Supported Levels
Available for Airtable, Notion, and the DocsAutomator API, in both Google Doc and Word templates.In Word, place the child row immediately below its parent’s marker row in the same table (level 3 immediately below the child row). A nested marker in the same row as its parent, or separated from it by another row, does not repeat — the template linter flags it. Auto row numbers work with nested rows: parent records are numbered and child rows get an empty numbering cell.Nested tables also work inside a repeating section.Airtable uses a linked-record field at each level. Notion uses a Relation property at each level. The API sends nested rows in a
children array.Placeholder Format
Each nesting tier uses a specific prefix structure:
Where N represents the line item table number (1, 2, 3, etc.).
Setup Steps
Nesting is defined by the placeholder names themselves:{{line_items_1}} starts the parent list, {{line_items_1_1}} a child list, and {{line_items_1_2}} a grandchild list.
1
Configure Data Source
In your automation’s line item settings, select the link for each level so DocsAutomator knows which related records to pull. In Airtable, pick the linked-record field. In Notion, pick the Relation property.
2
Create Template
In the template modal:
- Click “Add Line Items”
- Configure the Level 1 (Parent) columns
- Click Add Nested Level and configure the Level 2 (Child) columns
- Click Add Nested Level again for Level 3 (Grandchild), if needed
- Insert the table into your template
Key Features
Different Column Counts Per Level
Different Column Counts Per Level
Each nesting level can have a different number of columns. DocsAutomator automatically handles this by merging cells when a nested row has fewer columns than its parent.
Auto-Numbering
Auto-Numbering
Enable “Add auto row numbers” in line item settings for hierarchical number generation (e.g., 1, 1.1, 1.1.1).
Sorting
Sorting
Configure sorting independently for each nesting level with “smart sort labels” indicating direction (ascending/descending for numbers, dates, and text).
Use Cases
Invoice with Services
Services → Tasks → Subtasks
Bill of Materials
Products → Components → Parts
Project Report
Phases → Milestones → Deliverables
Best Practices
- Use Airtable views or Notion / Airtable sort settings for consistent order
- Test with small datasets before large batches
- Design columns so nested rows align logically with parents
- Use clear, meaningful field names for easier maintenance