Try the New PDF Creation Facility

AppSheet allows you to include PDF attachments via a Workflow or Report Email action. It also allows you to archive PDF files via a Workflow or Report SaveFile action.

PDF attachments and files are created as follows:

  1. You normally begin by creating a Google Doc or Microsoft Word doc template file.
  2. When the Email or SaveFile Workflow or Report runs, it reads the Google Doc or Microsoft Word doc template file in HTML format.
  3. It replaces any “variables” you have included in your template file with data from your AppSheet data tables.
  4. It calls an HTML to PDF conversion web service to convert the HTML from step 3 into PDF.
  5. It retrieves the PDF from step 4 and either attaches it to the email, or saves it to a file, or both,

We will shortly begin upgrading the mechanism we use to convert HTML into PDF. You can get early access to this new PDF creation facility, if you wish. To do so, simply reply to this post and supply your AppSheet account id.

If you wish to try the new PDF creation facility, we suggest you use an AppSheet test account containing the applications you wish to test. We recommend this, because we enable the new PDF creation facility for an entire account. By using a test account, you can try the new PDF creation facility without affecting your existing applications.

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Bahbus
Participant V

Oh, I’m down to try it. I’ve been holding off because I can’t generate what I want yet.
ID: 1058995

Please sign us up.
steadglobal.com entire domain.
grantstead@steadglobal.com (GOOGLE) Account ID: 297211

@Phil would it be easy to also convert HTML to an image? We’re currently using https://htmlcsstoimage.com/ to create dynamic gantt charts, and other fun things like XY maps with multiple pins marked on them… Just a thought We’re playing with this more and more to include these images into reports… But also to display directly in the app.

Also curious, if an app is shared with us as a co-author will it apply to those apps as well?

Jonathan_S
Participant V

So All our currant PDFs and crazy insane templates won’t be affected when this rolls out right?

Im worried about this. Will our existing templates continue to work?

GreenFlux
Participant V

This is good news to me. The more Google can replace 3rd party dependencies for in-house solutions, the more stable the entire platform will be.

Hopefully this upgrade will enable page headers, footers, and numbering with it!

But even if it is identical in features it will likely be a lot more stable, in the long run. The AppSheet <-> PDF Rocket integration has had a few outages this year alone.


I wish I had time to signup and test. Thank you to those that are assisting with these efforts!!

Hi Green Flux,

Unfortunately, no change with respect to page headers, footers, and numbering.
We are hoping for higher availability and more stability.

Unfortunately I have heard that headers, footers, and numbering are not in the new system!

Which is crazy stupid.

I agree we wish to have features to get proper header/footer, but i wont say in that way, as still appsheet is powerful enough.

Agreed. If we knew it was on the road map, we could plan accordingly

Yes p, Appsheet a fantastic development tool, just lacking in one major business feature.

Hi @Phil
Sounds like you will give an end to Mandrill shortly.
I wish to get onboard for testing. ID : 473552

Than you.

Yes, Mandrill will be replaced soon also.

Sounds nice and better choice! No more downtime in service.

In the meantime I noticed recently that mutuale column in google docs is not working. For incetance, we generate report template with two column for the part of the body.
Workflow would work but the output PDF is turned to be single column meaning the outline of template is broken up. Hope new service will be bringing a fix to manage multiple column template as well.

I’d like to test.
ID: 546920

Jake_Naude
Participant V

Me too please… 1425098…

Happy to test this out also

I´ll be happy to test this.
ID 1801016

Thanks!

Guillermo
Participant V

Thanks @Phil ! It has taken me a lot of time to investigate how to set the previous way of file saving. Surely this new way its more efficient and I would like to know how to do it.

ID: 1374727

Thanks in advance!

Hi Guillermo,

This is intended to be a plug compatible replacement for the existing HTML to PDF conversion step list in my original post as step 4. The intention is that your templates will continue to work as before with no changes.

The HTML to PDF conversion process is relatively complex so testing may reveal problems. We are enlisting your help to find those problems early and make the transition smoother for those that follow.

Hey, @Phil, is there anyway for us to tell within the editor or anything if/when its been rolled out to us?

Hi @Phil… How do we know if we’re using the new PDF engine…?

I’m currently early “early” testing this directly with them via DM. It’s literally a replacement in kind of a backend system, so I haven’t seen anything visually different. I’m sure they’ll let you know.

Perfect @Phil Just let me know when I am able to test it and I will do it!

Thanks!

@Jonathan_S is supposed to be a direct replacement for an internal to Appsheet functionality.

awesome news,

Thanks.

Would we be able to make custom html templates instead of converting google docs to html? This would allow much greater flexibility in layout options.

gebrema
Participant II

This is great!, I would be happy to test, I opened a topic about this last year! I hope this would be feasible now

I’m happy to test also

160816 & 184800

We hope to get started with testing early next week, right after the Labor Day holiday here in the US.

Please me too
Account ID: 326606

romanus
Participant III

I wish also to try. My Account ID 1415560

I compared PDF creation from Google Doc template using AppSheet and GAS. The GAS produce neater PDF compared to AppSheet. I am hoping to get neater PDF using AppSheet.

aucforum
Participant V

What are the strategic goals and benefits of this new way of creating PDFs?

For example, better control at formatting, structuring and styling the PDF document?

Vlad_Roman
Participant IV

Hi,

I’m really interested in this new PDF generator facility. My app is using it heavily so i’m excited to try it and test it.

ID:742066

Thank you!

Ree
Explorer

Me too please
ID: 1403821

M_T_Amjad
Participant I

Account ID: 238268

I’ve been planning to learn how to add this exact workflow to our app. I’m happy to test it out with this account: 1493693 Thanks!

hi, i would like to try this.

ID: 294588

Jonathan_S
Participant V

I would like to try it,

But only If it works in tandem with the previous system.

Can I heave 1 App that uses both systems? If so, see ID below

ID: 1164890

Thanks,

What has changed in this new version?

Does it support the badly needed Page numbering, Headers and Footer etc?