What is a PDF Template?

PDF is a widely used file format known for its consistent formatting and ability to display forms. A PDF Template is a form that can either be pre-populated with previously entered data or serve as a fillable form where users input information. These templates are especially important for government-required forms that need to be stored securely. To add and use a PDF Template in your system, you must provide or download a fillable PDF. If you have a PDF that isn't fillable, you can find online programs to convert it, or download fillable PDFs from various sources. These fillable PDFs can be included in your onboarding process using Process Revisions.

Adding a PDF Template is similar to adding an image, as both need to be uploaded into your system to be used during the onboarding process.

There are two ways to use a PDF Template in onboarding:

1. It can be directly included in the process through a Process Revision.
2. It can be added as part of a Smart Form and then applied to the business process through a Process Revision.

How do you add a PDF Template?

Create a new Content Revision or modify an existing Content Revision that is in progress. Under Content Metrics, click "Add" for PDF Templates/Forms.

The page to enter the PDF form details opens as below.

Refer to the chart below for information on the fields.

Enter the form fields and then click "Upload".

When "Is process Action" is unchecked:

Click on "Choose File".

Choose a PDF file, then click "Upload".

You can click "View" to preview the uploaded PDF form.

Double click on any field to open its field properties.  You can edit field label on clicking fillable label. By default, the Pre-Fill Data field is selected as 'No'.

If you leave the Pre-Fill Data as 'No', the user will be able to enter the fields into the PDF form at runtime.

When you change Pre-Fill Data to 'Yes', the Global Variable lookup icon will appear. Assign the appropriate variable to the field if you want to prepopulate it with data.

Click the lookup icon to select the variable.

Pre-fill data = Yes

Select the variable by expanding the tree structure or using "Search Binds" lookup.

When "Search Binds" lookup is used, the Variable ID and Description fields will be available for searching.

Select any operator and enter the text that needs to be searched in the search fields. 

Similarly insert binds into the necessary form fields and save.

When "Is process Action" is checked:

When "Is process Action" is checked, the form can be used as an activity in the process flow. Additional fields will appear and must be filled.

Refer to the chart below for information on the fields.

Field	Behavior
Participant Pool	The Role Type that will see the PDF Form
Required/Optional	Required: the user needs to complete the form before continuing Optional: the user has the option to complete the form. The system will allow the user to proceed with the process and complete Submit to HR even without completing the optional activity.
Allow Bypass	By selecting this the user will have the bypass enabled for the form The user must submit the bypassed activity and acknowledge the form to continue with the process
Override Save Button Label	The label on the button that the user must click in order to save or continue The default label is 'e-sign,' so if you leave this field blank, it will say 'e-sign' Examples of replacement labels: Acknowledge Agree
Enable I Agree	By selecting this the user acknowledges the information provided on the form
Acknowledge text	This field is displayed when the user selects the check box of 'Enable I Agree' label
Enable Print	Yes: the page will contain an icon that will allow the user to print the form No: the user will not be able to print the form
Print Source	This field only shows up if you click on 'Yes' for Enable Print Current Form: it will print in the form that the file is originally in PDF Template: selecting this will spawn another field below it Clicking on the lookup will pull up all of the PDF Templates that are in your system
File Name	The PDF file name uploaded

After entering the above details, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save".

Similarly, you can add multiple PDF Templates/Forms based on your requirement. 

On the Content Revision page, you will notice a summary of your changes. For content type PDF Templates, the Content Metrics section will also display the number of individual templates that were added/changed.

Click the "Return to Manage Revision" button to return to the revision main page.

Apply the revision. The new PDF Template will be available for use in the onboarding process.

How do you modify a PDF Template?

You should modify a PDF Template when you need to update, change, or rename it. Modifying allows you to alter the Description, the entire PDF content, and pre-populated field binds.

Create a new Content Revision or modify an existing Content Revision which is in progress.

Under Content Metrics section, click "Review/Update" for PDF Templates/Forms.

Click on the content name that requires modification.

Update the information/details as needed, but note that you cannot change the checkbox value for the "Is process Action" field. After making the changes, click "Save".

Click "Return" to return to the Content Revision page.

On the Content Revision page, click "Return to Manage Revision" to return to the revision main page.

Apply the revision to see the changes take effect.

How do you add a PDF Template in the onboarding process?

There are two ways to add a PDF Template to the onboarding process.

• Add PDF Template in the process through a Process Revision.
• Add PDF Template to the Smart Form and then include the Smart Form in the process through a Process Revision.

(I) Add PDF Template in the process through a Process Revision

Create a new Process Revision or use an in progress Process Revision. Select the "Configure Business Process" option.

Click "Add" under the onboarding step where you want the PDF Template/Form to appear.

Select the form and click "OK".

The new activity shows under the onboarding step. Click on the activity that you just added.

Add criteria details for routing. You have two options:

• Always Route: This option ensures the activity is visible to all users in the Participant Pool.

• Route if Criteria is Met: This option allows you to restrict visibility based on specific criteria, limiting who can see the activity in their onboarding process.

In this example, "Always Route" is selected. Save the criteria details.

Save the configuration by clicking the "Save" button at the bottom.

On the Process Revision page, click the "Return to Manage Revision" button to return to the revision main page.

Apply the revision.

As configured, the PDF Template will appear in the candidate's process.

Example: PDF Template as fillable form

While creating the PDF Template, lets take pre-fill data for Name and Gender as 'Yes' and other fields as 'No'. 

When the PDF appears in the process, the Name and Gender fields will have the data prepopulated and the other fields are to be filled as configured.

(II) Add PDF Template to the Smart Form and then include the Smart Form in the process through a Process Revision.

Create a Content Revision or modify a Content Revision that is in progress.

Under Content Metrics section, add a new Smart Forms.

Enter the necessary Smart Form fields. Select PDF Template for Print Source.

Click the lookup icon to select the PDF form from the system.

You can view the PDF Template by clicking on the box with the jump arrow, next to the file name.

Enter the Smart Form text to be presented to the user and save.

Click the "Return to Manage Revision" button to return to the revision main page.

Apply the revision.

Now, create a new Process Revision and select "Configure Business Process" on the Process Revision page.

Click "Add" under the onboarding step where you want the PDF Template/Form to appear.

Select the PDF form and click "OK". 

The new activity shows under the onboarding step. Click on the activity that you just added and configure the routing criteria.

You have two options for routing:

• Always Route: This option ensures the activity is visible to all users in the Participant Pool.

• Route if Criteria is Met: This option allows you to restrict visibility based on specific criteria, limiting who can see the activity in their onboarding process.

In this example, "Always Route" is selected. Save the criteria details.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and save the configuration.

On the Process Revision page, click "Return to Manage Revision" to return to the revision main page.

Apply the process revision.

As configured, the form will appear in the candidate's process.

Once the activity is completed, the form can be downloaded by clicking on the "Download Signed Forms" icon.

The downloaded signed form is shown below:

How do you enable/disable print for a PDF Template/Form?

Example of a PDF Template/Form in the New Hire's process with "Download Signed Forms" enabled. Also, this PDF Form will be available in the list whenever the signed forms are downloaded from other activities/actions.

The downloaded signed Form shows as below:

If "Enable Print" is set to "No" in the PDF Template/Form, the online page will not have the icon to download or print the form.

Example of a PDF Form in the New Hire's process with download/print icon disabled is shown below.

Note: Also, this PDF Form will not be available in the list whenever the signed forms are downloaded from other activities/actions.

How do you enable bypass option for a PDF Template/Form?

You can enable the bypass option when defining a new PDF Template or modifying an existing one by checking the "Allow Bypass" option on the PDF Form.

When this option is enabled, users will have the choice to either complete the activity or opt for bypass.

When the PDF Form appears in the New Hire process, the New Hire will have the option to bypass the activity. 

Click the "Bypass Activity" gadget on the right bottom corner of the page.

Enter you comments and submit.

The completed bypass activity is shown as below. After the activity is bypassed, the user can still complete the activity if they want to.