Generate Documents

Epistola turns a template and data into a PDF. The workflow has two distinct stages: preview while authoring, then production generation from an approved published version.

Preview while editing

Preview renders the current draft with the selected example data. Open it from the editor and use it to check wording, expressions, formatting, page breaks, optional content, tables, images, and repeated sections. The preview updates as you edit and is for authoring; it is not the production document.

Switch between several examples while you work. Test long values, empty optional values, both sides of conditions, and short and long repeated data so layout problems are visible before publication.

Prepare a production version

Use this lifecycle for a document that will be generated for real cases:

Edit the draft and configure the data contract and examples.
Preview it with representative data.
Resolve validation, quality, and layout issues.
Publish the approved version.
Deploy or activate that version in the target environment.

Production callers should use a published version, never an unfinished draft. A variant lets one template support different languages, audiences, or layouts while keeping the same overall document purpose.

Generate one document

A connected system, such as Valtimo, sends data that matches the template’s data contract. The selected variant and its published version determine the layout and expressions used for the PDF. Keep integration details and authentication in the API documentation; this page focuses on the document lifecycle.

Generate many documents

Use batch generation when the same template must be rendered for many records. Batch requests create a tracked job that progresses through processing to completion or failure. Monitor the job and review failed items individually; one invalid record should not prevent you from investigating the rest.

Troubleshoot the result

When output is missing or unexpected, check:

Required data is present and matches the data contract.
The intended variant and environment are selected.
The version is published and active in that environment.
Expressions and conditional or repeated blocks preview without errors.
Fonts, images, page breaks, headers, and footers render as expected.
Failed batch items are inspected with their individual error details.

Output

Epistola currently generates PDF documents. The filename and what happens after generation—download, storage, or attachment to a case—are determined by the connected system or workflow that requested the document.