Template Generator from JSON or XML

Two Directions, Two Kinds of Template

DocButterfly has templates that run in opposite directions. It's worth being clear which one you want:

Step 1 — Analyze Your Sample Data

AnalyzeTemplateData flattens your payload into a field contract: every value gets a dot-path, an inferred datatype, and a sample. Arrays become repeating tables. This step makes no AI call and costs 1 token.

curl -X POST https://your-app.azurewebsites.net/api/AnalyzeTemplateData \
  -H "X-API-Key: df_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "invoice":  { "number": "INV-1001", "issuedOn": "2026-07-28", "total": 1240.50, "paid": false },
      "customer": { "name": "Acme Ltd", "email": "ap@acme.com" },
      "lines": [
        { "description": "Consulting", "qty": 10, "amount": 100.00 },
        { "description": "License",    "qty": 1,  "amount": 240.50 }
      ]
    }
  }'

The response tells you what was understood:

{
  "success": true,
  "source": "json",
  "fields": [
    { "name": "invoice.number",   "label": "Number",    "dataType": "string" },
    { "name": "invoice.issuedOn", "label": "Issued On", "dataType": "date",     "format": { "dateStyle": "medium" } },
    { "name": "invoice.total",    "label": "Total",     "dataType": "currency", "format": { "currency": "USD", "decimals": 2 } },
    { "name": "invoice.paid",     "label": "Paid",      "dataType": "boolean" },
    { "name": "customer.email",   "label": "Email",     "dataType": "email" }
  ],
  "tables": [
    { "name": "lines", "label": "Lines", "sampleRowCount": 2,
      "columns": [
        { "name": "description", "dataType": "string" },
        { "name": "qty",         "dataType": "number" },
        { "name": "amount",      "dataType": "currency" }
      ] }
  ],
  "warnings": []
}

Step 2 — Generate the Template

GenerateTemplateFromData takes the same payload and returns a complete HTML template. Costs 5 tokens, once, per template you author.

curl -X POST https://your-app.azurewebsites.net/api/GenerateTemplateFromData \
  -H "X-API-Key: df_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "data": { "...same payload as above..." },
    "documentType": "invoice",
    "title": "Invoice",
    "pageSize": "Letter"
  }'

The generated template uses two placeholder forms:

• {{invoice.number}} — a single value, HTML-escaped and formatted per its datatype.
• <!--{{#lines}}--> … <!--{{/lines}}--> — a repeating section. Inside it, columns are referenced by bare name: {{description}}.

Generated markup is sanitized before it is returned or stored: scripts, event handlers, external stylesheets, remote images, and unsafe URL schemes are stripped. Images may only be data: URIs or https: URLs — headless rendering has no network access, so a remote reference would render as a broken image in your production PDF.

The Same Thing in XML

Send dataXml instead of data. Everything downstream is identical.

curl -X POST https://your-app.azurewebsites.net/api/GenerateTemplateFromData \
  -H "X-API-Key: df_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "dataXml": "<invoice><number>INV-1001</number><issuedOn>2026-07-28</issuedOn><total>1240.50</total><lines><line><description>Consulting</description><qty>10</qty><amount>100.00</amount></line><line><description>License</description><qty>1</qty><amount>240.50</amount></line></lines></invoice>",
    "documentType": "invoice"
  }'

Adding Fields That Aren't in Your Sample

You are not limited to what the sample contained. Two kinds of field can be added:

Supported datatypes: string, multiline, number, currency, date, datetime, boolean, email, phone, url, image, richtext, table.

{
  "data": { "...your sample..." },
  "extraFields": [
    { "name": "invoice.dueDate",   "dataType": "date", "required": true },
    { "name": "company.tagline",   "mode": "static", "value": "Precision document automation" },
    { "name": "invoice.poNumber",  "dataType": "string" }
  ]
}

This is the round trip that matters: invoice.dueDate did not exist in your sample data. You added it in the designer, so it now appears in the template's input contract — and from the next fill onward you include it in your payload:

{
  "templateId": "8f3c...",
  "data": {
    "invoice": { "number": "INV-1002", "issuedOn": "2026-08-01", "dueDate": "2026-08-31", "total": 500.00 }
  }
}

The template drives the data shape, not only the other way round. Ask any template what it expects at any time:

GET /api/manage/templates/{clientId}/{templateId}/contract

Backgrounds, Branding and Opacity

A template can carry a page background — an image, a color, or both — with adjustable opacity. Typical uses are a letterhead, a watermark, or a faint brand pattern behind the content.

{
  "data": { "...your sample..." },
  "background": {
    "image":   "data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo...",
    "color":   "#f7f9fc",
    "opacity": 0.15,
    "fit":     "cover"
  }
}

Three details worth knowing, because each one is a silent failure if you build this yourself:

• Opacity fades the background, not your text. The background is a separate layer behind the content rather than a body background, so a 15% watermark leaves the text fully opaque and readable.
• It repeats on every page. The layer is fixed-position, which Chromium re-paints on each printed page — a five-page statement keeps its letterhead throughout.
• Backgrounds print. The layer sets print-color-adjust: exact; without it Chromium discards background colors and images when producing a PDF, and you get a blank white page with no error.

Use the Template

Save the designed template, then fill it with ComposeFill by templateId — 1 token per document, no AI cost. This is the call your workflow makes on every run.

curl -X POST https://your-app.azurewebsites.net/api/ComposeFill \
  -H "X-API-Key: df_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "templateId": "8f3c1e42-...",
    "outputFormat": "pdf",
    "filename": "invoice-1002",
    "data": {
      "invoice":  { "number": "INV-1002", "issuedOn": "2026-08-01", "dueDate": "2026-08-31", "total": 500.00, "paid": true },
      "customer": { "name": "Beta Co", "email": "ap@beta.co" },
      "lines": [ { "description": "Support", "qty": 2, "amount": 250.00 } ]
    }
  }'

{
  "success": true,
  "kind": "pdf",
  "file": "JVBERi0xLjcKJ...",
  "contentType": "application/pdf",
  "filename": "invoice-1002.pdf",
  "tokensReplaced": 14,
  "dataHash": "<sha256>"
}

Omit outputFormat to get filled HTML back instead of a PDF. Identical repeat calls are served from the fill cache.

Formatting is applied for you

Values are rendered according to the datatype declared in the contract, so you send raw data and the document shows presentation:

Errors you should expect

Power Automate / Logic Apps

Authoring happens once in the portal. Your flow only ever makes the fill call, so there is a single HTTP action to configure:

{
  "method": "POST",
  "uri": "https://your-app.azurewebsites.net/api/ComposeFill",
  "headers": {
    "X-API-Key": "df_your_key",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "templateId": "8f3c1e42-...",
    "outputFormat": "pdf",
    "filename": "invoice-@{triggerBody()?['invoiceNumber']}",
    "data": {
      "invoice": {
        "number":   "@{triggerBody()?['invoiceNumber']}",
        "issuedOn": "@{triggerBody()?['issuedOn']}",
        "total":     @{triggerBody()?['total']}
      },
      "lines": "@{triggerBody()?['lineItems']}"
    }
  }
}

Then add Create file (SharePoint or OneDrive) with content @{base64ToBinary(body('HTTP')?['file'])}.

What It Costs

The AI cost is a one-time authoring cost, not a per-document cost. A template generated once for 5 tokens then produces documents at 1 token each.