How can I embed a chart from a Google Spreadsheets in a Google Doc?

Question

I would like to embed the chart from a Google Docs spreadsheet into a Google Docs Document, so changes to the original will be reflected in the embedded version. I found a way to embed a static image of the chart, but I can't get it to update.

Note that I only want to embed the chart itself (which could be a pie chart, organigram… etc.), no other parts of the spreadsheet — including its cells and data — should be included.

To insert the chart as an image, publish the chart from the Google Spreadsheets using the little arrow dropdown menu when selected. In the type dropdown, select "image" instead of "interactive". (In the resulting URL, this changes the format parameter's value.) Use the URL to insert it as an image "by URL" in your Google Docs Document.

The image referenced by the URL actually updates according to the spreadsheet, but unfortunately Google Docs (currently) seems to cache images inserted into a document by URL.

Answer 1

This is now a built-in feature in Google Docs: see Add a chart to a document.

• In the menu of your Google Document, go to Insert > Chart > From Sheets
• Select the spreadsheet and a chart in it.
• Keep "Link to spreadsheet" checked, if you want this to be linked to the spreadsheet.

The linked charts are not updated automatically: instead, a floating button "Update" appears in upper right corner of a linked chart when changes to the linked spreadsheet are detected. Click this button to update the chart.

Answer 2

In lieu of a standard solution, I created a crude Google Apps Script to reload my embedded image upon opening the document.
Open the Script Editor, and enter the following code, substituting the URL with your own published chart URL:

function open() {

  // replace this URL with your published chart URL
  var url = "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/[numbers]/pubchart?oid=[more_numbers]&format=image";

  var image = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url);      
  var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
  var body = doc.getBody();

  var search = body.findElement(DocumentApp.ElementType.INLINE_IMAGE);
  var element = search.getElement();
  var parent = element.getParent();
  var paragraph = parent.asParagraph();
  element.removeFromParent();
  paragraph.insertInlineImage(0, image);
}

function setupTrigger(){
  var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
  ScriptApp.newTrigger('open').forDocument(doc).onOpen().create();
}

Execute the setupTrigger function. (Re)opening the document should now automatically "refresh" the chart image: the original image is removed and a new instance is inserted.
This code assumes the chart is the first inline image in the document.