Automated Weekly PDF Reports from Google Docs
Weekly reports have a consistent structure and recipient list. Once you automate the conversion and distribution, the report goes out every week without anyone having to remember to do it.
Setting up the weekly trigger
Use an Apps Script week timer trigger set to run on your preferred day, typically Thursday or Friday afternoon. The trigger calls your report generation function, which populates the template, exports to PDF, and distributes the result.
Week-over-week consistency
Store the report template in a dedicated folder. Each week, the script makes a copy, populates it with the current week's data, and converts it. The original template is never modified. The output folder fills up with dated weekly PDFs that you can reference at any time.
Team distribution
Send the weekly PDF to a team mailing list or post it to a dedicated Slack channel. Include the week dates in the subject line and message so recipients can immediately see what period the report covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if the weekly report is not ready when the trigger runs?
Add a readiness check to your script. Use a named range or a specific cell in a linked Sheet that your team sets to 'Ready' when the report is complete. The script checks this flag and skips the conversion if it is not set.
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