How to Generate a PDF from Google Forms Using Autocrat (with Image Attachments)
Prerequisites
Before proceeding, ensure you have the following:
- A Google Account
- Access to Google Forms
- Access to Google Sheets
- The Autocrat Add-on installed
Autocrat User Manual
Step 1: Create the Google Form
1. Open Google Forms and create a new form.
2. Add the following fields:
- Name (Short answer)
- Address (Paragraph text)
- Telephone Number (Short answer)
- Passport Photo (File upload, limit to image files)
- Education History (Paragraph text)
- Attached Certificate (File upload, limit to PDF or image files)
3. Click on the settings gear and adjust file upload limits if necessary.
4. Submit a test response to confirm everything works.
Step 2: Link the Form to Google Sheets
1. In Google Forms, go to the Responses tab.
2. Click on the Google Sheets icon to create a new linked spreadsheet.
3. Open the spreadsheet and review the collected data.
- Uploaded files appear as links in the respective columns.
4. Use these formulas to implement the image function in AUTOCRAT.
- Passport picture use the formula below as it only need single image.
=arrayformula(if(row(A:A)=1,"photoid1",substitute(D:D,"open?","thumbnail?sz=w500&")))
- Certificates/Multiple Attachments need to use this formula as it needs multiple images.
- First column
=arrayformula(if(row(A:A)=1,"photoid1 photoid2 photoid3 photoid4 photoid5",substitute(D:D,"open?","thumbnail?sz=w500&")))
- Second column
=arrayformula(SPLIT(E:E,", "))
Single Image
Multiple Images
Result after splitting
Step 3: Create the Resume Template in Google Docs
1. Open Google Docs and create a new document.
2. Format the document as a resume with placeholders:
Name: <<Name>>
Address: <<Address>>
Tel: <<Tel>>
Education: <<Education>>
3. Insert placeholders for images:
- Passport Photo: <<passpicture>>
- Certificate: <<picture1>> and so on.
4. Adjust the placeholders:
- Place the passport photo and certificate in appropriate sections.
5. Save the document.
Step 4: Configure Autocrat
1. Open the linked Google Sheet.
2. Go to Extensions → Autocrat → Launch.
3. Click "New Job" and enter a name (e.g., "Student Resume Generator").
4. Click "Choose Template" and select the Google Docs template.
5. Map the Form Responses to the Placeholders.
6. Set image size to 700x800 pixels for images that need to fit in one page.
7. Choose PDF as the output format.
8. Select a Google Drive folder for the generated resumes.
9. Choose the delivery option.
Step 5: Automate the Process
1. In Autocrat, enable "Run on Form Submission."
2. Submit a test response in Google Forms.
3. Check the Google Drive folder for the generated PDF resume.
4. If needed, adjust formatting in the template and rerun Autocrat.
Step 6: Verify the Output
1. Open the generated PDF to ensure all details and images are correctly placed.
2. Make adjustments in the Google Docs template if needed.
3. Repeat the process for additional users.
Troubleshooting
- Images not appearing?
- Ensure the image size is correctly set in Autocrat.
- Verify that image file types are supported.
- **Incorrect formatting?
- Adjust text and spacing in the Google Docs template.
- **Autocrat not running?
- Reauthorize permissions in Google Sheets.
Links:
AutoCrat 3.0 Help - Google Docs
autoCrat Add-on: FAQs - Google Docs