PDF Form Filler

Fills PDFs and Google Docs templates from worksheet config, or prepares and fills PDFs directly from upstream data.

Overview

The PDF Form Filler node now supports two modes:

• Worksheet Config: Use a Lido worksheet to manage PDF mappings or Google Docs template placeholders
• Auto-prepare PDF: Pass an upstream PDF file plus workflow data directly, and let the node prepare and fill the PDF automatically

Use it when:

• You already use worksheet-managed PDF Form Filler configs
• You want Google Docs template support
• You want to fill PDFs directly from upstream files without spreadsheet configuration
• You want one node that covers both worksheet-config and direct-PDF workflows

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Required
Mode	Worksheet Config or Auto-prepare PDF	Yes
Worksheet Name	Worksheet with PDF Form Filler configuration	In Worksheet Config mode
Form Data	JSON data to fill the worksheet-configured form or template	In Worksheet Config mode
File	Upstream PDF file to prepare and fill	In Auto-prepare PDF mode
Form Data	Object or array of objects used to derive and fill PDF fields	In Auto-prepare PDF mode
Extra Instructions	Optional hints for the PDF preparation step	In Auto-prepare PDF mode
File Destination	Where to save the filled document	Yes
Output File Name	Override the output filename	No

Mode

Worksheet Config

This is the default mode, so existing PDF Form Filler nodes continue to work without changes.

Worksheet Name

Select the worksheet that contains your PDF Form Filler configuration. This configuration maps data fields to form fields (PDF) or placeholder text (Google Docs).

Configure the PDF Form Filler in your Lido spreadsheet before using this node.

Form Data

JSON data containing values for the form fields:

{
  "firstName": "John",
  "lastName": "Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "date": "2024-01-15"
}

Use expressions to pass item data: {{$item.data}}

Can be a single object or an array of objects (for multi-row forms).

Worksheet Source Modes

The worksheet configuration determines the source mode:

Mode	Description
PDF	Fills interactive PDF form fields (fillable PDFs with form fields)
Google Docs	Replaces placeholder text in a Google Docs template, exports as PDF or Doc

Auto-prepare PDF

Use Auto-prepare PDF mode when the source PDF comes from an upstream node instead of worksheet config.

File

Pass a PDF file item, usually from:

• Google Drive, OneDrive, or another file-producing node
• Any earlier step that returns a PDF, whether it is already fillable or still flat

Typical expression:

{{ $item.file }}

If the incoming item already contains directPdfFiller preparation metadata, the node reuses that metadata instead of preparing the PDF again.

Form Data

Pass an object whose keys should become the requested PDF field names.

Example:

{
  "firstName": "Ada",
  "lastName": "Lovelace",
  "email": "ada@example.com"
}

Typical expression:

{{ $item.data }}

The node accepts either:

• A single object
• An array of objects

When you pass an array, the node prepares the PDF once from the combined key set and then produces one filled output item per object.

When the provided value is an item-shaped object, the node prefers top-level keys and falls back to data only if there are no usable top-level fields.

Extra Instructions

Use this when the automatic preparation step needs guidance, for example:

• "Prefer the handwritten lines near the tax ID label"
• "Treat initials boxes as a split field"
• "Use the existing AcroForm fields when possible"

Settings

Setting	Description
Execution Mode	Once per item (default) or Once
Output Mode	How to output results when running once
Batch Size	Items to process concurrently (default 5)
Stop on Error	Stop workflow on failure

Output

{
  "file": {
    "type": "fileData",
    "name": "filled-form.pdf",
    "mimeType": "application/pdf",
    "fileInfo": { "type": "..." }
  },
  "status": {
    "fieldsFilledCount": 12
  }
}

Worksheet Config mode output:

• File object: {{$item.file}}
• Fields filled (PDF mode): {{$item.status.fieldsFilledCount}}
• Placeholders filled (Google Docs mode): {{$item.status.placeholdersFilledCount}}

Auto-prepare PDF mode also includes PDF-preparation diagnostics:

{
  "file": {
    "type": "fileData",
    "name": "filled.pdf",
    "fileInfo": { "type": "..." }
  },
  "directPdfFiller": {
    "requestedKeys": ["firstName", "lastName", "email"],
    "matchedKeys": ["firstName", "lastName"],
    "unmatchedKeys": ["email"],
    "preparedFieldNames": ["firstName", "lastName"],
    "matchedFieldNames": ["firstName", "lastName"],
    "missingPreparedFields": []
  },
  "status": {
    "fieldsFilledCount": 2,
    "matchedFieldCount": 2,
    "missingFieldCount": 0
  }
}

Examples

Auto-Fill PDF Application Forms

[Get Table (applications)] → [PDF Form Filler] → [Copy File (completed folder)]

1. Configure PDF Form Filler in your spreadsheet with the PDF form template
2. Map table columns to PDF form fields
3. Each row generates one filled PDF

Generate Contracts from Google Docs Template

[Get Table (clients)] → [PDF Form Filler (Google Docs)] → [Send Gmail]

1. Create a Google Docs template with placeholder text (e.g., {{client_name}})
2. Configure the worksheet with the template and field mappings
3. Each client gets a personalized contract

Fill an Upstream PDF Directly

[Get File] → [PDF Form Filler (Auto-prepare PDF)] → [Send Gmail]

1. Set Mode to Auto-prepare PDF
2. Pass the source PDF into File
3. Pass row data or item data into Form Data
4. The node prepares or renames fields to match your keys, then fills the PDF

Tips

• Worksheet Config is the default mode, so older PDF Form Filler nodes continue to work
• Use worksheet config when you need Google Docs templates or worksheet-managed mappings
• Use Auto-prepare PDF when the PDF comes from an upstream file node and you want automatic field preparation
• In Auto-prepare PDF mode, each object produces one output item and one filled PDF
• In Auto-prepare PDF mode, the node can match page-suffixed, checkbox-option, and split-part prepared fields
• The output filename is auto-generated if not specified