PDF Automation for Developers: Standardizing Forms with API Field Aliases

Field Aliases enable consistent keys for data fields across multiple PDFs

When setting up a PDF template for the PDF filling API, Anvil automatically generates a unique field ID for each field on the PDF. When working with a library of PDF templates, tracking these unique field IDs across multiple PDFs can be cumbersome, so Anvil allows developers to assign a Field Alias, similar to a variable name, for each PDF field.

A big benefit of using a Field Alias is the ability to have consistent Field Aliases across multiple PDFs that ask for the same information. For example, say you have a library of 10 different PDFs, and each PDF asks for a Name and Address. You could manually track the auto-generated ID for each field on each PDF, resulting in 20 unique field IDs that need to be tracked. Or you can assign a Field Alias of fullName and fullAddress to every name and address field across all PDFs.

Now when making a request to the specific PDF template, you only need to construct a data payload with the Field Aliases and Anvil will automatically route it to the correct field.

{
  "fullName": {
    "firstName": "John",
    "lastName": "Doe"
  },
  "fullAddress": {
    "street1": "123 Main Street",
    "city": "San Francisco",
    "state": "CA",
    "zip": "95273"
  }
}

This data payload will work across all 10 PDF templates in Anvil, as long as the fields have the proper Field Alias assigned.

As an added benefit, reading a JSON payload constructed using Field Aliases makes debugging API requests much easier.

How to assign a Field Alias in Anvil's PDF template editor

In the PDF template editor:

1. Select the field
2. Add a Field Alias The Field Alias must be unique within the PDF and we suggest using camelCase for all IDs.

Why do you need Field Aliases?

For most paperwork processes, multiple forms need to be completed. To ensure that forms are properly associated with one another, the forms have a set of common fields that are consistent across each form.

Common pieces of information used to associate forms with one another include:

• Name
• Address
• Unique Customer Number
• Social Security Number ← clearly the best use for a sensitive piece of information is to have it on EVERY form

One quirk of how paper and PDF forms are created, is that they are updated over time, resulting in the “consistent” fields becoming inconsistent. Someone might change the formatting of the form, or change the labels for each field Name → Full Name, Social Security Number → SSN. All of these little inconsistencies make it a pain to pass the same information into multiple fields across different PDFs.

Anvil’s Field Aliases is a way for you to normalize between your own database and all of the PDFs you are generating with Anvil.

Leveraging Field Aliases for Efficient PDF Automation

Field Aliases ensure consistent data field names across multiple templates, reducing errors and increasing efficiency. By standardizing data field names, Field Aliases simplify data management and integration across multiple PDF templates.

Industry-Specific Use Cases

HR and New Hire Packets

• Applications: Apply Field Aliases to fields like name and address in Job Applications, W4s, and I9 forms. This standardization facilitates accurate data handling and integration with HR systems.
• Advantages: Minimizes manual data entry errors and speeds up processing.

Insurance Policy Documentation

• Claims Forms: Use Field Aliases for consistent field names across claim forms, certificates of insurance (COIs), and policy documents.
• Advantages: Boosts data extraction accuracy and speeds up document processing.

Legal and Sales Contracts

• Contracts: Standardize fields in MSAs, Purchase Orders, and NDAs with Field Aliases for consistent data entry and integration.
• Advantages: Improves contract accuracy and simplifies data management.

Loan Documentation/Origination

• Applications and supporting forms: Apply Field Aliases to streamline data entry in loan applications and supporting documents.
• Advantages: Reduces data entry errors and accelerates loan processing.

Field Aliases provide a uniform reference system for data fields, enhancing accuracy and efficiency in various industries.

API resources

For hands-on experience with our PDF API, play around in ourfree developer sandbox. Access detailed documentation, practical tutorials, and client libraries to integrate PDF functionalities more effectively.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at: developers@useanvil.com