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Budibase

Prerequisites​

  • A PolyDoc account and API key — sign up for free, no credit card required. The free plan includes 150 PDF conversions per month.
  • A Budibase account — sign up for free, no credit card required.

Use Case 1: Generate PDFs from App Data​

Trigger a PDF download from a Budibase app screen using a button bound to a REST API query that calls PolyDoc.
Button click → REST API query (PolyDoc) → Download PDF

Add a REST API data source​

Open your Budibase app and navigate to Data. Click Add source and select REST API. Name the data source (e.g. PolyDoc).

Under Headers, add a default header: Authorization with value Bearer YOUR_API_KEY (get your API key from the Dashboard).

Screenshot placeholder: /img/guides/budibase/budibase-uc1-add-rest-source.png

Configure the PolyDoc endpoint​

Inside the PolyDoc data source, click Add query and configure:

  • Method: POST
  • URL: https://api.polydoc.tech/pdf/convert
  • Headers: add X-Sandbox = true (for testing without counting against your quota)
  • Body: select JSON and map your table fields to a PolyDoc template. Use Bindings to reference row data dynamically.
Screenshot placeholder: /img/guides/budibase/budibase-uc1-configure-endpoint.png

Create a screen with a generate button​

Go to Design and open (or create) a screen. Add a Table component bound to your data table, then add a Button component to each row.

In the button's On click action, choose Execute query and select the PolyDoc query you created. Use Bindings to pass the current row's fields as query parameters.

Screenshot placeholder: /img/guides/budibase/budibase-uc1-screen-button.png

Handle the PDF response​

The PolyDoc API returns binary PDF data. In the query settings, set the Transformer to convert the response into a downloadable blob URL. Use a subsequent Navigate to action on the button to open the URL and trigger the download.

Screenshot placeholder: /img/guides/budibase/budibase-uc1-handle-pdf.png

Use Case 2: Automated PDF on Row Creation​

Automatically generate and email a PDF whenever a new row is added to a Budibase table, using the built-in Automations engine.
Automation: Row Created → External REST API (PolyDoc) → Send Email

Create an automation with a Row Created trigger​

Navigate to Automations and click Create automation. Select the Row Created trigger and choose the table you want to monitor.

Screenshot placeholder: /img/guides/budibase/budibase-uc2-row-created-trigger.png

Add an External REST API action​

Click Add step and select External REST API. Configure:

  • Method: POST
  • URL: https://api.polydoc.tech/pdf/convert
  • Headers: Authorization = Bearer YOUR_API_KEY, X-Sandbox = true
  • Body: JSON mapping the trigger row's fields to your PolyDoc template using Bindings.
Screenshot placeholder: /img/guides/budibase/budibase-uc2-rest-api-step.png

Add a Send Email action​

Add another step: Send Email. Map the recipient to the row's email field and attach the PDF response from the previous step.

Screenshot placeholder: /img/guides/budibase/budibase-uc2-send-email.png

Test the automation​

Click Test automation to run it with sample data. Verify the PDF arrives by email. Once confirmed, toggle the automation ON to activate it for all future rows.