Document Actions

Document Actions

Document actions turn data into files: PDFs and CSVs. They're useful for invoices, statements, receipts, contracts, weekly reports, and bulk data exports. Generated files can be saved to a Files field on the source record, attached to a follow-up email, or stored for download.

At-a-glance summary

Action	What it makes	Source
Create PDF Form	Filled-in PDF form	A PDF Form template (you upload the blank PDF and map fields).
Create PDF Page	Designed PDF page	A PDF Page (a Tadabase-designed page layout, like an invoice template).
Export to CSV	CSV file of records	A query against a data table.

Create PDF Form

Fills a PDF form template with values from the source record and saves the result.

You first set up the PDF Form in your app (under PDFs → PDF Forms). You upload the blank PDF, then map each form field on the PDF to a value source — usually a field from the table this PDF will be generated against.

In the workflow step:

• PDF Form — pick which form template to use.
• Save to field (optional) — pick a Files field on the source record to attach the generated PDF.

Step output: the generated file (URL, file ID, and field reference) so subsequent steps can attach it to an email or upload it elsewhere.

Example: When an Order is marked "Paid," generate the receipt PDF from the "Order Receipt" form template and save it to the order's Receipt PDF Files field. The next step emails it to the customer.

Create PDF Page

Renders a designed PDF Page (a layout you built in the Tadabase PDF Page builder) for a specific record. PDF Pages are more flexible than PDF Forms — you can include components, dynamic text, conditional sections, signatures, and images.

In the workflow step:

• PDF Page — pick the page to render.
• Record — which record's data to use.
• Save to field (optional) — attach the result to a Files field on the source record.

Step output: the generated file metadata (URL, file ID, file status, field reference).

Example: Every Friday at 5 PM, a scheduled workflow loops over Active Projects. For each one, render the "Weekly Status Report" PDF Page, save it to the project's Weekly Reports field, and email it to the project owner.

PDF Forms are best when you have an existing PDF template (e.g. a government form). PDF Pages are best when you want to design the layout yourself with full control over styling, components, and conditional content.

Export to CSV

Generates a CSV file from a database query. Designed to handle very large tables safely — Tadabase streams records in batches and uploads the file directly to your secured cloud storage without loading the whole thing into memory.

Configuration

Setting	What it does
Target table	Which table to export from.
Filters	Limit which records are included (e.g. only orders from last month, only customers in a region).
Sort	Order the rows in the CSV.
Fields	Pick which columns to include — and the order they appear.
Save to field	Optionally attach the CSV to a Files field on the source record.

Step output: the generated CSV file metadata so subsequent steps (e.g. Send Email) can attach it.

Once-per-run behavior: Export to CSV runs once per workflow run, not once per record. That means even if your trigger loops over thousands of records, the CSV is only generated a single time. This is a deliberate optimization for large tables.

Example: Every Monday at 6 AM, a scheduled workflow exports all orders from the previous week to CSV (filtered by date), saves it to a "Weekly Reports" record, and emails the file to the operations team.

Tips

• Generated files are stored on your secured cloud storage and follow the same access rules as any other Tadabase file.
• Use the file's URL output in a Send Email step to attach it directly, or reference it in another action's body.
• For very large CSVs (100k+ rows), the export runs in the background — your workflow finishes promptly and the file becomes available shortly after.
• If you need a recurring scheduled export (e.g. nightly data dump), pair Export to CSV with a Schedule trigger and a Send Email or webhook step to deliver the file.