Syntax
Wrap the content to repeat between a{{line_items_N}} tag and a {{/line_items_N}} tag. Each tag must sit alone in its own paragraph:
{{line_items_1}} in a table row keeps its normal meaning — repeat that row.
Fields inside the section are written as bare placeholders ({{roomName}}, never {{line_items_1_roomName}}), exactly like fields in a line items table row. Mapping, sorting, and grouping work the same as for tables — a repeating section is a line items group, just with a block layout.
Nested tables inside a section
A table inside the section can repeat its own rows per child record. Put{{line_items_1_1}} in the first cell of the repeating row, with that row’s fields written bare beside it:
Nested rows inside a repeating section work in both Google Doc and Word templates. Supported sources: Airtable and Notion (a linked-record / relation field at each level) and the DocsAutomator API (each record carries a
children array). One nested table per section; level 3 nesting and sections inside sections are not supported.Page break between sections
Turn on Page Break Between Sections on the group’s card (Data / Placeholders → Repeating Section) to start every record on a fresh page. DocsAutomator inserts a page break between sections — never after the last one, so content following the section flows naturally.Keep a section on one page
Turn on Keep Section On One Page (directly below the page break toggle) to stop a section from splitting across a page break. A section that does not fit in the remaining space moves whole to the next page; short sections still share pages. This is the middle ground between free-flowing sections and one page per record.A table inside the section can still split between its rows — page-layout engines have no whole-table keep control. The paragraphs above a table stay attached to it.
Skip records conditionally
Skip Records Conditionally on the same card adds rules evaluated against each record’s own fields — for example, show records whencondition does not equal Good. Records that don’t match are dropped entirely: their section, page break, auto numbers, and group calculation contributions all disappear. With two or more rules you can require ALL or ANY to match. The same option works on regular line items tables, where it skips rows.
Conditional styling inside a section
Conditional styling rules on a section’s fields are evaluated per record, exactly as in line items tables — for example, color{{category}} red when the value contains “Critical”. Rules can also compare against another field of the same record. Row background colors are the one styling option that does not apply inside repeating sections (they need a table row).
Empty lists and empty values
- An empty record list removes the whole section, tags included.
- A record with no child rows keeps the nested table’s header and drops the data row.
- Delete paragraph / row when empty works per record: a flagged field that is empty for one record removes that paragraph only in that record’s copy.
Images and lists inside a section
- A bare
{{image_photo}}placeholder inside the section renders that record’s image. Set its size in the placeholder’s image options, as for any image placeholder. - Inside a nested
{{line_items_1_1}}row,{{image_photo}}renders the child record’s image. Send image values for child rows as arrays of URLs. - Bulleted and numbered lists inside the section keep their list formatting in both Google Docs and Word templates. A numbered list restarts at 1 for every record.
Current limits
- One nested table per section; no level 3; a repeating section cannot contain another repeating section. Conditional sections inside a repeating section are evaluated once, not per record.
- Conditional styling does not yet apply to fields inside a section’s nested rows (
{{line_items_1_1}}).