0.

In the third example, none of the template styling will be maintained. This is the same as if useStyle and keepShape where both set to zero.

Table

You can create a table with different Airtable fields and types. Adds all data from a field or linked table and will generate a table

{{table}}

To insert a table:

  • Add a shape for to contain your table
  • Add your parameters

Table Syntax

{{table source=" "}} - Insert your field name for the table column {{table}} - Your table name in Airtable.

Example:

{{table source=”Template Data” fields=”Name|Age” columnWidth=”1” minRowHeight=”0.1”}}

Options:

fields="Field Name|Field Name" - your Airtable field names columnWidths - set your column widths in inches minRowHeight- set the minimum row height for your table

Image

Insert images into a slide by placing the template text inside of a text box. Images will fit to the size of the text box. You can resize the text box to change the resulting image size.

Borders from the text box will not be included in the merged document. You can use borders accurately size and place the text box. If the text box overlaps with other text box or elements the resulting image will overlap them as well.

Only one image can be inserted per text box.

{{image}} Parameters

field

The name of the Airtable field that contains the image you want to insert.

Example

{{image field=”Quote_Image”}}

url

A publicly accessible URL of the image you want to insert. To test if the URL will work, paste the URL into your browser. If the image is displayed then you should be able to use the URL.

Example

{{image url ="example.com/cool_mountain.jpeg}}

Link

This is used to insert your Airtable data as a link. To use a link field insert the template into a text box. Only one template per text box can be used. For example, if you have two link templates in a single text box, only the first link will display.

{{link}} Parameters

url

The URL you want to link to. This can either be a static value or another merge field.

value

This is the text that will be displayed.

Example

{{link url="https://on2air.com" value="On2Air Website"}}
{{link url="{{Quote_URL}}" value="{{Quote_Explanation}}"}}

The first example has static values for both the url and value. The link will look like: On2Air Website

The second example has placeholders for both values. The display text will be value contained in the Airtable field Quote_Title, and the url will point to the value in {{Quote_URL}}

Video

{{video}}

With the video template you can insert a video from YouTube or a video from your Google Drive. To use it, place the template inside of a text box. Position and size the text box how you want the resulting video to be. Set the value parameter according to the video you want to use.

{{video}} Parameters

value

To display a video, set the value parameter equal to the the YouTube ID or Google Drive ID for the video.

To Get The Youtube Video ID

  • Open the Youtube video you want to insert.
  • The video ID is the text located in the URL after the “?v=”
  • Add the ID to your video value parameter
image

To Get The Google Drive Video ID

  • Open the Google Drive video you want to insert.
  • The video ID is the URL.
  • You can get the ID by getting the URL of the video and copying the ID as shown below
  • Add the URL or ID to your video value parameter
image

Example

{{video value=”dQw4w9WgXcQ”}}

This will insert the classic Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up music video. The full URL to the video is below, with the Video ID highlighted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Chart from Google Sheets

{{chart}}

Insert a dynamic or static chart from a Google Sheets document. You can have the chart automatically update when updated in Sheets or use it as a snapshot image of the chart.

To use the chart template, place the template inside of a text box. Position and size the text box how you want the resulting video to be. Each text box can only contain one template.

Note: Before you can insert a chart, the Google Sheet document that contains the chart must be connected to your On2Air application first. The steps to do this are:

  • Create a new Google Sheets Function
  • Start the Configuration.
  • In the Google Sheets Function Configuration step, select the document that contains the chart as the Source File.
  • Then you’re ready to go! That Google Sheet can now be accessed by On2Air. You can delete this function if you would like, it’s no longer needed.

{{chart}} Parameters sheet

The ID of your Google Sheets document

value

The ID of your chart from the Google Sheet

linked

Determines whether to make the chart dynamic (always updated) or static (1-time snapshot).

A value of “1” will make the chart dynamic. A value of “0” will make it static.

Example

To insert a chart:

  • Add a text for the size of chart you want
  • Add {{chart sheet="Sheets file ID" value="Chart ID"}} inside your shape
  • Get your Google Sheets ID from your file. You can do this by getting the URL of the sheet and copying the ID as shown below
  • Get your Chart ID. You can do this by clicking the menu on the chart, choose Publish Chart, click Publish, and then click Embed
  • In the Embed code, copy the oid= ID
  • Add the ID to your value parameter
  • If you want the chart to be dynamic, you don't need to add any other parameters. Your chart will automatically update. If you want the chart to be static, add linked="0" to your parameters. This will automatically create a static image of your chart.

Google Sheets document ID

image

Chart ID

image
{{chart sheet=”1PYIHKYmIBkJ_-a4SDsmWp7UsFCBhkvqI-Lo_qxfCSAc” value=”1076339859” linked=”0”}}

Grid

Adds all data from a field or linked table and will generate a flexible grid table

{{grid}}

To insert a grid:

  • Add a shape for the size of the grid you want
  • Add your parameters

Options:

field - your Airtable field name source - your Airtable table name type - you can use text, number, image, and link. If you specify the type, you can format the cells as needed. rowHeight - the height of your row colWidth - the width of your column padding - add padding to your grid column - add padding to your columns row - add padding to your rows useShape - use the shape for each grid cell it creates

Example: {{grid source=”Template Data” type=”text” field=”Name” padding=”column: 0.1; row: 0.2” useShape=”1”}}

Advanced

Conditional Formatting

ifEq - only display when the data from this field is equal to a certain value. This parameter needs to be your Field Name in Airtable. ifVal - only display if this value is present. This parameter needs to be a specific Value from the Field Name you chose.

Example:

{{link field="Record Link” ifEq="Name” ifVal="Client A”}}