https://github.com/connorbulmer/google-docs-text-cleaner
Google Docs add-on that removes unwanted formatting characters.
https://github.com/connorbulmer/google-docs-text-cleaner
Last synced: 4 months ago
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Google Docs add-on that removes unwanted formatting characters.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/connorbulmer/google-docs-text-cleaner
- Owner: ConnorBulmer
- License: mit
- Created: 2025-04-24T07:31:32.000Z (about 1 year ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-04-24T07:37:27.000Z (about 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-04-24T08:35:33.026Z (about 1 year ago)
- Language: JavaScript
- Size: 7.81 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
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Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# 🧹 Google Docs Text Cleaner Add-on
A powerful Google Docs add-on that removes unwanted formatting characters like:
- ❌ Invisible Unicode characters (zero-width spaces, joiners, BOMs)
- 🚫 Directional formatting codes (used in multilingual or RTL text)
- 🧊 Non-standard space characters (e.g. no-break spaces, en/em/thin spaces)
It also includes a **Settings page** so users can choose which characters to clean.
---
## 🤖 Why This Matters (AI-Generated Text)
Modern AI tools (like ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, etc.) sometimes insert **invisible characters** during generation. These can:
- 📈 **Increase AI detectability** (AI detectors look for patterns like zero-width spaces)
- ♿ **Reduce accessibility** (screen readers or assistive tech may misread or ignore them)
- 📋 **Cause formatting bugs** (especially when copying between apps or to PDFs)
- 📉 **Break text processing scripts or regex matching**
Cleaning these improves **readability, accessibility, and professionalism** — especially for AI-assisted writing.
---
## 🔧 Manual Installation (No Marketplace Required)
You can install this add-on in your own Google account using Apps Script.
### 📌 Instructions:
1. Open [https://script.google.com](https://script.google.com)
2. Click **“New project”**
3. In the new project:
- Replace `Code.gs` with the code from [`Code.gs`](./Code.gs)
- Add a new HTML file called `Settings.html` → paste contents from [`Settings.html`](./Settings.html)
4. Go to **Project Settings** (⚙️ icon), and enable:
> ✅ Show “appsscript.json” manifest file
5. Add a file called `appsscript.json`, and paste contents from [`appsscript.json`](./appsscript.json)
6. Save the project
7. Open any Google Doc, and refresh the page
8. Go to:
`Extensions > Text Cleaner` → Choose:
- ✅ `Clean Invisible & Non-standard Spaces`
- ⚙️ `Settings` to customise what gets removed
---
## 🧠 What It Removes
| Category | Characters Handled |
|-----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
| Invisible Characters | `U+200B`, `U+200C`, `U+200D`, `U+FEFF`, etc. |
| Directional Controls | `U+202A–U+202E`, `U+200E`, `U+200F`, `U+2060–U+2062` |
| Non-Standard Spaces | `U+00A0`, `U+2000–U+200A`, `U+202F`, `U+205F`, `U+3000`, `U+2800`, etc. |
All cleaned or replaced with standard space (`U+0020`) where appropriate.
---
## 🛡️ Privacy & Safety
- Runs **only when you tell it to**
- Stores preferences **only in your Google account**
- No data leaves your document or device