Automatically generating PDFs from Google Form responses streamlines the process of generating documents such as invoices, reports, and letters.
This automation saves time, reduces manual entry errors, and ensures consistency across documents. It's particularly useful for businesses and individuals who frequently generate documents with similar structures but varying content.
For this solution Lido merges your data from Google Forms into a template created in Google Docs and then saves a PDF version of it on your Google Drive.
Google Forms uses a Google Sheet to store its responses, so we'll be referring to that Google Sheet below.
First, we'll need to make the Google Doc template that will get populated with our Google Form responses. You can either start from scratch, or adapt an existing template that you have.
We'll designate which parts of the document will be replaced Google Form response data by using the {{Column Name}} syntax. (make sure there are no spaces between the curly braces and letters)
The key here is that whatever is inside of the curly brackets {{ }} must exactly match the name of the column header in your Google Sheet, including the same capitalization and spaces. So for example, if in our Google Sheet we have a column for First Name, then everywhere we want that value to be inserted into the template we'll need to put {{First Name}}.
We will use Lido, a new spreadsheet built to automate repetitive tasks, to merge our Google Sheet data that holds our Google Form responses into the Google Doc template to create new PDF. There is a free tier with paid plans as well. You can create a new account here: https://www.lido.app/go/signup
Step 1. From the Lido Files page, click Create a new file
Step 2. then click Connect Data and select Google Sheets.
Next, paste in your Google Sheet URL. If it's your first time connecting a Google Sheet to Lido, you'll need to authenticate into a Google account that has access to the sheet you're trying to connect.
Select all of the columns that you want to connect to Lido. Make sure to connect all of the columns that are referenced as variables in your Google Doc template.
Click Add Data.
Your Lido spreadsheet should now have connected data from your Google Sheet. It will look like this:
Now we need to add the formula to create the PDFs with our spreadsheet data of form response. The formula looks like this:
```=CREATEPDF(<drive-credential>,<template file>,<file name>,<status cell>)```
Drive Credential - if its your first time, you'll need to add a credential to give Lido access to reading your Google Doc template and saving a PDF to your drive.
Template file - use the file picker for Google Drive and choose your Google Doc template file.
File Name - name of the new PDF that is being created. You can make dynamic file names such as:
"Application Form for " & B2
Status Cell - when the PDF is generated successfully, the full path to the new PDF will be put in this cell. Usually, its the next column over from CREATEPDF.
for example: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19_gQmtwNCUPayLII4cxcRXxJKvpQW6fE/view
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Computed Column
A Computed Column in Lido copies the same formula down to every row and grows as your data grows.
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You can do so by choosing "Add Credential" in the first argument of CREATEPDF. Follow the prompts.
Create a new Linked Column and name it "Status".
A Linked Column needs to tie itself to another column with unique values in your Google Form responses (a "Unique ID column"). Use the Timestamp column as the unique id from your Google Sheet.
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Linked Column
A Linked Column in Lido lets you add notes to external data - and stays linked to your source data (such as records in Google Sheets) by tying itself to a column in the source data that has unique values. Timestamp, ID columns, or email can be good "ID Columns" for a Linked Column.
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Create a Google Doc
If you want to create a Google Doc instead of (or in addition to) a PDF, you can use the =CREATEGOOGLEDOC() formula in place of =CREATEPDF(). It takes in the same formula inputs.
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Note: After you create the Status column, you'll need to reset the 4th argument of CREATEPDF to make sure its the correct column (it'll get pushed over one column).
Run a test of any of THE CREATEPDF action formulas and review the generated PDF.
To run the whole column of actions, choose "Run Column Now" from the "Create PDF" column menu. This will run all CREATEPDF cells in the column - and create PDFs for all of your Google Form responses.
You can run this column manually to generate your new PDFS.
However, if you'd like to automate this whole process to automatically create a PDF whenever a new Google Form response gets added to your Google Sheet, then read on.
To automatically create a PDF when a new Google Form response is submitted, we'll create an automation on the "Create PDF?" column where the CREATEPDF action formula is.
We only want to create a PDF if we haven't already created one for that row of data. In other words, only if the Status column (column F) is blank.
We do this by using a regular spreadsheet IF formula, and only show CREATEPDF if our criteria is met. In this case, by making sure the Status field is still blank. If a new record is added to Sheets, this will evaluate to TRUE. Otherwise, it will show FALSE.
=IF(F2 ="",CREATEPDF(<credential>,<path to template>,<file name>,<status>))
Choose "Run Column on a Schedule" from the column menu for the "Create PDF?" column. Choose the interval that makes sense, daily, hourly, etc.
At the time you specify Lido will fetch the latest Google Form responses from Google Sheets, evaluate the Lido spreadsheet, and any action formulas will be run (CREATEPDF is an action formula)
Let's review what we covered!
Yes! A template is just the URL to your actual Google Doc template file. So you can set up a spreadsheet formula to check some other value and change the template accordingly. You can use this formula directly inside of CREATEPDF, or in its own column and refer to it in CREATEPDF.
=IF(B2="Professional Package","<path template #1>,<path to template #2>)
