# Turn Your Glide Data Into PDFs (native DocsAutomator integration) **URL:** \ **Category:** Project Showcase\ **Created:** [March 29, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849 "2023-03-29T15:33:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![alan\_singer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/alan_singer/32/77340_2.png) [@alan\_singer](https://community.glideapps.com/u/alan_singer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/61 "2025-02-09T00:47:34Z")
Ahh so are you are talking about a two step process? First step is to cycle through the set of rows in glide to create a JSON output with all the data to be sent to the pdf writer? And then second step to send the json to the report writer for output But does docs automator have a feature that allows for a repeating template…ahh yes it has a line item feature So in a way the report would be a few hundred “line items” So how does one cycle through all the rows building a JSON file? ---
**Author:** ![ThinhDinh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/thinhdinh/32/49_2.png) [@ThinhDinh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/ThinhDinh)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 12:48am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/62 "2025-02-09T00:48:57Z")
Yeah, that was my thought. > [@alan\_singer](#): > > I have only JUST subscribed to MAKER so just about to explore the LOOP function - which I understand can’t be initiated via an app interaction but needs to have one of the other specified triggers. You can trigger a loop with an app interaction. The app interaction would trigger a “webhook trigger” workflow, you can loop through stuff there. > [@alan\_singer](#): > > Ahh so are you are talking about a two step process? First step is to cycle through the set of rows in glide to create a JSON output with all the data to be sent to the pdf writer? > And then second step to send the json to the report writer for output That is what I usually do, I filter the data in my data view, build the JSON, and the app interaction would send that JSON to generate my PDF. ---
**Author:** ![alan\_singer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/alan_singer/32/77340_2.png) [@alan\_singer](https://community.glideapps.com/u/alan_singer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/63 "2025-02-09T00:58:02Z")
But does docs automator have a feature that allows for a repeating template…ahh yes it has a line item feature So in a way the report would be a few hundred “line items” So how does one cycle through all the rows building a JSON file? ---
**Author:** ![ThinhDinh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/thinhdinh/32/49_2.png) [@ThinhDinh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/ThinhDinh)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/64 "2025-02-09T00:59:42Z")
I usually build the JSON object column in the line items level, then on the parent level, you have a relation/query, and a lookup on top of it targetting the JSON object will be what you need. ---
**Author:** ![alan\_singer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/alan_singer/32/77340_2.png) [@alan\_singer](https://community.glideapps.com/u/alan_singer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/65 "2025-02-09T01:06:06Z")
Thanks Thinh…I understand (I think) at a conceptual level but can you possibly elaborate on how you build the payload column… is it a matter of a computed column like a JSON column ? I think I need to try to do a very simple thing using the principles you are suggesting…build a JSON with two or three fields…then pass it to docs automater to understand the steps involved ---
**Author:** ![ThinhDinh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/thinhdinh/32/49_2.png) [@ThinhDinh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/ThinhDinh)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 1:10am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/66 "2025-02-09T01:10:13Z")
Yeah, that’s basically it. JSON Object on the line item level, then lookup that object on the parent level, and then another JSON Object on the parent level to get all the stuff in, including the lookup. ---
**Author:** ![alan\_singer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/alan_singer/32/77340_2.png) [@alan\_singer](https://community.glideapps.com/u/alan_singer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/67 "2025-02-09T01:14:31Z")
Ahh ok…but I only have the equivalent of line items …imagine I am just wanting a report like a list of names job titles, current employers and phone and email I don’t need to do the parent access as it is not like I am printing out invoices or credit notes or debtor statements ---
**Author:** ![ThinhDinh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/thinhdinh/32/49_2.png) [@ThinhDinh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/ThinhDinh)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 1:15am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/68 "2025-02-09T01:15:22Z")
I think that’s totally fine as well. You can just aggregate them in the Users table, just a place so you can reference it in the DocsAutomator module. ---
**Author:** ![alan\_singer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/alan_singer/32/77340_2.png) [@alan\_singer](https://community.glideapps.com/u/alan_singer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/69 "2025-02-09T01:50:20Z")
Thank Thinh when you say aggregate I.n the users table, are we talking on row per line item? Or is it just a column per line item? ---
**Author:** ![ThinhDinh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/thinhdinh/32/49_2.png) [@ThinhDinh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/ThinhDinh)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 12:25pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849/70 "2025-02-09T12:25:26Z")
By aggregating, I mean you joined the JSONs from the line items together so it forms an array. [Previous page](https://community.glideapps.com/t/turn-your-glide-data-into-pdfs-native-docsautomator-integration/59849.md?page=3)