The Document Generation Workflow
Create Your Template
DocsAutomator supports two template types. Choose the one that fits your workflow:Google Doc Templates — Create a Google Doc and add placeholders using double curly brackets wherever you want dynamic data inserted:Placeholders work for text, images, tables, and entire sections of your document. You can also start from a pre-built template in the Template Gallery.PDF Templates — Upload an existing PDF and position data fields on top of it using the visual editor. The PDF itself is not modified — DocsAutomator overlays your data onto the original layout at generation time. Ideal for pre-designed forms, certificates, or branded documents.
Google Doc Template Guide
Learn the full placeholder syntax
PDF Template Guide
Overlay data fields on existing PDFs
Connect Your Data Source
Link DocsAutomator to the platform where your data lives. Supported data sources include:
Airtable
Notion
Google Sheets
SmartSuite
ClickUp
Glide
Noloco
Zapier
n8n
Make
Softr
API
MCP
Map Data Fields to Placeholders
Tell DocsAutomator which data fields correspond to which template placeholders. The mapping interface shows all placeholders detected in your template and lets you assign data source fields to each one.For example:
DocsAutomator also supports AI-powered field mapping that automatically suggests matches based on field names.
| Template Placeholder | Data Source Field |
|---|---|
{{client_name}} | Customer Name column |
{{total_amount}} | Invoice Total column |
{{image_logo}} | Logo attachment field |
Preview Your Document
Generate unlimited previews without using any document credits. Previews let you verify that:
- Placeholders are replaced correctly
- Line item tables expand as expected
- Images render at the right size
- Conditional sections show or hide properly
Document Previews
Learn more about preview options
Trigger Document Generation
Choose how documents get created. DocsAutomator supports three trigger methods:
Each generated document produces a PDF (and optionally a Google Doc) that can be saved, emailed, merged with other PDFs, sent to a webhook, or routed through an e-signature workflow for legally binding signatures.
| Method | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic | Documents generate when records are created or updated in your data source | Hands-off workflows |
| Manual | Trigger generation via a button, menu, or formula in your data source | On-demand documents |
| API | Send a POST request to the /createDocument endpoint | Custom applications |
What Happens After Generation
Once a document is generated, DocsAutomator can perform several actions automatically:Save Google Doc
Save an editable copy to Google Drive
Save PDF to Drive
Store the PDF in a designated folder
Send Email
Email documents to recipients automatically
Merge PDFs
Combine with existing PDF documents
Notify Webhook
Send data to external services
Collect Signatures
Add e-signature workflows to documents
Next Steps
Quickstart Guide
Set up your first automation step by step
Google Doc Template Guide
Learn the complete placeholder syntax
PDF Template Guide
Overlay data fields on existing PDFs
E-Signatures
Collect legally binding signatures