Invoice creation in Google Docs: How to create line-items via Zapier / Integromat?

[Rupert_Hoffschm]

Hi there, I hope someone can help me :slightly_smiling_face: I have been using page designer to create invoices, but want to automate the process a bit more. Page designer has a built-in line-items functionality and I’m trying to build the same, but the document gets created in Google Docs. I’ve tried a lot using Zapier, but wanted to reach out to you guys for any suggestions.

I know of Documint, Formstack etc., but find these options wayyyy too expensive.

Thanks & Cheers!

[kuovonne]

Justin_Barrett:

The invoice record rolls up those HTML formula fields for the table rows

I also have another slight variation. My line item records have a formula field that creates JSON. Then my rollup formula converts the JSON to HTML. This makes it easier to make changes to the HTML at the parent record level instead of switching back and forth between tables when generating HTML. It puts a bit more processing in Airtable’s side, but it makes the child record a bit cleaner.

This method was particularly useful for the following situations:

• a base for managing co-op classes, students, teachers, and families. Student information needed to be in reports for both classes and families. Classes information needed to be rolled up for both students and teacher reports. Teaching information needed to be rolled up for both families and classes. (Each class had 2-4 teachers assigned, each teacher taught or assisted in 1-3 classes, and each teacher was a parent of kids in classes.) Having each record generate its own JSON to be used elsewhere, and it’s own HTML kept things straight.

• In another base the report needed line item information needed to be in multiple sections of the report, with slightly different (but overlapping) fields based on different conditions. Rolling up JSON info let me have a single formula field in the child record, rather than a new formula field in the child record for every single section.

I found having child records as JSON so useful that I added a formula for creating JSON data to the Ready Made Formulas app.

[Justin_Barrett]

In my case I wouldn’t get any benefit from converting line item data to JSON before HTML, but I do use JSON conversion for one of my clients—in a base where data is synced and processed in numerous ways across multiple other bases—and it works beautifully.