TSMarkMail - A Google Docs Add-on

27 Mar 2015

I’ve done technical support both professionally and personally and on my wish list has always been a support tool with the following criteria:

• Quick content creation in plain text (i.e., markdown)
• Ability to embed screenshots and images
• Enable sending content via email directly from source
• Allow content archival in a labeled, searchable format for easy retrieval and reuse

Leveraging the Google Drive platform, I decided to build a simple Google Docs Add-on to provide this functionality. It’s called TSMarkMail.

Following is a video for those unfamiliar with Google Docs Add-ons.

TSMarkMail is a Google Docs Add-on which converts markdown (an easy-to-read-and-write plain text syntax developed by John Gruber) into a nicely formatted email which can be sent directly from a Google Document.

Here are TSMarkMail overview slides.

TSMarkMail highlights:

• Install and access TSMarkMail from the convenient Add-ons menu in any Google Document
• Create content using markdown
• Take advantage of Google Document Chat and Real-time Collaboration
• Insert images through the Google Document menu (or by referencing externally hosted images with markdown image syntax)
• Easily select single or multiple email recipients with Google Contacts integration
• Send nicely formatted emails with automatic markdown conversion and image embedding (with an option to preview before sending)
• Take advantage of Google Drive folders and search to archive and reuse content
• Create and update content from your mobile device

TSMarkMail is not only a good tool for technical support, but also can be used by anyone wanting a easy way to compose, send and reuse plain text content.

You can find the TSMarkMail install instructions, documentation and a markdown guide here.

Posted with : google-apps-script, google-docs