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Generating documents from HTML templates

The Documents plugin simplifies document generation through predefined templates. This guide focuses on generating documents using HTML templates.

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Before you begin

1. Verify access permissions: Ensure you have the necessary permissions to manage document templates.
2. Check Kafka configuration: Confirm that Kafka is properly configured and accessible:
   • The document plugin relies on Kafka for communication between nodes
   • Familiarize yourself with the required Kafka topics (detailed later in this guide)

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Creating an HTML template

1. Access the WYSIWYG editor through FlowX Designer → Plugins → Document templates
2. Create or import your HTML template

For detailed template management instructions:

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Implementing document generation in a process

Let’s build a document generation flow that creates personalized documents based on user input:

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Step 1: Create a user input form

1. Add a User Task node to your process
2. Configure UI elements to collect the information needed for your document:
   • Input fields (text, numbers, dates, etc.)
   • Make sure to set appropriate keys for each field that match your template variables

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Step 2: Configure the document generation request

1. Add a Send Message Task (Kafka) node
2. Configure the Kafka send action with the appropriate topic:
   • For HTML template generation, use ai.flowx.in.document.html.in (or your configured equivalent)

3. Create the request payload with the following structure:

{ 
  "documentList": [
    {
      "customId": "ClientsFolder",
      "templateName": "AccountCreation",
      "language": "en",
      "data": {
        "firstInput": "${application.client.firstName}",
        "secondInput": "${application.client.lastName}",
        "thirdInput": "${application.client.accountType}"
      },
      "includeBarcode": false
    }
  ]
}

Key parameters:

• customId: Folder name where the file will be saved
• templateName: Name of the template defined in Document templates
• language: Must match the language configured on the template
• data: Key-value pairs mapping template variables to process data
• includeBarcode: Set to true if you need a barcode on the document

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Step 3: Receive the generated document

1. Add a Receive Message Task (Kafka) node
2. Configure it with:
   • The response topic: ai.flowx.updates.document.html.generate.v1 (or your configured equivalent)
   • Key for storing the response: generatedDocuments

The response contains information about the generated documents:

Sample response structure:

{
  "generatedFiles": {
    "ClientsFolder": {
      "AccountCreation": {
        "customId": "ClientsFolder",
        "fileId": "320f4ec2-a509-4aa9-b049-87224594802e",
        "documentType": "AccountCreation",
        "documentLabel": "GENERATED_PDF",
        "minioPath": "{{your_bucket}}/2024/2024-01-15/process-id-865759/ClientsFolder/6869_AccountCreation.pdf",
        "downloadPath": "internal/files/320f4ec2-a509-4aa9-b049-87224594802e/download",
        "noOfPages": 1,
        "error": null
      }
    }
  },
  "error": null
}

Response fields:

• fileId: Unique identifier for the generated file
• documentType: Template name used for generation
• minioPath: Storage location (MinIO or S3)
• downloadPath: URL path for downloading the file
• noOfPages: Document page count
• error: Error information (null if successful)

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Displaying the generated document

To display the generated document to the user:

1. Add a Task Node to extract the document path from the response
2. Add a User Task with the Document Preview UI Element:
   • Configure the element with the download path from the previous node

For detailed instructions on displaying documents, see: