PDF templates

PDF Stamper

Create a new Document Template record in Quickbase

When your Quickbase app was set up, a Document Templates table was created. This table stores all of your templates. Once you've designed your new template as described in Document Template configuration below, you need to store it in Quickbase so it can be used by PDF Stamper.

1. Navigate to your Document Templates table

2. Select Add a New Document Template. The Add Document Template page opens with a Template Info section.

Complete the fields in the Template Info section:

1. Name (required)—enter a name for your template

2. clist—add the field IDs of the fields you're using on your template. Separate them with a period (dot), for example, 6.10.12.14.

3. Master table dbid (required)—enter the master table dbid—the table you want to pull data from for the output PDF document.

4. PDF Template file—select Choose File to upload the template file you created on your local PC or Mac. This must be a PDF file.

5. Select Save

After you save, the Document Template record opens and shows the Name, clist, and Master table dbid you entered. PDF Template file shows the name of the uploaded PDF as a link, for example, W-9 Form Template.pdf, followed by a lock icon and a history icon.

Document Template configuration

If your PDF document is editable, you can reference fields in your Quickbase table by the field ID (fid). In the blue form fields of your PDF, enter the field id, and surround it with tildes (~), which tell PDF Stamper to insert data from Quickbase between them. You can also use the STAMP method in an editable PDF.

If your PDF document is not editable, you can't use the ~field_id~ method. You must use the STAMP method, which requires you to add records into the Document Subtables table for the Document Template record you're setting up. The records you add to the Document Subtables table are used by PDF Stamper to place, or stamp, data throughout the PDF file using X and Y positions.

Use an editable PDF

You can use only one field for one fillable field in the PDF template.
For example, in a standard form:
Name: John Smith

If the data John Smith is stored in a Quickbase table in one field called Full Name with a field ID of 6, then your template would look like this:

Name: ~6~

With the ~6~ being with a blue form field and the Name: being on the document itself. Make sure 6 is included in the clist on the template record.

If you need to input multiple Quickbase fields to one fillable PDF form, you need to create a formula field in Quickbase that combines these fields. Then use this new field ID in your template.

For example, you want to combine the City, State, and Zip fields.

Your formula for this new formula text field would be: [City]&" "[State]&", "&[Zip]

For example, if the field ID of this new field is 14, you need to put ~14~ in your PDF template. Make sure 6 is included in the clist on the template record.

Note

You can use both the ~field_id~ method and the STAMP method, detailed below, when you have an editable PDF as your PDF template file.

Use a non-editable PDF and the STAMP method

To stamp data throughout your PDF document, you must use the Document Subtables table that was created in your app when PDF Stamper was installed. You specify the type of data, the Associated Field ID the data is coming from on the master table, the page in the PDF, and the X and Y position where you want the data to appear. You can also set other properties, including font properties, and for images, width and height. See Stamp data using X and Y coordinates for every setting.

On the Document Template record, the PDF Stamping Details section lists the stamps you've added. The list has these columns: Related Document Template, Type to be stamped, Label, Associated Field ID, Page Number, X Position, Y Position, Text to be stamped, Font Color, Use Hex Code for Font Color, Font Color Hex Code, Font Size, Font Style, Font Type, Text Align, Image Height, and Image Width.

For example, a vacation package template might include these text stamps, all on page 1: