Create from an upload or a URL

You have two options to create a document from file:

1. Upload a local file. For this, use the multipart/form-data request type. Typically, the frameworks are handling the headers and you just need to pass a file to the request.
2. Send a public URL in the document creation request like this:

curl --request POST 'https://api.pandadoc.com/public/v1/documents' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
   "name": "My minimal document",
   "url": "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2127247/public-templates/SamplePandaDocPdf_FormFields.pdf",
   "recipients": [
      {
       "email":"[email protected]",
       "role": "user"
      }
 	 ],
   "parse_form_fields": false
}'

See the Create from public PDF guide for more details.

🚧

Note: A file you upload is not stored in your PandaDoc account, so you have to upload it with every request.

Samples

We support PDF, DocX, and RTF. We've prepared two samples that you can use to test the request. Download them here:

• Download a Sample PDF with Form Fields
• Download a Sample PDF with Field Tags

Limitations

1. This method does not support multiple documents.
2. The maximum supported file size is 100 MB. API returns "413 Request entity too large" in case of bigger files.
3. PandaDoc does not support creating document from an encrypted PDF. To check whether a file is encrypted or not, try Get info -> Secure: Password Encrypted.

See all possible errors and the ways to mitigate them: Error handling.

⏱️

Document creation is a non-blocking (asynchronous) operation

The document creation process may take time.

With a successful request, you receive a response with the created document's ID and status document.uploaded. After processing completes on our servers, usually a few seconds, the document moves to the document.draft status. Please wait for the webhook call or check this document's status before proceeding.

The change of status from document.uploaded to another status signifies the document is ready for further processing. Attempting to use a newly created document before PandaDoc servers process it will result in a "404 document not found" response.

PDF form fields

PandaDoc recognizes PDF form fields. To enable this feature, pass the optional parse_form_fields value as true when making a create document API call. We support Text fields, Dropdowns, and Signature fields.

If you would like to pass additional parameters to configure PDF form fields, use the PDF field name as an optId. You can use a PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat, Foxit to get and edit field names in your PDF.

Download a Sample PDF with Form Fields

PDF/DocX/RTF field tags

This parsing format allows a word processor such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs to prepare a document and save it in PDF, DocX or RTF format.

Within the text, PandaDoc parses field tags. A field tag starts and ends with brackets. The field tag includes basic information on how to create a form field in the PandaDoc document. The request JSON object optId can also extend this information for even greater control.

Here is an example of how the field tag in a PDF/DocX/RTF is converted to a text field in the PandaDoc document:

Download a Sample PDF with Field Tags

PDF field tag key

🚧

You can only use the ":" (colon) symbol between variables. This symbol cannot be trailing.

🚧

Role names restrictions

Underscores are not supported in role names for a file with a Field Tag.

PDF/DocX/RTF field tag supported types

Radio buttons limitations

• Radio button options within the same block must be on the same page.
• Preselection of options is not supported.
• Different blocks require unique IDs.
• Values for radio button options must be unique.
• Each document can have a minimum of two and a maximum of 50 radio button options.

📘

Fields in PandaDoc

The following article explains how to use Fields: Everything you need to know about Fields

"fields": {
    "textfield": {
        "value": "Jane",
        "role": "user"
    },
    "dropdown": {
        "value": "opt1",
        "role": "user",
        "options": [
            "opt1",
            "opt2",
            "opt3"
        ]
    },
    "checkbox": {
        "value": true,
        "role": "user"
    },
    "date": {
        "value": "2022-05-20",
        "role": "user"
    },
    "initials": {
        "value": "",
        "role": "user"
    },
    "signature": {
        "value": "",
        "role": "user"
    }
}

Create on member's behalf

Create documents on your colleagues' behalf when it's needed. Simply add an additional owner section in the document creation request.
You can set an owner of a document as an email or membership_id. Unique member's identifier you may find in the List Members.

"owner":{
	"email":"[email protected]"
}

"owner":{
	"membership_id":"radQBiBkU7MBk59NSgaGfd"
}

Roles

To set roles for a document from a PDF upload, you need to do these things:

1. Associate the field tag in a document with a recipient role. For example, textfield:user___ denotes a required text field assigned to the role "user"
2. Assign roles to recipients in the request body fields section:

"fields": {
    "textfield": {
        "value": "Jane",
        "role": "user"
    }
}

Signing order

Set a signing order for documents created from a file.

"recipients": [  
  {  
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "first_name": "Josh",
    "last_name": "Ron",
    "role": "user",
    "signing_order": 1
  }
]

Error handling