CSS vs. Script to Google Docs

API & Customization
1

TL;DR - I want to make a printable/emailable document from Knack records. What would be the better approach: modifying CSS of a view (which can then be saved as a PDF from the print button) or having a script written that would make a Google Doc from a template? (WebMerge isn't an option)

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I use Knack to maintain a custom CRM / job management system for our company. It works wonderfully for us in general.

One of the aspects that needs improvement for greater usability is quotes (as in sales quotations). Users do an excellent job using the system for tracking jobs, customer information, etc. We aren't doing a good job tracking leads and opportunities in the system, mostly because quotes have to be typed up in a separate, "pretty" (nicely-formatted) document that can be printed and/or emailed. It's not reasonable to ask people to put information in two different places, so opportunities aren't being tracked in the system consistently.

I already have a quote view constructed that, between rich text and data fields, has everything we want from a content perspective. It's just ugly as sin. I figure that editing the page layout via CSS to give an acceptable printed/saved document would be the easiest path forward, but I'm not a coder.

I could also see having a button that activates a script that would take the record's info and create a Google Doc from it (we use Google Apps for Business). That seems to me like it would be significantly more effort, but I'm not a coder.

Any guidance on which approach is better (easier)? Any major drawbacks I'm not considering? Any options (other than expensive WebMerge) I'm not considering but should?

Thanks!

2

AutoCrat is great, is there a way to automatically print a merge? I understand from a G Form there is but is there any other means?

3

Donald,

I've investegated the same thing.  Here's what I've come up with so far.  I looked at using a site called zapier.com.  It basically is a service that uses the APIs between different sites to move data.  I set up a "zap" that when a new record is created in an object in knaqhq, it takes that data and creates a new row in a Google sheet.  Then I used an Google sheets add-on (there are several, I used autoCrat), and then manually run a merge that takes the sheets data, merges it with a Google doc, creates a pdf that it then emails and stores as a pdf in drive.

It's pretty straight forward.

4

I should've also mentioned that I plan on submitting this project to the Knack Builder network, I just want to nail down exactly what I'm asking for first.