PDF Forms
What Are PDF Forms?
PDF Forms allow you to upload existing PDF documents, add dynamic field placeholders, and automatically fill them with data from your app. When the PDF Form is generated, it will immediately download to your device with all the data populated.
For a complete, in-depth guide to PDF Forms, visit our PDF Forms: Complete Guide documentation.
Quick Start Overview
1. Upload a PDF
Give your PDF Form a name and select the PDF file to upload.
PDF Requirements:
- Only PDF files are allowed
- Maximum 10 pages per PDF
- Maximum file size is 1MB
- PDF cannot be encrypted or password protected
- English is the primary supported language
If your PDF doesn't download properly, open it in Chrome and click Print → Save as PDF, then use the new PDF in your PDF form upload.
2. Add Placeholder Fields
Open the PDF Form editor and add placeholder fields which will be automatically filled with data from your app.
There are currently 4 field types available:
- Text - Display text, numbers, dates, or currency values
- Checkbox - Show checkmarks based on conditions
- Image - Display images, logos, or photos
- Signature - Show electronic signatures
Auto-Detect Form Fields
If your PDF has embedded form fields, Tadabase can automatically detect them and create placeholders, saving you setup time.
3. Fill PDF via Action Link
You can fill a PDF form through action links in a Table, List, or Custom component.
- Add an Action Link to your component
- In the Action Rule tab, select "Fill a PDF Form"
- Choose your PDF Form
- Click "Set PDF Fields" to map your data
- Configure the file name and success behavior
You can set PDF placeholder values using:
- Record Value - Data from the current record
- Custom Value - A static value you enter
- Logged In User Field - Data from the logged-in user
- Browser Storage - Values from local or session storage
- Blank Value - Leave the field empty
Advanced Features
Password Protection
Protect your PDFs with passwords to ensure only authorized users can open them.
Watermarks
Add custom watermarks to your PDFs for branding or document security.
Version History
Track changes to your PDF Forms with version history. View previous versions, add comments, and restore if needed.
Replace PDF File
Upload a new PDF file while preserving all existing placeholder settings and configurations.
Duplicate PDF Forms
Quickly create copies of existing PDF Forms for reuse and editing.
Generation Logs
View detailed logs of every PDF generation, including success/error messages, generation time, file size, and device information.
Key Features Summary
- Upload PDFs - Use your existing PDF documents as templates
- Dynamic Fields - Text, checkboxes, images, and signatures
- Auto-Detection - Automatically detect embedded form fields
- Date & Number Formatting - Format dates, currencies, and numbers
- Password Protection - Secure your documents
- Watermarks - Add branding or security marks
- Version History - Track all changes over time
- Action Links & Tasks - Generate PDFs on demand or automatically
- Generation Logs - Monitor and audit all PDF generation
Compliance
Tadabase's electronic signature solutions comply with the UETA (The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act) and the E-SIGN Act (The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act) and are eligible to be recognized as valid under U.S. law.
Next Steps
For detailed instructions on all features, field types, troubleshooting, and best practices, visit the PDF Forms: Complete Guide.
- PDF Pages - Generate PDFs from page components
- PDFs Overview - Learn about all PDF features
- Action Rules - Learn about automation
We'd love to hear your feedback.