We currently have an app that uses webmerge to produce several documents in pdf (certificates, reports, etc) with some rules to automatically change the text and some checkboxes on the document itself, although it's working as expected, webmerge is way too expensive if you have to produce many documents, so I was wondering if you guys have any similar solution for this without requiring the use of yet another cloud subscription service.
I wish knack would address this directly within the builder, I think this is the one thing really missing here for us with knack.
Hereās some javascript to fill a pdf form on the fly, similar to what webmerge does. It took me a little work to customize it but I have it working and use it for all my pdfs.
The problem is it doesnāt flatten the pdf after filling the forms, so as a workaround, I just create the forms as read-only. Wish I could find something to actually flatten them, though.
I used Integromat with their Word Template Module and then use CloudConvert to generate the pdf from that. I store the template documents in a knack table.
Iāve also used Integromat with Carbone.io to generate documents. Depending on how many you need to create these may be helpfulā¦
I also have a clientās system set up with Eledo and Integromat - also used the word approach with Integromat at well.
I also sometimes use HTML and then CloudConvert in Integromat for this - you can see an article about this here - subject to the proviso that the Integromat PDF app no longer exists - you need to use Coudconvert instead (I need to update the post):
Hello, Iām interested in this. Iāve set up the connection between Eledo and Knack. Do you add a button on the knack page in order to generate the PDF?
There would be several ways to ātriggerā Make/Integromat to create a PDF- here are just a few:
A new or updated record trigger.
Send an email containing the record id to a Make/Integromat āMailhookā - a feature that is part of the Webhooks module.
Have a time Integromat process which looks for records requiring the pdf.
Once you have the Scenario triggered and have made the PDF in Eledo, you can then choose what to do with the file - email it, store in Drive or similar, or upload in to Knack and link it to the records for example.
Make is incredibly flexible and there are so many opportunities to automate Knack apps with it - they are a prefect fit!
Anyone achieved this without using Integromat/Make? For example, just using Knack and Eledo?
Itās not a good solution if we have to pay for several subscriptions in order to simply generate a decent document.
I wish Knack had a native way for us to do it.
I was using Formstack with Knack but their pricing is way to high.
A fan of docxtemplater and have used it in a major Knack project - a warning though there are a myriad of moving parts including storage and retrieval of the template files, consistent field mapping, creation of template files and managing them, and finally handling the finished document.
Strongly recommend connecting to something like Eledo via Make.com in the first instance.