Auto update Google Slide embedded image - google-apps-script

Question

I have a Google Slide that has an embedded image in it that I get from a public URL. I'd like for that image to automatically update every day at a specific time, rather than me having to open the slide and replace the image by URL every day.
Here's the code I tried to use, (replacing the placeholders 'SLIDE_ID' and 'IMAGE_URL' with the actual values) but it's not working.
function updateEmbeddedImage() {
// Get the slide ID and the image URL
var slideId = "SLIDE_ID";
var imageUrl = "IMAGE_URL";
// Open the slide and get the existing image
var slide = SlidesApp.openById(slideId);
var existingImage = slide.getImages()[0];
// Replace the existing image with the new image
var newImage = UrlFetchApp.fetch(imageUrl).getBlob();
slide.replaceImage(existingImage, newImage);
}
// Set a time-based trigger to run the script every day at a specific time
function setTrigger() {
ScriptApp.newTrigger("updateEmbeddedImage")
.timeBased()
.atHour(9)
.everyDays(1)
.create();
}
I get the message:
Error
Exception: Not found
updateEmbeddedImage # Code.gs:7

Answer 1

Issue in the OP code:
Error Exception: Not found updateEmbeddedImage # Code.gs:7. I can only speculate that the code included in the question is NOT the code that is in code.gs, since this error means that the script can't find a specific function.
In any event, the OP's code as written is OK.
But there are major flaws in the code:
var existingImage = slide.getImages()[0];
getImages() is a slide method. But slide is (in this case) the variable used to describe the presentation.
To get the slides use getSlides(); like var slides = slide.getSlides(). Even then you also have to nominate a specific slide, such as slides[0], or slides1.
the [0] at the of the line has no effect.
slide.replaceImage(existingImage, newImage);
There is no method replaceImage
There is a replaceImage Request that is part of the Google Slides API but this is irrelevant in this context.
Replacing the image url
Google Slides has an image method specifically designed to do this
replace(imageUrl): Replaces this image with another image downloaded from the provided URL.
The OP's trigger code can be re-used.
Revised updateEmbeddedImage
function updateEmbeddedImage() {
// Get the slide ID and the image URL
var slideId = "<<insert slideID>>"
var imageUrl = "<<insert imageurl>"
// Open the slide and get the existing image
var slide = SlidesApp.openById(slideId)
// assume the image is on slide#2 (zero-based=1)
var slides = slide.getSlides()
var targetSlide = slides[1]
// assume there is on one image on this slide
var images = targetSlide.getImages()
// replace the source URL
images[0].replace(imageUrl)
}
Code alternative
The OP's script requires that the source url must be hard coded into the script. This is inconvenient as well as error-prone.
this script in this answer should be bound to a Spreadsheet.
the Source URL should be entered in Column B.
Column A can contain an image() formula to show the image (and also confirm the url is valid).
the script returns all the slides (getSlides()) but assumes the embedded image is on the second slide.
The script gets all the images (getImages()) on that slide but assumes that the image to be replaced is the first image on the slide.
The existing SourceURL is returned with .getSourceUrl()
The new SourceURL is obtained from the spreadsheet
There is error checking to make sure that the existing SourceURL could be found AND that it wasn't the last URL on the spreadsheet.
// this script is bound to the spreadsheet containing the urls of the images.
// URL are in column B, beginning in row 1
// Image() formula is in Column A to display the image associated with the url
// to automatically update every day at a specific time, create a Time driven Installatble trigger.
function replaceurl() {
// get the slide
var slideId = "<<insert ID>>"
var slide = SlidesApp.openById(slideId)
// get the slides; assume the embedded image is on the second slide
var slides = slide.getSlides()
var targetSlide = slides[1]
// get images
// assume that image to replace is the first image on the slide
var images = targetSlide.getImages()
// get the source url of the existing image
var existingSourceURL = images[0].getSourceUrl()
Logger.log("DEBUG: Existing Source URL: "+existingSourceURL)
// get the source url of the next image in the spreadsheet
// slide urls are in column B
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()
var sheet = ss.getSheetByName("SlideDetails")
var urlRange = sheet.getRange(1,2,sheet.getLastRow())
Logger.log("DEBUG: URL Range: "+urlRange.getA1Notation())
// get the values and flatten to return a 1D array
var urlValues = urlRange.getValues().flat()
Logger.log(urlValues) //DEBUG
// get the number of URLs on the spreadsheet
var valCount = urlValues.length
Logger.log("DEBUG: # of values in the sheet: "+valCount)
// find the index of the existing source url (zero-based)
var existingIdx = urlValues.indexOf(existingSourceURL)
Logger.log("DEBUG: Index of existing url: "+existingIdx);
// test if idx of existing url wasn't found AND
// test if idx of existing url = num of urls
// indexOf returns -1 if idx is not found
if (existingIdx != -1 && existingIdx != (valCount-1)){
// existing Source URL was found and the idx isn't greater than number of urls on the list
// new Source URL is next on the list
var newSourceURL = urlValues[existingIdx+1]
Logger.log("DEBUG: new source url: "+newSourceURL)
// replace the source URL
images[0].replace(newSourceURL)
}
else{
// don't change or replace the url
// don't replace the url
Logger.log("DEBUG: Image not changed because existing URL is either not found OR was last in the list")
}
Logger.log("DEBUG: Done")
}
Spreadsheet Layout