Google Apps Script to automatically show or hide slides in Google Slides using comma-separated dates in the Speaker Notes

slideOnOffDates

//  Create a separate Google Slides presentation to hold the inactive slides and paste the URL here:

inactiveSlidesUrl = "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/ABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABA0/edit"


// In your Google Slides presentation,
// go to Utilities > Script Editor and paste this code.
//
// In the Speaker Notes for each slide,
// list the dates that slide should be toggled on or off,
// in MM/dd/yyyy format,
// separated by commas.
//
//  - Correct: 01/01/2020,01/02/2020
//  - Wrong:   1/1/2020,1/2/2020
//  - Wrong:   1/1/20,1/1/20
//  - Wrong:   01/01/2020-01/02/2020
//  - Correct: 01/01/2020,01/02/2020,01/01/2021,01/02/2021
//  - Wrong:   01/01/2020-01/02/2020,01/01/2021-01/02/2021
// 
// The script will run each night and move slides
// from your presentation to the inactive slides presentation
// if today's date is in the Speaker Notes.
//
// The script will also run each morning and move slides
// from the inactive slides presentation to your presentation
// if today's date is in the Speaker Notes.
//
// When the script moves a slide,
// today's date is removed from the speaker notes.
//
// Add a trigger to your script to run the following function every day between 10 PM and 11 PM:
function turnOffSlides() {
  var presentation = SlidesApp.getActivePresentation();
  var inactiveSlides = SlidesApp.openByUrl(inactiveSlidesUrl)
  moveSlidesByDateInSpeakerNotes(presentation,inactiveSlides);
}

// Add a trigger to your script to run the following function every day between 12 AM and 1 AM:
function turnOnSlides() {
  var presentation = SlidesApp.getActivePresentation();
  var inactiveSlides = SlidesApp.openByUrl(inactiveSlidesUrl)
  moveSlidesByDateInSpeakerNotes(inactiveSlides,presentation);
}

function moveSlidesByDateInSpeakerNotes(source,destination) {
  var today = Utilities.formatDate(new Date(), Session.getScriptTimeZone(), "MM/dd/yyyy");  // get today's date as a string in MM/dd/yyyy format
  var slides = source.getSlides();
  for (var i = 0; i < slides.length; i = i + 1) {                                           // go through each slide in the presentation
    var slide = slides[i];
    var speakerNotes = slide.getNotesPage().getSpeakerNotesShape().getText();               // get the speaker notes
    var speakerNotesText = speakerNotes.asString().replace(/\s/g,"");                       // remove any whitespace
    if (speakerNotesText === "" || speakerNotesText === undefined) {                        // if the Speaker Notes are blank, continue to the next slide.
      continue;
    }
    var dates = speakerNotesText.split(",");                                                // use the commas to split the Speaker Notes string into an array of strings
    var badDate = getBadString(dates,/[0-1][0-9]\/[0-3][0-9]\/[0-9]{4}/)                    // make sure the dates are in MM/dd/yyyy format
    if (badDate !== null) {                               
      throw "Invalid date on slide #" + (i + 1) + ": '" + badDate + "'. Date must be in MM/dd/yyyy format.";
    }
    for (var j = 0; j < dates.length; j = j + 1) {                                          // go through each date
      if (dates[j] === today) {                                                             // if the date matches today's date:
        dates.splice(j,1);                                                                  //  - remove the date from the list
        speakerNotes.setText(dates.join())                                                  //  - put the modified list of dates back in the speaker notes for that slide
        destination.appendSlide(slide);                                                     //  - move the slide to the destination presentation
        slide.remove();                                                                     //  - remove the slide from the source presentation
        break;                                                                              //  - don't check any more dates for this slide; go to the next slide.
      }
    }
  }
}

function getBadString(strings,regexPattern) {
  for (var j = 0; j < strings.length; j = j + 1) {
    if (!regexPattern.test(strings[j])) {
      return strings[j];
    }
  }
}

This is useful code, thanks for sharing it.

I get the following error when running the script - "Invalid date on slide #17: 'undefined'. Date must be in MM/dd/yyyy format." despite using dates like "10/17/2024" in my Speaker Notes. Full error is:
Invalid date on slide #17: 'undefined'. Date must be in MM/dd/yyyy format.
moveSlidesByDateInSpeakerNotes @ Code.gs:59
turnOffSlides @ Code.gs:36

I'm getting the same error, did you figure this out @SteveKellman

Is there anything else in the speaker notes? There shouldn't be any spaces or any other characters. Can you share exactly the text in your speaker notes for slide 17?

Are the speaker notes blank? Maybe the code isn't handling blank speaker notes correctly.

There is nothing else in any of the speaker's note boxes, just the date i.e. 07/31/2025
My error is for slide 1

It's okay. I found another way to do what I wanted.