Google Apps Script - Superscript & Subscript

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In this post, I'll show you how to use a Google Apps Script to automatically convert text in columns A and B of your Google Sheets into superscript and subscript, respectively. This can be particularly useful for scientific and mathematical notation.

Introduction

Google Sheets is a powerful tool, but sometimes it lacks specific features we need for our projects. For example, there's no built-in way to easily convert characters to superscript or subscript. That's where Google Apps Script comes in handy! With a custom script, you can automate this process.

The Script

Here's the complete Google Apps Script that accomplishes this task:

Copy the AppScript code below:

function onEdit(e) {
  var sheet = e.source.getActiveSheet();
  var range = e.range;

  if (sheet.getName() === 'Sheet1') {
    if (range.getColumn() === 1 || range.getColumn() === 2) {
      applySuperSubScript();
    }
  }
}

function applySuperSubScript() {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName('Sheet1');
  if (!sheet) {
    SpreadsheetApp.getUi().alert('Sheet1 not found!');
    return;
  }
  
  var data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
  
  var superScriptMap = {
    '0': '⁰', '1': '¹', '2': '²', '3': '³', '4': '⁴',
    '5': '⁵', '6': '⁶', '7': '⁷', '8': '⁸', '9': '⁹',
    'a': 'ᵃ', 'b': 'ᵇ', 'c': 'ᶜ', 'd': 'ᵈ', 'e': 'ᵉ',
    'f': 'ᶠ', 'g': 'ᵍ', 'h': 'ʰ', 'i': 'ⁱ', 'j': 'ʲ',
    'k': 'ᵏ', 'l': 'ˡ', 'm': 'ᵐ', 'n': 'ⁿ', 'o': 'ᵒ',
    'p': 'ᵖ', 'r': 'ʳ', 's': 'ˢ', 't': 'ᵗ', 'u': 'ᵘ',
    'v': 'ᵛ', 'w': 'ʷ', 'x': 'ˣ', 'y': 'ʸ', 'z': 'ᶻ',
    '+': '⁺', '-': '⁻', '=': '⁼', '(': '⁽', ')': '⁾'
  };
  
  var subScriptMap = {
    '0': '₀', '1': '₁', '2': '₂', '3': '₃', '4': '₄',
    '5': '₅', '6': '₆', '7': '₇', '8': '₈', '9': '₉',
    'a': 'ₐ', 'b': '♭', 'c': '꜀', 'd': 'ⅾ', 'e': 'ₑ',
    'f': 'բ', 'g': '₉', 'h': 'ₕ', 'i': 'ᵢ', 'j': 'ⱼ',
    'k': 'ₖ', 'l': 'ₗ', 'm': 'ₘ', 'n': 'ₙ', 'o': 'ₒ',
    'p': 'ₚ', 'q': 'ₓ', 'r': 'ᵣ', 's': 'ₛ', 't': 'ₜ',
    'u': 'ᵤ', 'v': 'ᵥ', 'w': 'w', 'x': 'ₓ', 'y': 'ᵧ', 'z': 'z',
    '+': '₊', '-': '₋', '=': '₌', '(': '₍', ')': '₎'
  };
  
  function replaceWithMap(str, map) {
    return str.replace(/[0-9a-zA-Z+\-=()]/g, function(match) {
      return map[match.toLowerCase()] || match;
    });
  }
  
  for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
    if (data[i][0]) {
      var superScriptText = replaceWithMap(data[i][0].toString(), superScriptMap);
      sheet.getRange(i + 1, 1).setValue(superScriptText);
    }
    if (data[i][1]) {
      var subScriptText = replaceWithMap(data[i][1].toString(), subScriptMap);
      sheet.getRange(i + 1, 2).setValue(subScriptText);
    }
  }
}

Now, whenever you edit a cell in columns A or B in 'Sheet1', the text will be automatically converted to superscript or subscript.

Introduction

The Script

How to Use the Script