create_pdf

Internal beta — config shape is being migrated

The Automation API is an internal beta and is not released yet — endpoints and payloads may change or be withdrawn without notice. This action's config is being migrated to a typed schema; the fields below reflect that in-progress shape. Always read the authoritative, live shape from GET /v1/automation/meta/action before building against it.

Create PDF — renders an HTML template to a PDF. group: "action". No specific trigger context is required.

Part of the Email & documents family. This page documents the typed config; for how an action sits inside an automation definition, see Actions and Action examples.

Config

Every member is optional — each carries a canonical editor default, so an omitting caller still yields a complete action.

Key	Type	Required	Description
`options_expanded`	boolean	no	Editor-only UI flag: whether the advanced options section is expanded. Default `false`.
`filename`	template value	no	The generated file's name. Empty when omitted.
`custom_variable_def`	object	no	The custom variable the action outputs (the generated PDF file). `{ single_file, PDF }` when omitted.
`page_numbers_enabled`	boolean	no	Whether page numbers are rendered. Default `false`.
`header_and_footer_enabled`	boolean	no	Whether the PDF header and footer are rendered. Default `false`.
`page_size`	enum	no	Page size. Default `a4`.
`page_custom_width`	code value	no	Custom page width, used only when `page_size` is `custom_size`. Empty when omitted.
`page_custom_height`	code value	no	Custom page height, used only when `page_size` is `custom_size`. Empty when omitted.
`page_orientation`	enum	no	Page orientation. Default `portrait`.
`page_margins`	enum	no	Page margins preset. Default `normal`.
`page_custom_margin_top`	code value	no	Custom top margin, used only when `page_margins` is `custom_margins`. Empty when omitted.
`page_custom_margin_right`	code value	no	Custom right margin, used only when `page_margins` is `custom_margins`. Empty when omitted.
`page_custom_margin_bottom`	code value	no	Custom bottom margin, used only when `page_margins` is `custom_margins`. Empty when omitted.
`page_custom_margin_left`	code value	no	Custom left margin, used only when `page_margins` is `custom_margins`. Empty when omitted.
`pdf_header_custom_margin_top`	code value	no	Custom header top margin. Empty when omitted.
`pdf_footer_custom_margin_bottom`	code value	no	Custom footer bottom margin. Empty when omitted.
`page_number_style`	enum	no	Page-number numbering style. Default `decimal`.
`page_number_start`	code value	no	The number the first page's number starts at. Empty when omitted.
`pdf_header`	template value	no	Header HTML template rendered on the first page. Empty when omitted.
`pdf_header_expanded`	boolean	no	Editor-only UI flag: whether the header section is expanded. Default `false`.
`pdf_header_following_pages`	template value	no	Header HTML template rendered on following pages. Empty when omitted.
`pdf_header_following_pages_enabled`	boolean	no	Whether a distinct following-pages header is used. Default `false`.
`pdf_footer`	template value	no	Footer HTML template rendered on the first page. Empty when omitted.
`pdf_footer_expanded`	boolean	no	Editor-only UI flag: whether the footer section is expanded. Default `false`.
`pdf_footer_following_pages`	template value	no	Footer HTML template rendered on following pages. Empty when omitted.
`pdf_footer_following_pages_enabled`	boolean	no	Whether a distinct following-pages footer is used. Default `false`.
`pdf_body_expanded`	boolean	no	Editor-only UI flag: whether the body section is expanded. Default `false`.
`pdf_body`	template value	no	Body HTML template rendered as the PDF content. Empty when omitted.

page_size tokens (lower-case): letter, tabloid, legal, a3, a4, a5, envelope_10, custom_size. Custom dimensions apply only under custom_size.

page_orientation tokens (lower-case): portrait, landscape.

page_margins tokens (lower-case): normal, narrow, moderate, wide, custom_margins. Custom margins apply only under custom_margins.

page_number_style tokens (lower-case): decimal, decimal_leading_zero, lower_latin, upper_latin, lower_roman, upper_roman.

The four *_expanded members are editor-only UI flags and are omitted from the live discovery schema; they are documented here for completeness so a full-fidelity round-trip preserves them.

Example

An action entry inside an automation definition's actions[]:

{
  "type": "create_pdf",
  "config": {
    "filename": ["invoice-", { "kind": "variable", "source": "meta", "meta_type": "app_record_id" }, ".pdf"],
    "page_size": "a4",
    "page_orientation": "portrait",
    "page_margins": "normal",
    "pdf_body": ["<h1>Invoice</h1><p>Thank you for your order.</p>"]
  }
}

Validation & behavior

No member is required — each carries a canonical editor default. The four page enums default to page_size → a4, page_orientation → portrait, page_margins → normal, and page_number_style → decimal; every boolean defaults to false, and every template / code string defaults to the empty definition.
custom_variable_def is the action's output (the generated PDF file); omitting it yields the canonical { single_file, PDF } variable.
Custom dimensions (page_custom_*) apply only under the matching custom_size / custom_margins presets and are ignored otherwise.
The action renders an HTML template to a PDF and produces no reliable per-action success log — do not rely on a success log entry to confirm the render.
Beta caveat: a GET→PUT round-trip of a create_pdf action currently 400s on dev (remediation pending); treat it as a known beta limitation until fixed.

Internal beta — config shape is being migrated

Config​

Example​

Validation & behavior​

See also​

Config

Example

Validation & behavior

See also