XL Docs for Quickbase
Create your own custom-generated spreadsheets with a single action. Fill your spreadsheet with data from Quickbase and make your spreadsheets come to life.
XL Docs is a Quickbase Extension that fills an Excel workbook you design—the template—with data from a Quickbase record and its related records, then delivers the result as an Excel workbook, a PDF, or a CSV file. You decide which field goes in which cell, which related records are listed as rows, and where the finished document goes: back to the user's browser, into a file attachment field, into a separate repository table, or into cloud storage.
Throughout these articles, the master table is the Quickbase table whose records you create documents from—usually the table the XL Docs button is on, named in the dbid parameter. A master record is one record in that table.
When to use XL Docs
Use XL Docs whenever you need a document that looks exactly the way you want and is filled in from your Quickbase data, for example:
Business documents—proposals, quotes, invoices, purchase orders, contracts, orders, and expense sheets, each built from one record and its related line items.
Reports with calculations—time sheets and project summaries that keep the template's Excel formulas, formatting, and charts, with grouping, subtotals, and averages on the rows XL Docs adds.
Export files—CSV files in a specific layout (header rows, detail rows, and a footer) to exchange with partners or other software.
Documents in bulk—one document per record for many records at once, one workbook with a tab per record, or one merged PDF for a whole set of records.
How it works
Design the template. Create an Excel workbook (.xlsx, .xls, or .xlsm) with your layout, labels, formulas, and formatting, and attach it to a record in the Document Templates table. See Build a document template.
Map your fields to cells. On the template record, list which field goes in which cell. To list related records as rows—line items, expenses, time cards—add Document Subtable Excel records, one per related table. See Data tables (subtables). The XL Docs Configurator lets you do this by picking fields instead of typing cell maps.
Run it. A user selects a button on the record (or a batch run or an integration sends a request). XL Docs reads the record and related records, writes the values into a copy of the template, converts it to the format you asked for, and delivers it.
Key features
Unlimited templates—create as many templates as you want, from as many tables as needed: proposals, invoices, contracts, orders, expenses.
Your spreadsheet, your format—generate Excel files exactly the way you need, from your own custom spreadsheet.
PDF and CSV—also create PDF or CSV files from the same template.
Data configuration—configure your data to come from one or many tables, and embed sub-tables of related information.
Built for Quickbase—create Excel, PDF, and CSV files right from your Quickbase applications with a single click of a button.
Dropbox compatible—save files directly in Dropbox.
Along with these, XL Docs:
Keeps the template's formulas, formatting, charts, and conditional formats, because values are written into the template's own cells. Pivot tables on filled sheets are set to refresh when the workbook is opened.
Writes numbers, dates, formulas, rich text (HTML), and images into cells. See Build a document template.
Groups, subtotals, and averages the rows of a data table, inserts rows or new tabs when there are more records than fit, and can stack several data tables on one sheet. See Data tables (subtables).
Password-protects documents, merges other PDFs before or after the generated PDF, and saves to a file attachment field, a repository table, Amazon S3, or Dropbox. See Output and storage.
Ways to run XL Docs
Way to run | What happens | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
Button with a progress window | The user selects a button on the record. A pop-up shows Processing... and a progress bar, then a result such as 1 Document(s) generated and uploaded successfully. The document is saved to the record or to storage. | |
Button that streams to the browser | The finished document comes straight back to the user: a PDF opens in the browser, and Excel and CSV files download. A copy can be saved in the same click. | |
Multiple records from one button | A query or report selects the records: up to 50 by default; your account's limit may differ. XL Docs creates a document for each, or one workbook with a tab per record, or one merged PDF. | |
Batch processing | Runs in the background, for more than 50 documents or to create documents automatically when a record changes. A Quickbase email notification sends the request; a status field on the record shows when the run is complete. | |
API and Quickbase Pipelines | An integration or a pipeline sends a request with a Quickbase user token and gets the file, or a JSON result, back. |
Supported formats and limits
Item | Supported |
|---|---|
Template files | Excel .xlsx, .xls, and .xlsm. |
Output formats | PDF, CSV, or an Excel workbook in the template's own file type (an .xlsx template gives an .xlsx workbook). In a CSV, formulas are replaced by their values. |
PDF pages | All worksheets, or only the worksheets you list in the template's PDF Pages field. All columns fit on one page width. |
Documents per button or API request | Up to 50 by default; your account's limit may differ. Use batch processing for more. |
Extra PDFs merged into one document | Up to 10 (prefiles and addfiles together) by default; your account's limit may differ. |
Storage | File attachment field on the record, a repository table, Amazon S3, and Dropbox—alone or together. A repository table can't be used with Dropbox. |
Streamed PDFs | A PDF that opens in the browser can be viewed once; it's removed from the server after it's shown. Save a copy to the record if users need it again. |
What the installation wizard installs
The installation wizard adds everything XL Docs needs to your app:
Tables: Document Templates (one record per template, with the XL Docs Configurator button) and Document Subtable Excel (one record per data table on a template, with the XL Docs Subtable Configurator button). See Document Templates table reference and Document Subtable Excel table reference.
Fields on the table you select (single-record setup): XL Docs Document, XL Docs Date, XL Docs Batch Email, Create XL Sheet (PB), Create XL Sheet (Mobile Friendly), Generate XL Sheet, XL Docs Batch Processing Arguments, XL Docs Batch Trigger Field, and Execute XL Docs Batch. If you choose Amazon S3 or Dropbox, the wizard also adds a key field (S3 Key or Dropbox Key) and a View File link.
For bulk document generation: the XL Docs Document and XL Docs Date fields on the table you select, an XL Docs Batch Processing table, used to start runs, and an XL Docs Batch Processing Logs table that records the result of each run.
The buttons the wizard creates already contain your Client ID and your XL Docs server URL. To find them, or to look up a field ID or table ID, see Find your Client ID, table IDs, and field IDs.
Get started
Install XL Docs with the installation wizard. Read the installation wizard overview, then follow XL Docs setup type, XL Docs setup, and XL Docs finish.
Build your template—see Build a document template and Data tables (subtables).
Configure it with the XL Docs Configurator.
Adjust the button using Formula URL parameters, and choose where documents go in Output and storage.
Create documents for many records with Generate documents for multiple records or Batch processing, or from an integration with API and Pipelines.
If something goes wrong, see XL Docs messages and troubleshooting (or XL Docs Configurator messages and troubleshooting for the Configurator). If you still need help, submit a technical support case.