How the document builder works
The document builder lets you create publishable PDF templates that pull live values from your site or embed, so you can generate personalized quotes, proposals, invoices, or similar documents on demand. A document is its own app type in ConvertSite, alongside Sites and Embeds: it is a layout that is rendered as a PDF rather than shown as a webpage.
What a document is
A document is a publishable layout or template that is rendered as a PDF. You design it once in the document builder, then generate it with real data whenever a visitor needs it.
You can use documents to create static PDF files, or to fill a dynamic document with values that come from a Site or Embed. Typical uses are personalized quotes, proposals, and invoices.
Where the values come from
A document has no input form of its own. The dynamic values in it come from the Site or Embed that generates the document: at runtime, the host app sends its current engine state to the document, so the PDF reflects what the visitor has done so far.
For values to populate, the reference names in your document must match the names in the calculator or host app exactly. For example, a reference named NAME or TOTAL_PRICE in the document must match the same name in the site. If a name does not match, the value will not fill in.
Generate document vs. Print to PDF
Two separate actions produce PDFs, and they do different things:
Generate document uses a pre-made Document app, including its layout and formats, to produce a PDF filled with the current values.
Print to PDF makes a PDF snapshot of the current page or embed as it appears, without generating a separate document.
Choose Generate document when you want a designed template, and Print to PDF when you simply want to capture the current screen.
Publish before you generate
A document must be published before it can be generated or selected as an email attachment. Unpublished documents cannot be used in either flow.
Where to go next
These articles walk through each part of working with documents, in order:
For the elements that feed values into a document, see the Formula and Button references, and Advanced FormulaScript for building the calculations behind them.