Robust Reporting

[virtualHITman]

Like many other users, I need to have more robust reporting than what is provided in Caspio.  The PDF files that you can currently generate are not as configurable as I would like for hard copy printouts.  It seems some users are producing HTML pages from their data and then finding tools that will allow them to produce and print a PDF version of the content, but my thought was to just have the user download a CSV file of the data to their local desktop, and then use a third-party reporting tool to consume the CSV file and produce a pixel perfect report that can be printed.  I am wanting a solution that will require minimal interaction from the user.  I am interested in any tools and approaches the community is using to produce better looking reports.  Thanks for any input or guidance.

[TellMeWhy]

I don't know if there's a simple way, maybe Zapier? WebMerge is called Formstack now. I'm hearing rumors that they're upgrading the pdf feature so users can like make their pdf template inputtable? Not sure if they'll implement that though but you can try checking http://ideabox.caspio.com/forums/164206-caspio-bridge or consult with their Professional Services Team https://www.caspio.com/services/professional-services/

 

[IamNatoyThatLovesYou]

Hi Everyone, just to add information, not all accounts can integrate with Zapier. You may check here to check on where it is available.

- Natoy

[Kurumi]

Hi everyone! Just an update: Caspio has finally released a feature to show document generation, initially supporting custom PDF templates. You can upload your own fillable PDF file and map each field to a Caspio table.

It is available in R30 version: https://howto.caspio.com/release-notes/caspio-30-0/

[NailDyanC]

Hi everyone, just want to add as well, I have found a new useful feature of Caspio that you can use specially for PDF generating. You can now insert PDF documents on results pages in addition to details pages. You can now as well customize the “Download PDF” action link using the associated style and localization, or create a custom display during DataPage configuration. You may consider checking this link: https://howto.caspio.com/release-notes/caspio-31-0/

[RuisiHansamu]

Hello, here is an updated video stream 'Caspio Labs' that is about 

Caspio Labs: Create Custom PDF Templates With Document Generation

[virtualHITman]

This is a step in the right direction but what is needed is the ability to produce a report that is based on a view that has a parent child relationship so that you can create a report that can summarize the data. Typical uses cases include 1) invoices that identify the customer and each line item of the invoice, 2) sales reports that show the salesperson and the specific sales they made during the month, 3) project report that summarizes the individual tasks that belong to the project, etc.  I’m hoping Caspio will eventually address this need. The current strategy is to generate a pdf from a tabular report.  I have found it extremely cumbersome to get the output desired in a printed format because it takes a lot of fiddling with css and custom coding.

 

[Aether]

Hello @virtualHITman, For now, as I know Caspio PDF Template do not support or use VIEW as selectable on the DataSource.

For your workflow, what I can suggest is to export your View and import it as a Table then use that new table on the DataPage and PDF Template. 

[Aether]

You can create the file PDF design that you want that will get data from your Caspio table with the new feature PDF Templates. You can try using the websites on this article for the fillable PDF: