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Code/HTML Template Editor

The Code/HTML Template Editor gives you full control over your PDF layout using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It's the go-to choice when you need pixel-perfect output or complex formatting.

Video Tutorial​

Watch this walkthrough to see how to build dynamic PDFs with the HTML editor, customize templates using Jinja2, and generate the final output via the REST API:

Getting started​

  1. Go to Manage Templates > New PDF Template
  2. Select Create PDF with HTML, choose a starter template, and click Create

Create a new PDF template — choose between the HTML Editor and Visual Editor, then pick a starter template

  1. Back on the Manage Templates page, click Launch Editor on your new template

The editor tabs​

Code/HTML Template Editor

The editor has four main tabs:

Template​

This is where your HTML goes. You write standard HTML and use Jinja2 as the templating language to insert dynamic content. Jinja2 lets you use variables ({{variable_name}}), loops ({% for item in items %}), conditionals ({% if condition %}), and filters to transform your static HTML into data-driven templates. At generation time, the engine merges your template with the JSON data you provide via the API.

<div class="invoice">
  <h1>Invoice #{{invoice_number}}</h1>
  <p>Bill to: {{customer_name}}</p>
  <table>
    <thead>
      <tr>
        <th>Item</th>
        <th>Qty</th>
        <th>Price</th>
      </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
      {% for item in items %}
      <tr>
        <td>{{item.name}}</td>
        <td>{{item.qty}}</td>
        <td>{{item.price}}</td>
      </tr>
      {% endfor %}
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

CSS​

CSS Tab

Add your styles here. You can also include external fonts, JavaScript libraries, and other resources.

body {
  font-family: 'Helvetica', sans-serif;
  padding: 40px;
}

.invoice h1 {
  color: #333;
  border-bottom: 2px solid #2563eb;
  padding-bottom: 10px;
}

table {
  width: 100%;
  border-collapse: collapse;
  margin-top: 20px;
}

th, td {
  padding: 8px 12px;
  border: 1px solid #ddd;
  text-align: left;
}

Sample JSON​

Sample JSON Tab

Provide test data here for previewing your template:

{
  "invoice_number": "INV-001",
  "customer_name": "Acme Corp",
  "items": [
    {"name": "Widget A", "qty": 5, "price": "$10.00"},
    {"name": "Widget B", "qty": 3, "price": "$25.00"}
  ]
}

Settings​

Settings Tab

Configure your PDF output:

  • Paper size — A4, Letter, Legal, and custom sizes
  • Orientation — Portrait or Landscape
  • Margins — Top, bottom, left, right
  • Header and Footer — Custom HTML for headers and footers (see Headers and Footers)

Previewing​

  • Quick Preview (Ctrl+Q) — renders the HTML instantly in the browser (no header/footer)
  • Generate PDF — produces the full PDF with all settings applied

Tips​

  • Use page-break-before: always to force page breaks between sections
  • Use page-break-inside: avoid to prevent elements from being split across pages
  • Include external fonts with @import or <link> tags in the CSS tab
  • Use the browser's developer tools to debug layout issues before generating

Further reading​