# Welcome PDF Report Generator provides the easiest way to generate, save, and download instant or automated PDF reports directly from your monday.com boards. {% embed url="" %} With **Version 2**, we’ve introduced major improvements, including: * **Intuitive Report Builder** - Create fully customized reports without a template * **Full UX/UI Revamp** - A streamlined experience designed for speed and ease of use * **Instant Preview** - See exactly how your report will look before finalizin **Need help getting started?** We’ve created a **step-by-step guide** to make the transition as **easy as possible**.
**Support Contact:**\ If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our support team at [support@towerapps.com](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/contact/) # Installation Getting started in just a few minutes ## Install the app from the marketplace The first step is to install the [PDF Report app](https://auth.monday.com/marketplace/listing/10000507/pdf-report-generator) to your monday.com Account. 1. [Click on this link](https://auth.monday.com/marketplace/listing/10000507/pdf-report-generator) (monday.com marketplace) 2. In the marketplace, click on the blue button "Sign in to install" and on the next page "Add to your account"
# Create Report Create whatever type of report you need. All with fully customizable templates and your own branding. The only limit is your imagination. ## Create your own report **Effortlessly convert your Monday.com board data into professional PDF reports.** Whether it's weekly status updates, project summaries, or client reports, our app has you covered. Download your PDFs directly from the real-time preview, save them to a file column or send them via email to your team or clients directly from the app. ### **In short: How does it work?** You can build your report in four different ways. All reports are based on a .docx template that runs in the background and outputs the data by using placeholders. You can create your report via the [Report Builder](/create-report/report-builder) or [Board Report](/create-report/board-report) and use it directly without any adjustments, or you have the option to fine tune the templates created with it or even build one from scratch. ## Option 1: Report Builder Create your reports with our intuitive [R](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/create-report/report-builder/)[eport Builder](/create-report/report-builder). Add various elements, such as tables, charts and text blocks, to create detailed and visually appealing documents.
With the Report Builder you can put together your report using various elements such as Texts, Charts, Tables and Headers. Report Generator then generates a real-time preview of your report. So you can instantly see how your report will look like as a PDF. You can either download, send or automate the template as it is or download the document as a Word file to make further adjustments, such as changing colors or fonts. [Learn more about the Report Builder.](/create-report/report-builder) ## Option 2: Board Report With the [Board Report](/create-report/board-report), you can export a board view report in tabular format- including all data, items and colors. The Board Report can also be grouped and filtered based on your own criteria, e.g. “all tasks that are overdue grouped by status.”

Example: Board Report grouped by Owner and filtered by status (only show items with status "done" and "working on it")

Simply specify which columns you want to include in your table, select how you want to group the report and apply a board filter by choice. Report Generator then creates a real-time preview of your report based on the data you chose. You can either use the report as it is (download, send or save it) or download the document as a Word file to make further adjustments, such as changing colors or fonts. [Learn about the details here.](/create-report/board-report) ## Option 3: Predefined templates You can also use a predefined report template and customize it in the next steps. We created ready-to-use templates for different use cases, that are already built-in. 1. Select a template you want to use.\ You will get a preview when you select the template or you can take a closer look at the version in our [template gallery](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/template-gallery/). 2. Assign the columns from the template to the appropriate columns of your monday.com board. If you already have columns with the same name as in the template, PDF Report Generator automatically matches the columns for you. 3. Report Generator then creates a real-time preview of your report based on the data you chose. You can either download the report as it is by clicking the Download button in the top right corner of the report preview or download the document as a Word file to make further adjustments, such as changing colors or fonts, by clicking the "Customize template" next to the download button. 4. If you want you can also define [actions](/actions), like sending it via email or saving it to a file column or set up an [automation](/automations) (e.g. daily/weekly/monthly reports).
## Option 4: Create your own template from scratch Design your own Word template by using placeholders and upload it. This way, you can also tailor your reports to meet your specific needs. Adjust layouts, add company logos, and include personalized messages to maintain a professional touch. The easiest way to customize your template is to download a template where you have already created the basics using the Report Builder or Board Report. This allows you to build directly on e.g. your table and add text, placeholders, etc. Another way is to download the default template or an existing predefined template from the app or our [template gallery](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/template-gallery/) and use it as a starting point for your customizations. If you feel confident, you can also start from scratch. All Templates must be in Microsoft Word format (.docx). To make it as easy as possible, there is an entire Help Center section dedicated to [creating templates. ](/create-template) # Report Builder Create your reports with our intuitive report builder. Add various elements, such as tables, charts and text blocks, to create detailed and visually appealing documents. ## About the Report Builder Create your report using simple widgets directly in the app. This way you can insert tables including groupings, sorting and filtering, and use appropriate charts without having to touch the .docx template that runs in the background. Nevertheless, you can still add your own finishing touches to your report at the end - if you like. Simply put together your report using various elements. Best of all? You get a real-time preview of your PDF – no surprises, no guesswork!
## How does the Report Builder work? 1. **Click on the "Report Builder" icon** (symbol with document and magic wand) next to the "Select template" section. 2. **Select the data source:** Do you want to include data from the "entire board" or just a "single item". 3. Determine whether your document should be oriented in **portrait or landscape mode**. 4. On the right sight you´ll find the report builder. **Add new elements** to your report by clicking "Add new element". 5. **Select** the **elements** you want to add: Texts, [Tables](/tables), [Charts](/charts), Headers 6. Give your **report** a **name** by clicking on “Report name” and overwriting it. 7. If you are creating a report for a "single item", select the item for which the PDF should be generated. 8. Report Generator creates a real-time preview of your report, every time you add an element to it.\ If you want to **make further adjustments**, such as changing colors or fonts, you can download the document as a Word file by clicking "Customize template" in the top right corner of the document preview. Learn more about template customization [here](/create-template). 9. If you are happy with the result, you can **download the document as a PDF** by clicking in the top right corner of the preview. You can also define [actions](https://help.pdfreportgenerator.com/pdf-report-generator-version-2/actions), like sending it via email or saving it to a file column and set up an [automation](/automations) (e.g. daily/weekly/monthly reports) by clicking on "Actions/Automations".
# Board Report Export your board view in tabular format, grouped and filtered based on your own criteria, e.g. “all tasks that are overdue grouped by status.” ## About the Board Report Missing the 'Print to PDF' feature in monday.com? Export your **monday.com Board to PDF** with just a few clicks **and make a report out of it.** With the Board Report, you can export a board view in tabular format- including all data, items and colors. It looks just like a screenshot of your monday.com board! And because you can then group and filter the whole thing according to your own criteria, it is the perfect way to quickly create a report!
## Example Data that you can output in your report * All tasks that are overdue grouped by status * All items that are due next week and their status is not in progress * All tasks that were created last month and their status is changed to stuck * The sum of deals grouped by status * and many more! ## How to use the Board Report? 1. Open the dropdown menu next to "Select template" and select "Board Report". \ By default, the board report will be displayed here first anyway. 2. Decide how you want to group your report.\ You can choose between the monday.com groups as well as all status and people columns on your board. 3. [Apply Board filter](/create-report/apply-board-filter)\ Use the native monday.com filter in the PDF Report Generator view to filter down your board to your specific needs and apply the filter in order to narrow down the items you want to be included in your report. 4. Specify which columns you want to include in the table by checking them.\ For optimal results, please choose a maximum of 10 columns. 5. Report Generator creates a real-time preview of your report. If you are happy with the result you can **download the document as a PDF** by clicking in the top right corner of the preview. You can also define [actions](https://help.pdfreportgenerator.com/pdf-report-generator-version-2/actions), like sending it via email or saving it to a file column and set up an [automation](/automations) (e.g. daily/weekly/monthly reports) by clicking on "Actions/Automations". 6. If you want to **make further adjustments** before downloading or automating, such as changing colors or fonts, you can download the document as a Word file by clicking "Customize template" in the top right corner of the document preview. Learn more about template customization [here](https://help.pdfreportgenerator.com/pdf-report-generator-version-2/create-template).
## Example: "All Tasks that are overdue grouped by status" 1. Select the "Board Report" Option. 2. Set and [Apply a Board filter](/create-report/apply-board-filter) in the PDF Report Generator view.\ In this example, we set the native monday.com filter to "Due Date is Past Dates" AND "Status is not Done" to narrow down all items to only tasks that are already overdue but not done yet.
3. Group the report by "Status".
4. Specify which columns you want to include in the table. In this case I would definitely like to see when the due date was so that I can see how far it was exceeded. 5. Download the document, sent it via email, or automate it to use it as a daily/weekly/monthly report. Or [customize your template.](/create-template) This is our final result: The Board Print Report shows all tasks that are overdue, grouped by status. In this case we have four tasks that are overdue and not done yet.
# Apply Board Filter Create a report for the entire board and filter down to specific items. You can filter by any column you want using monday.com native filtering. (e.g. Weekly Project Progress Report) ## Filter your reports Use the native monday.com filter in the PDF Report Generator view to filter down your board to your specific needs. ### **Apply Board Filters** 1. Open the PDF Report Generator view. 2. Set a board filter in the PDF Report Generator view. In this example, we set the native monday.com filter to "Due Date is Past Dates" AND "Status is not Done" to narrow down all items to only tasks that are already overdue but not done yet.
3. Apply the board filter in the PDF Report Generator view. Make sure to select the 'Apply board filter' option.
4. PDF Report Generator now gives you a real-time preview of your report that only contains the filtered items. By clicking in the top right corner of the document preview you can either download the PDF report or [customize the template](/create-template) to make further adjustments. ### **Using Actions and Automations** If you want to create further reports with the same template and filtering, we recommend defining a specific name by clicking on "Actions/Automations" and maybe setting up an [automation](/automations). With this automation, you can automatically create reports for a set time period (e.g. weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays):
### **Optional: Split View** You can also activate the 'Split View' to see a preview of your filtered items. Click on the 'App Settings' Icon and 'Split View':
This is how it looks:
# Create Template Create whatever type of report you need. All with fully customizable templates and your own branding. The only limit is your imagination. ## In short: How does it work? All reports are based on a .docx file that runs in the background. So you either download the .docx template after creating a report in the app to use it as a base or you create a .docx file from scratch. In that .docx file you find or put **placeholders** in the relevant places where you want to insert data from your boards. For example: if you want to insert the data from a status column somewhere in the document, use the placeholder `{{Status}}`*.* The placeholder is the column title within two curly braces: `{{ColumnTitle}}`*.* If you have a column called "Due Date", the placeholder would be `{{Due Date}}` If you need further assistance, please [contact us](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/contact/). ## Customize your own template The easiest way to customize your template is to download a .docx template where you have already created the basics using the Report Builder or Board Report. This allows you to build directly on your e.g. table and only change colors or add text, placeholders, etc. This way you can let the app do the main job and just finetune it manually. ### **Download the .docx template** 1. Open the PDF Report Generator view in your board. 2. [Create a report](/create-report) 3. Click in the top right corner of the real-time PDF report preview. 4. Choose the option "Customize template" and "download template".
5. Open the downloaded document and edit it in Microsoft Word, then upload the customized template again. Besides that you can also build up on our default templates or an existing template from our [template gallery](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/template-gallery/) and use it as a starting point for your customizations. If you feel confident, you can also start from scratch. All Templates must be in Microsoft Word format (.docx). ## Working with placeholders When you open your template, you will find placeholders. Placeholders indicate where to insert information from your board into your report. For example, if you want to insert today's date somewhere in the report, use the placeholder `{{Today}}`*.*
### **Available placeholders from your board** In the default template, you will find a list of all available placeholders from your specific board. You can donwload the default template by clicking on "Upload new template" in the "Select template" dropdown menu.
### **Add placeholders to your document** 1. Decide what information you want to add to your document. 2. Search for the right placeholder in your list.\ For example `{{User.Name}}` to output the name of the monday.com user that created the document or `{{Name}}` for the item name. 3. Insert the placeholder anywhere in your document.
### **Composition and name of placeholders** If you are not working with the default template, you can easily put the placeholders together yourself. 1. All placeholders must be placed between those brackets: **`{{`**`Name of the placeholder`**`}}`**\ These creates **Microsoft Word Merge fields**. When a report is created from the template, merge fields are used to transfer information from monday.com directly into the document. 2. The name of the placeholder for your items is the same as in your board´s columns.
## Working with tables There are several merge fields that are actually **tabular merge fields**, e.g. lists or tables containing multiple values. This is the case when creating a document for an entire board, that contains all items. #### **What does that mean for your documents?** When creating a document for the entire board, you need to add merge tables. A merge table outputs a loop across the entire board and can thus retrieve all items and output them on the document. So, if you want to retrieve all items from a board, you need to add **`{{TableStart:Items}}`** and **`{{TableEnd:Items}}`** to your document. All placeholders, that you want to use, have to be put between those two variables: `{{TableStart:Items}}`**`{{Name}} {{Status}} {{Owner}}`**`{{TableEnd:Items}}`
This also works for SubItems:[ Subitem Table.](/create-template/subitem-table) **NOTE:** To make it easier for you, we recommend creating the basis of your table using the [Report Builder](/create-report/report-builder), the [Board Report](/create-report/board-report), or the [Tables](/tables) feature and then simply adjusting it as needed. This will save you a lot of work. ## Use your own branding In addition to the data you want to display, you can also customize the design of the template. To make these adjustments, you can simply use all functions that Microsoft Word offers. **Here are some examples:** 1. Insert your logo 2. Add your company details to the footer 3. Change font, font size, spacing, etc. 4. Insert images 5. Add/change text # Placeholder Directory Here's a list of the most common placeholders for PDF Report Generator. There are more placeholders for special use cases. If you miss a feature, please contact us and we're happy to help. ### Placeholder for docx template Use placeholders from this list to create a Microsoft Word (docx) template from scratch or use one of our [free templates](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/template-gallery/) as a starting point. You can also use your existing business documents and replace your static text with placeholders:
### General placeholders These are general placeholders you can use in your docx templates. * **`{{Item.ColumnTitle}}`** -> General placeholder format for item-level reports. Replace 'ColumnTitle' with the actual title of your board column * **`{{Item.Name}}`** -> Item name or first column of your board * **`{{Today}}`** -> Date of document creation (e.g. 24/12/2024) * **`{{Board.Name}}`** -> Name of your monday board * `{{Board.Description}}` -> Description of your monday board * **`{{Item.GroupName}}`** -> Name of the group of the item (e.g. New Tasks) * **`{{User.Name}}`** -> Name of monday user * `{{User.Email}}` -> Email address of monday user ### Timeline column placeholders Replace 'Timeline' with the actual title of your timeline column. If your column title is 'Actual Planned', the placeholder would be `{{Item.Actual Planned}}` * **`{{Item.Timeline}}`** -> Start and End Date (e.g. 24/12/2024 - 31/12/2024) * **`{{Item.Timeline#Start}}`** -> Only the start date from a timeline column (e.g. 24/12/2024) * **`{{Item.Timeline#End}}`** -> Only the end date from a timeline column (e.g. 31/12/2024) ### Date column placeholders Replace 'Date' with the actual title of your date column. If your column title is 'Due Date', the placeholder would be `{{Item.Due Date}}` * **`{{Item.Date}}`** -> Date + time from your date column with standard formatting (e.g. 24/12/2024 09:30) If no time is selected, only the date will be shown * **`{{Item.Date#Time}}`** -> Only the time if time is selected in the date column * **`{{Item.Date#Date}}`** -> Only the date of the date column (e.g. 24/12/2014) ### Date formatting You can easily change the format of your dates. * **`{{Item.Date | dd.MM.yyyy}}`** -> 24.12.2024 * **`{{Item.Date | yyyy-MM-dd}}`** -> 2024-12-24 * **`{{Item.Date | D}}`** -> Tuesday, December 24, 2024 * [Learn more](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/template/date-time/) about date formatting ### Status column placeholders Replace 'Status' with the actual title of your status column. If your column title is 'Project Phase', the placeholder would be `{{Item.Project Phase}}` * **`{{Item.Status}}`** -> Label of your status column (e.g. Done or Stuck) * **`{{Item.Status | WithColor}}`** -> Label with background highlight (e.g. Done or Stuck) ### Location column placeholders Replace 'Location' with the actual title of your location column. If your column title is 'Address', the placeholder would be `{{Item.Address}}` * **`{{Item.Location}}`** -> Full name and address * **`{{Item.Location#Address}}`** -> Only address * **`{{Item.Location#Country}}`** -> The country from location column (e.g. United Kingdom) * **`{{Item.Location#CountryShort}}`** -> The country code from location column (e.g. GB) * **`{{Item.Location#City}}`** -> The city from location column (e.g. London) ### People column placeholders Replace 'People' with the actual title of your people column. If your column title is 'Task Owner', the placeholder would be `{{Item.Task Owner}}` * **`{{Item.People}}`** -> Full name of monday user in the people column * **`{{Item.People#Emails}}`** -> Email addresses of assigned people * **`{{Item.People#PhoneNumbers}}`** -> Phone numbers of assigned people * **`{{Item.People#Count}}`** -> Number of assigned people in people column ### Link column placeholders Replace 'Link' with the actual title of your link column. If your column title is 'Website', the placeholder would be `{{Item.Website}}` * **`{{Item.Link}}`** -> Url as text format (e.g. https//[www.docexport.com](http://www.docexport.com)) * **`{{Item.Link#Text}}`** -> Custom text from your link column (e.g. Link to Website) * **`{{Hyperlink:Link}}`** -> Custom text from your link column and it's clickable in the document (e.g. [Link to Website](https://monday.com/marketplace/10000360)) ### Formula and mirror column placeholders Replace 'Formula' with the actual title of your formula column. If your column title is 'Total Hours', the placeholder would be `{{Item.Total Hours}}` * **`{{Item.Formula}}`** -> Content from your formula column * **`{{Item.Mirror}}`** -> Content from your mirror column. Make sure to replace 'Mirror' with the title of your column ### Special Subitem Placeholders Replace 'Column Title' with the actual title of your subitem column. If your column title is 'Payment Amount', the placeholder would be `{{LastSubitem.Payment Amount}}`\ Note: This only works with Item-Level documents if you want to add information from one specific subitem to your Item-Level documents.\ If you want to add a table of all related subitems, follow these instructions: [Subitem Table](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/template/subitem-table/) * **`{{FirstSubitem.Column Title}}`** -> Content from your first subitem (the top one) * **`{{LastSubitem.Column Title}}`** -> Content from last subitem (e.g. `{{LastSubitem.Name}}` gives you the name of the last subitem) ## "Entire Board" documents The following section is specifically for board-level documents like reports. ### Column summary Replace 'ColumnTitle' with the actual title of your column. If your column title is 'Total Hours', the placeholder would be `{{Sum[Total Hours]}}` * **`{{Sum[ColumnTitle]}}`** -> Sum of a group for a specific column (e.g. 123 hours) * **`{{Board.Sum[ColumnTitle]}}`** -> Sum of the board for a specific column * **`{{Image:Sum[Status]}}`** -> Summary image of status column (default 80px width)\ (e.g. ) * **`{{Image(50;0):Sum[Status]}}`** -> Summary image of status column with width of 50px\ (e.g. ) # Charts Create charts from your monday.com board and insert them into your report. ## Insert charts into your report You can generate charts based on data from your monday.com board by using PDF Report Generator. These charts can be output on your document by using specific placeholders. This article is all about how to insert the generated charts into your document. If you want to learn more about generating charts with PDF Report Generator in general, [take a look here.](/charts) **Note:** If you use our Report Builder, all charts that you generate there will be automatically inserted into your report/template. **Please note, that Charts are only available for reports based on data of the "entire board", not for "single item" reports.**
### **Insert placeholder for your chart** To keep it as simple as possible, we display the correct placeholder for your charts directly in the overview of your generated charts. 1. Click on "More" to open up all features and settings. 2. Click on "Charts" to open the overview of your generated charts. \ Now you can simply copy and paste the placeholder you´ll find there into your Word document.
In general the placeholder looks like this: `{{Chart(450;300):NameofChart}}` **Note**: Please exchange *NameOfChart* with the name of your actual chart. See section [working with placeholders](/create-template#working-with-placeholders) if you need more explanation. **Example:**\ If your chart name is "Task Status", the placeholder would be `{{Chart(450;300):Task Status}}` ### **Change the size of your chart** We also suggest a size in the placeholder that we display. This is the number in brackets, e.g. *(450;300)*. But you can also define the size of the chart yourself. To do this, change the part in brackets after *Chart*: `{{Chart`**`(450;300)`**`:Task Status}}` The "450" in the placeholder defines the image's width in pixels. The second value is the height. Enter the size of the image in pixels here, separated by a semicolon. If you change the `{{Chart(`**`450`**`;300):Task Status}}` to `{{Chart(`**`225`**`;150):Task Status}}`, it's half the size on the final report. ### **Add more than one chart** Of course you can add more than one chart to your report. Feel free to include as many charts and report statistics as you like. The only limit is you! # Colors Poppin´ colors? No problem! Pimp up your reports and add the colors from your monday.com board to your groups and statuses. ## Colors in Tables and Groups Simply adopt the design and colors of your monday.com board in your reports and create a better overview through a uniform design. Not only does it sound fantastic, it's also super easy!
## Output colors on your reports Your colors will automatically be adopted from the settings in your board and displayed on your reports via a placeholder. If you use purple, your report will also be colored purple. Do you prefer green? Then we output green. You are free to choose. Hardly see any difference here? Then we have reached our goal!
### **Group colors** To display the colors of your groups on your report, you need to add this placeholder to your template: `{{Name | GroupColor}}`
The colored stripe on the side can be displayed with this placeholder: `{{Empty | GroupColor}}`
### **Status color** To display the colors of your status on your report, you need to add this placeholder to your template: `{{NameOfStatusColumn | WithColor}}`*, e.g.* `{{status | WithColor}}` **Note:** Please exchange "NameOfStatusColumn" with the name of your column. If you want to learn more about placeholders, [please visit our help center.](/create-template/placeholder-directory)
### **Download template** Get started with our template for project reports with color. This docx template already contains all placeholders for colors. All you have to do is tailor it to your company. [Download docx Template / Project Report with color](https://www.docexport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ProjectReportWithColor.docx) # Custom Fonts Do you like doing things your way? Then don't let restrictions on the font of your reports stop you! With PDF Report Generator you can use any font you like. ## Embedding Custom Fonts Use custom fonts while generating reports from your monday.com boards. If you want to use any non-standard custom font, that is not available by default, you can simply embed it in your .docx template and use it anyway. When you embed such custom fonts into your document, the online conversion to pdf reports will use these fonts reliably. ### **Embed fonts using Windows** 1. Open the "File" tab, click on "Options*"* and select "Save". 2. Scroll down to the bottom of the menu. Under "Preserve fidelity when sharing this representation", select the option "Embed fonts in the file". 3. You will find two more checkboxes for this option. We recommend selecting "Do not embed common system fonts" and not selecting "Embed only characters". See section *Recommendations* for an explanation. 4. Click "Ok" and save your document.
### **Embed fonts using Mac** **Note:** This feature is only available to Microsoft 365 Subscribers and in PowerPoint 2019 for Mac, version 16.17 or later. 1. Open the file and select "Preferences" in the menu. 2. Select "Save" in the dialog box (under Output and Sharing). 3. In the section "Font Embedding", you can select to embed fonts in your file. We recommend to use "Embed all characters". See section *Recommendations* for an explanation. 4. When you save the file, the fonts used in it will be embedded.
## Recommendations for embedding fonts 1. Use OpenType (.OTF) or TrueType (.TTF) and avoid embedding Postscript fonts (.PFB, .PFM), if possible. In general, OpenType fonts need the least storage space. 2. Avoid using "Embed only the characters". Embedding all characters in a font is better, because that way another user can also successfully edit and upload the file again. 3. Select "Do not embed common system fonts". While this option increases the file size, it is still best for editing the document on different devices but keeping the same font without any problems. ## Troubleshooting Embedding your fonts is not working? This might be due to restrictions by the font creator. The font creators can set several options for their fonts, including "Non-embeddable". Unfortunately, if they go for this option, the font cannot be embedded. Here is how you can check which level of embedding your installed font allows. ### **Windows** 1. Go to the Windows control panel and click on "Fonts". 2. Select the font you want to embed. This shows the settings in the lower right corner.
### **Mac** 1. Go to the "Fonts" app on your Mac and select the font you want to embed. 2. Click on the info button at the top right corner and find the information in the panel on the right under "Usage" (this works for many fonts, but unfortunately not all).
# Format Date & Time Operating in different countries and languages? Display your time and date columns in a format that suits you best! ## Format date and time columns By default, the format of the date depends on the language/ country setting in your monday.com account. But Microsoft Word offers a lot of additional options to format dates and times. To change the default output of your date or time, you can use these Microsoft Word formatting options in your DOCX template. This way you can format any date/hour/time column and also [number column](/create-template/format-numbers) from your own monday.com board. ### **Date Column Format** To format your placeholder, add a straight line (pipe symbol) after the name of your placeholder and then add the format string you want to use. e.g. **{{Item.Date | D}}** for: **Tuesday, December 24, 2024** Find all standard date and time format strings here:\ [Microsoft documentation - standard date and time formats](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/base-types/standard-date-and-time-format-strings) or {{**Item.Date** | yyyy-MM-dd}} for: **2024-12-24** or {{**Item.Date** | dd.MM.yyyy}} for: **24.12.2024** or {{**Item.Date** | dd/MM/yyyy}} for: **24/12/2024** Note: 'Date' is the title of your column: {{Item.ColumnTitle | dd.MM.yyyy}} If your column title is 'Task Due', the placeholder would be: {{Item.Task Due | dd.MM.yyyy}} Find all custom date and time format strings here:\ [Microsoft documentation - custom date and time formats](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/base-types/custom-date-and-time-format-strings) ### **Today's date** To insert today's date in your reports, you can simply use the term "Today" instead of referring to a column title. e.g. **{{Today | D}}** for: **Monday, January 01, 2024** or {{**Today** | yyyy-MM-dd}} for: **2024-01-01** or {{**Today** | dd.MM.yyyy}} for: **01.01.2024** or {{**Today** | dd/MM/yyyy}} for: **01/01/2024** ### **Hour Column Format** You can also format your hour columns in the same way. e.g. **{{Hour Column Name | en-US}}** for: **1:30:00 PM** You can find all custom and standard time format strings here: \ [Microsoft documentation - standard date and time formats](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/base-types/standard-date-and-time-format-strings)\ [Microsoft documentation - custom date and time formats](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/base-types/custom-date-and-time-format-strings) # Format Numbers Numbers everywhere? Have them displayed in the format that suits you best! ## Format number columns Microsoft Word offers a lot of additional options to format number fields. To change the default output of your number, you can use these Microsoft Word formatting options in your DOCX template. This way you can format any number column and also [date/hour/time ](/create-template/format-date-and-time)column from your own monday.com board. ### **Numeric Format** To format your placeholder, add a straight line after the name of your placeholder and then add the format string you want to use. e.g. **{{Progress** **| P}}** for: **100.00%**\ or **{{Total price** **| C2}}** for: **$1,230.46**\ or **{{Total price | N2}}** for: **1,230.46** On item level, it's the same logic: e.g. **{{Item.Progress** **| P}}** for: **100.00%**\ or **{{Item.Total price** **| C2}}** for: **$1,230.46**\ or **{{Item.Total price | N2}}** for: **1,230.46** Find all standard numeric format strings here: \ [Microsoft documentation - standard numeric formats](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/base-types/standard-numeric-format-strings) and all custom numeric format strings here:\ [Microsoft documentation - custom numeric formats](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/base-types/custom-numeric-format-strings) # Formulas You are using formula columns in your Monday.com boards? Then simply output them on your PDF reports as well. ## Formula Columns Monday.com Formula Columns are a great and easy way to calculate nearly anything you want. The different functions make you forget that you're actually not working with Excel. That's where we join in! Making it possible for you to output all Formula Columns on your reports just as easily. ## Output Formula Columns on your reports All you need is the name of the respective column in the board! This name forms the placeholder that you insert into your Word document and the content of your Formula Column will be output on your generated reports. #### **Add a placeholder for your Formula Column** Just put the name of your column in curly brackets and add this placeholder to your DOCX template. If the column is called “Total price”, you add this placeholder to your Word template: `{{Total price}}`
Here is an overview of [all available formulas. ](https://support.monday.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001276465-List-of-all-available-formulas)These can all be added to the report by simply using the right placeholder. That's it! Why make life harder? # Item Updates Create tables with your item updates on your reports. Example use case: include project meeting notes and communication on item level. ## Working with item update tables Use the instructions from[ this article](/create-template) to create a Microsoft Word (docx) template from scratch, a .docx template you can build on or download an example template here: [item\_updates.docx](https://www.docexport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/item_updates.docx) This is an example of how the structure looks like:
Result on the final PDF:
## Create a table from scratch Insert a table in Microsoft Word (or Google Docs). Usually, you only need two rows: one for the headings and one for the placeholders. The second row (left column) needs to start with the placeholder **{{TableStart:Updates}}** and ends (right column) with **{{TableEnd:Updates}}**\ The second row will automatically replicate itself by the numbers of subitems in the exported PDF. In between, insert the placeholders you want to use in your final document: * **{{OnlyDate}}** -> 24/12/2024 * **{{Date}}** -> 24/12/2024 13:30 * **{{User}}** -> John Doe * **{{Body}}** -> Update Text (plain text) * **{{Body\_Html}}** -> Update Text (with HTML and images) ## Subitem Updates If you want to output the updates for all subitems as well, you can use the same logic, but wrap everything between **{{TableStart:Subitems}}** and **{{TableEnd:Subitems}}** PDF Report Generator will automatically generate a table for each subitem to make it clear and structured. The table looks like this:
Result on the final PDF:
## Item updates without table You can also generate updates without a table using this structure: **{{TableStart:Updates}}**\ **Update from {{Date}} by {{User}}**\ **{{Body}}**\ **{{TableEnd:Updates}}** If you have two updates in your item, the result would look like this: **Update from 19/01/2024 09:03 by John Doe**\ @Jane Smith Yes, PDF Report is the most advanced generator in the marketplace. **Update from 18/01/2024 13:35 by Jane Smith**\ Any recommendation for a good PDF Report Generator for monday.com? # Items from other boards Include items from other boards in your reports using 'Connect'-Columns. Example: You can create a Project Report from a high-level portfolio and include connected risks from a risk board as a table. ## Include items from other boards as table At the end of this instructions, you'll also find the [docx template](https://www.docexport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GardenShed_Quote_Template.docx) used in the following example. If you're already advanced, here's a quick overview. If you're new, scroll down to our example use-case. ### **Starting from scratch** **Insert a table in Microsoft Word.** Usually, you only need two rows: one for the headings and one for the placeholders. The second row (left column) needs to start with the placeholder **`{{TableStart:ConnectColumnTitle}}`** and ends (right column) with **`{{TableEnd:ConnectColumnTitle}}`**\ The second row will automatically replicate itself by the numbers of items in the exported PDF.
In between, insert the placeholders you want to use from your connected board. The logic of the placeholder is: **`{{ColumnTitle}}`.** If your column from the connected board is named 'Total Cost', the placeholder would be **`{{Total Cost}}`**, 'Description' would be **`{{Description}}`** and so on. The item name is always **`{{Name}}`.** ## Example use-case: items from other boards For this example, we want to generate a Quote with items from other boards. The same logic applies if you want to generate Project Reports and include Risks from a Risk Board and so on. **Let's start with the workflow example:** Imagine, we are a producer of Garden Sheds and sell Products (Garden Sheds) and Services (Installation, etc.).\ For this reason, we have three boards: 1. Deals (our main board to generate Quotes) 2. Products (our product catalogue - connected to our Deals Board) 3. Services (our service catalogue - connected to our Deals Board)
## **Board 1 - Deals** This is how the board 'Deals' is structured:
We have two 'Connect Board' Columns and three Formula Columns:\ **Products** -> Connected to the 'Products Board'\ **Services** -> Connected to the 'Services Board'\ **Subtotal** -> Total of the Mirror Columns 'P-Total' and 'S-Total'.\ **Total** -> Formula Column which multiplies 'Subtotal' by 1.2\ **Tax** -> Formula Column which subtracts Total-Subtotal ## **Board 2 - Products** This is what the board 'Products' looks like:
## **Board 3 - Services** This is what the board 'Services' looks like:
## **Creating the Template** In our docx template, we want to include data from three boards. The details of our requestor/client from the 'Deals' board, the Products from the Product Board and the Services from our Service Board. In the end, we want to have a summary with all numbers (from the Deals Board). * [Download docx template](https://www.docexport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GardenShed_Quote_Template.docx) | [Download PDF example](https://www.docexport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GardenShed_Example_Quote.pdf)
### **Products Table** The title of the connect column in our Deals board is 'Products', so we need to use these placeholders to load the connected items: **`{{TableStart:Products}}`** and **`{{TableEnd:Products}}`**
### **Services Table** The title of the connect column in our Deals board is 'Services', so we need to use these placeholders to load the connected items: **`{{TableStart:Services}}`** and **`{{TableEnd:Services}}`**
### **Summary Table** The summary uses columns from a specific item in the Deals board, so we reference it with **{{Item.ColumnTitle}}**
The '| N2' at the end formats the simple number into a number with two decimals ([learn more about formatting](/create-template/format-numbers)) ## **Create report** Now the template is ready to go. Select the 'PDF Report Generator' view in your board and either\ \ a) upload your template via the "Select template" section, if you created a completely new template from scratch. b) or reupload it via the "customize template" Button in the top right corner of the document, if you have made your adjustments based on an already created report.
# Mirror Columns Making your life easier by using Mirror Columns? Good news: You can output them just as easily on your reports! ## Mirror Columns Monday.com Mirror Columns are a great way to store the same information in multiple boards across your account and update separate columns without doing double the work. By connecting your boards and mirroring information from one or more boards to another, you can easily make changes to any board and the changes will be reflected in the other board(s) as well.
## Output Mirror Columns on your reports To round things off, you can output your Mirror Columns on your reports via PDF Report Generator. And the best part? All you need is the name of the respective column in the board! This name forms the placeholder that you insert into your Word template and the content of your Mirror Column will be output on your generated reports. ### **Add placeholder for your Mirror Column** Just put the name of your column in curly brackets and add this placeholder to your DOCX template. If the column is called “Mirror”, you add this placeholder to your Word template: **`{{Mirror}}`** for Board Level Reports (table with several items) or **`{{Item.Mirror}}`** for Item Level Reports In this example: `{{Course Status}}`
It can't get any easier than this! # Numbering Number your items on your reports by adding a single placeholder. Sounds super easy? It is! ## Output Position Numbers You can easily number the items in your reports. All you need is a single placeholder, that you add to your Word template. ### **Add "Numbering" Placeholder** Use this placeholder to add a numbering for your subitems or items: **`{{Numbering}}`**
#### **Item Level: Placement of placeholder** When you create a report on item level your subitems will be numbered. If you want to add numbering to your subitems, you need to add two more specific placeholders. These placeholders output a loop across all subitems and can thus retrieve and output them on the report. In this case, you need to add **`{{TableStart:SubItems}}`** and **`{{TableEnd:SubItems}}`** to your Word file. This type of placeholder only serves a technical purpose and is not displayed as content on the report. All other placeholders, that you want to use in reference to your subitems (e.g. the numbering), must be put between those two placeholders.
#### **Board Level: Placement of placeholder** When you create a report on board level, your items will be numbered. In this case, you need to add **`{{TableStart:Items}}`** and **`{{TableEnd:Items}}`** to your Word file and put `{{Numbering}}` between those two placeholders.
# Subitem Table Create tables with your subitems on your reports. ## Working with subitem tables Use the instruction from [this article](/create-template) to create a base for your customizations, a Microsoft Word (docx) template from scratch or use one of our [free templates](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/template-gallery/) as a starting point. This is an example of how the structure looks like:
## Create a table from scratch Insert a table in Microsoft Word. Usually, you only need two rows: one for the headings and one for the placeholders. The second row (left column) needs to start with the placeholder **`{{TableStart:SubItems}}`** and ends (right column) with **`{{TableEnd:SubItems}}`**\ The second row will automatically replicate itself by the numbers of subitems in the exported PDF. In between, insert the placeholders you want to use in your final report. The logic of the placeholder is: **`{{ColumnTitle}}`** If your subitem column is named 'Due Date', the placeholder would be **`{{Due Date}}`** and so on. The name of the subitem is always **`{{Name}}`** ## Subitem Summary If you want to include the summary of subitems in your table (e.g. total number of hours), please use the native monday.com feature 'Show summary on parent item':
You can now use the column name from the parent item. In our example, we renamed it to 'Planned Effort Summary':
The placeholder is now in the item level and therefore, the structure is `{{Item.ColumnTitle}}`, in our case **`{{Item.Planned Effort Summary}}`** (please make sure to add the prefix Item. before the column title). You can now insert this placeholder in a third row in your table:
The table on your final PDF report would look like this:
## Combine Item and Subitem Table You can also combine the subitem table with item-level placeholders in one document and create more complex project reports.

Project Report with Items and SubItems

**Download the template** from this example from our free [Template Gallery](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/template-gallery/). To use both tables within a document, it is important to nest the Subitem table loop **inside** the Item table loop. This means that the placeholders `{{TableStart:Items}}` and `{{TableEnd:Items}}` should **surround** the entire Subitem table, which is generated between the placeholders `{{TableStart:SubItems}}` and `{{TableEnd:SubItems}}`.
Follow these steps to properly insert both the Item and Subitem tables into your document: ### 1. Start the Item Loop Insert the `{{TableStart:Items}}` placeholder where you want the list of Items to begin and insert your item table. ### 2. Nest the Subitem Loop Inside Immediately after the item table, insert the `{{TableStart:SubItems}}` placeholder to start the Subitem loop. Add your Subitem fields here. Then close the Subitem loop with `{{TableEnd:SubItems}}`. **Important:** The entire Subitem Table must be inside the Item loop! ### 3. End the Item Loop Place the `{{TableEnd:Items}}` placeholder to finish the Item loop. ### 4. Add Grouping (Optional) If you want the output to be grouped the same way as it appears in your board: * Place the grouping placeholder `{{TableStart:Groups}` **before** `{{TableStart:Items}}` * Close the grouping `{{TableEnd:Groups}}` **after** `{{TableEnd:Items}}` # Advanced Options # Microsoft Word Formulas How to use Microsoft Word Formulas for advanced Calculations in Templates. While PDF Report Generator allows you to output formula results and sum values directly from your monday.com board, **you can also use Microsoft Word's formula fields** to create additional calculations inside your template. {% hint style="info" %} Please note: Word formulas work only within the Word environment - they are not calculated on the monday.com board. These formulas will show the correct results only in the PDF Report Generator preview and the final PDF document. {% endhint %} Microsoft offers a comprehensive, official list of all Word field codes — including the formula field and its functions: [Microsoft Support: List of field codes in Word](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/field-codes-formula-field-32d5c9de-3516-4ec3-80ed-d1fc2b5bc21d) This reference covers everything from basic fields like `{ = (Formula) }` to advanced ones, along with their switches and formatting options. ## How to add Custom Calculations in Word Tables 1. Open your .docx template or create a new one. 2. Click into the table cell where you want the calculation to appear. 3. **Insert a Formula Field.**\ Click on **'Insert'** in the top menu and select **'Fields'.** \ You can also press **Ctrl + F9** (Microsoft) or **\[⌘ + F9]** (Mac) to insert a field. \ You’ll see curly brackets like this: `{ }`\ 4. Inside the brackets, add a Word formula like:\ `{ ={{FieldA}}/{{FieldB}} }`\ Click on '**Table Layout'** and select '**Formulas**'.
5. **Format the result.** \ Use the 'Number format' field or add `\#` to your formula to define the output format (e.g., percent, currency, decimal places): \ `{ ={{FieldA}}/{{FieldB}} \# "0.00%" }` 6. **Update the field.**\ Right-click the field and choose 'Update field' or press `F9` . 7. Save your document and re-upload the .docx template in PDF Report Generator.

Example: This field should not display the sum, but show Total Admin / Total Billed Potential in percentage.

## Helpful Tips for Using Mergefield Calculations 1. **Do not** type the curly brackets `{}` manually.\ → Use the way described above to insert field brackets. 2. If you don´t see your field codes when you open your .docx file, you need to toggle them.\ To **toggle field codes**, right-click the field and choose '**Toggle Field Codes'.** 3. After editing fields, **always** update them by selecting the field and pressing **F9.**
## Other ways to use Microsoft Word Mergefields Get inspired by the [list of field codes](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/list-of-field-codes-in-word-1ad6d91a-55a7-4a8d-b535-cf7888659a51?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Microsoft provides. There are plenty more ways of using Mergefields within Microsoft Word templates.\ \ **Example:** Only display a field if it´s not empty. \ \ If {{CustomerNumber}} is **not empty**, the value is displayed. If it's empty, nothing is shown.\ `{ IF "{{CustomerNumber}}" <> "" "{{CustomerNumber}}" "" }` # Page Break Add a page break at the end of your table to make each item start on a new page If you are generating an **item level document** and want each item (including the SubItem table) to start on a new page, you can add a page break to your document. Here´s how it works: 1. Open your .docx template in Microsoft Word. 2. **Highlight the {{TableEnd:Items}}** placeholder located below your SubItems table. 3. Right-click it and select **'Paragraph'.** 4. In the dialog that opens, go to the **'Line and Page Breaks'** tab. 5. Under ‘**Pagination**', enable the option '**Page break before'**. Of course, you can place the page break somewhere else if you're not using a SubItems table – for example, below the Item table.
# Group By How to group output in Word Templates using Custom Placeholders If you want to group your data by a specific column (like **Status**, **Priority**, or **Owner**), you can fully control how the grouped output appears in your document – directly from your Word template. This is done by using **custom placeholders** in your template. ## The Logic: To group your output, simply wrap the section you want repeated inside two custom placeholders: {{TableStart:GroupByColumnName}}\ \ {{TableEnd:GroupByColumnName}} Replace `ColumnName` with the exact name of the column you want to group by. ## Examples: {{TableStart:GroupByShipping Method}}\ \[Your content/table here]\ {{TableEnd:GroupByShipping Method}} 'Shipping Method' is the title of your status column.
If you have a status column called 'Priority', it would be: {{TableStart:GroupByPriority}}\ \[Your content/table here]\ {{TableEnd:GroupByPriority}} This will create one grouped section per priority (e.g., "High", "Medium", "Low"). # Generate Report Keeping it easy! Out step-by-step assistant will guide you through the whole process. ## Generate a report for your entire board ### **Step 1: Create report** 1. Choose one of the four options to create a report\ **a) Report Builder:** Create your report using various elements in the Report Builder, including charts and tables. Learn about the details [here](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/create-report/report-builder/).\ **b) Board Print:** Export your board view in tabular format, grouped and filtered based on your own criteria, e.g. “all tasks that are overdue grouped by status.” Learn about the details [here.](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/create-report/board-print/)\ **c) Predefined Template:** Use a predefined report template and customize it in the next steps, e.g. Project Portfolio Report.\ **d) Template from scratch:** Design your own Word template by using placeholders and upload it. Learn about the details [here.](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/template/) ### **Step 2: Select actions** What should happen with the report after creating it?\ By default, all documents will be saved in the "Reports" tab in this view.
Additionally, you can 1. **Send via email to user who generates the report:** Send it to the user who generated the report via email. 2. **Send via email to email addres(ses):** Send it to others via email by adding one or more email addresses, separated by semicolon.\ (e.g. ; ) ### **Step 3: More settings** 1. **Output file:** Enter a file name. If no name is entered, the name of the board is used. You can also use placeholders in the file name, e.g. Project report {{Today}}. This way the date will always be added to your file name. 2. **Apply board filter:** Use board filters to narrow down the items you want to be included in your reports. Learn more about it [here](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/generate-documents/board-filter/). 3. **Save this Report Generator recipe for future use:** You can save all settings as a Report Generator recipe in order to reuse them again.\ So next time you want to generate a report, you can simply select the recipe and all settings will be applied automatically. Find out about [automations here](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/automations). ### **Generate Report** **1) Download the report:** Download your report in PDF format to your computer. **2) Open preview:** Or take a look at your report and decide whether it looks good, before you download it. **3) Download template:** If you are not quite happy with the result or want to make adjustments like adding your logo, etc., you can simply download the Word template and adjust it. **4) Replace template:** If you are done adjusting the template, you can upload the new version again and a new report version will automatically be generated. ## Generate a report for a single item Generate a report for a single item (with subitems) on button click or other event by adding an automation. ### **Choose your starting point** 1. Open the PDF Report Generator View and select the tab "Generate report" ### **Step 1: Create report** 1. Choose one of the three options to create a report\ **a) Report Builder:** Create your report using various elements in the Report Builder, including charts and tables. Learn about the details [here](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/create-report/report-builder/).\ **c) Predefined Template:** Use a predefined report template and customize it in the next steps, e.g. Project Portfolio Report.\ **d) Template from scratch:** Design your own Word template by using placeholders and upload it. Learn about the details [here.](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/template/) ### **Step 2: Select actions** What should happen with the report after creating it?\ By default, all reports will be saved in the "Reports" tab in this view. Additionally, you can 1. **File to column:** File the document to a specific column in your table.\ To do this, select an existing column (type “Files”) in your table or create a new column (type “Files”) in advance.
2. **Send via email to user who generates the report:** Send it to the user who generated the report via email. 3. **Send via email to email address(es):** Send it to others via email by adding one or more email addresses, separated by semicolon\ (e.g. ; ) ### **Step 3: More settings** 1. **Output file:** Enter a file name. If no name is entered, the name of the board is used.\ You can also use placeholders in the file name, e.g. Project report {{Today}}. This way the date will always be added to your file name. 2. **This PDF Generator recipe has to be saved in order to use it in your monday automation.**\ Please specify a name for the recipe so that you can easily identify it later when creating the automation, e.g. "Create report" or "Project Portfolio to PM". ### **Step 4: Generate Report and add an integration using your PDF Report Generator recipe** In order to create a report for a single item based on the settings you just saved, you need to add an integration to your board. 1. Click on Integrate.
2. Search for "PDF Report Generator" and select it. 3. Select one of the integration recipes, that suits your case.\ Learn more about [automations here.](https://www.docexport.com/help/automations) 4. Fill in the parameters. 5. Add the integration to your board. If you now change the status, click on a specific button or a certain date is reached, a document will automatically be created. ## FAQ & Troubleshooting If you have any issues or find a bug, please [contact us](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/contact/). ### **Limitations** If you're generating PDFs for "Single Items" and using the "upload to a file column" feature, the maximum is 200 documents at once. If you need to generate PDFs for more items, generate your documents in batches of max. 200. If you're not using the file column feature and want to download in the board view instead, you can generate up to 500 documents in one go. # Actions What should happen with the report after creating it? Besides simply downloading your PDF, you can also send it via email or save it to a file column. ## Define actions Define what should happen with the report? By default, all reports are automatically saved in the list of reports under "More".
### **Send via email to user who generates the report** Send the PDF to the user who generated the report via email. ### **Send via email to email address(es) in column** Send the report to email address(es) found in a "People" or "Email" column in your board. ### **Send via email to email address(es)** Send the report to others via email by adding one or more email addresses, separated by semicolon.\ (e.g. ; ) ### **Save to file column (Single Item only)** If you are creating a report for a single item, you can also file the document to a specific column in your table.\ To do this, select an existing column (type “Files”) in your table or create a new column (type “Files”) in advance.
### **More settings** 1. **File name:** Enter a file name. If no name is entered, the name of the report/template is used. You can also use placeholders in the file name, e.g. Project report {{Today}}. This way the date will always be added to your file name. 2. **File format:** Define whether you want to download/send/save the report as PDF or .docx file. ## Execute actions Once you have defined your actions, you have two options: execute them immediately or create an automation for them. ### **Execute actions now** If you choose this option and, for example, have defined that your report should be sent via email to the user who created it, the report will now be sent **once**. ### **Setup automation** If you want to use your report along with the defined actions more frequently, you can create an automation. This allows you to generate, for example, a **weekly report** and automatically send it to the specified email addresses. It is helpful to give your template a unique name, as this will also be the name of your automation recipe. In the next step, you will need to set up an [**automation**.](/automations) 1. Click on Integrate.
2. Search for "PDF Report Generator" and select it. 3. Select one of the integration recipes, that suits your case.\ Learn more about [automations here.](/automations) 4. Fill in the parameters. 5. Add the integration to your board. If you now change the status, click on a specific button or a certain date is reached, a document will automatically be created. # Automations Use our pre-made automation recipes to create reports on auto-pilot Our reports can be automatically generated based on a button click, a date/time period or a status change. This way you can, e.g. create your report monthly / weekly/ daily without any manual work. ## Create report and define actions #### **Create a PDF report and define which actions you want to use in your automation.** 1. Open the PDF Report Generator view and [create a report](/create-report). 2. Click on "Actions/Automations", as soon as you are happy with your result. 3. Now define all the actions you want to trigger through automation, e.g. send report via email or save it to a file column. For a detailed explanations on all available actions, please take a look [here](/actions). \ \ We recommend specifying a name so that you can easily identify it later when creating the automation, e.g. "Create NDA" or "Send invoice". 4. Once you have defined all the actions, click on the blue "Setup automation" button. ## Set up an automation {% embed url="" %} 1. Click on integrate (next to "Automate"). 2. Search for "PDF Report Generator" and select it. 3. You will find four different automation recipes: 1 Board Recipe and 3 Item Recipes\ Select the recipe that suits your use case and fill in the parameters. The Report Generator recipe you just defined will be shown in the dropdown. 4. Add the integration to your board. All done. If you now change the status/click a specific button or a certain date is reached, a report will automatically be created (and by choice also send via email).
### **1) Board recipe: Time period** Example: **Every Friday create** a board **report** using **PDF Report Generator recipe "Weekly Status Report".** ### **2) Item recipe: Status integration** Example: Changing the **Status** to **Done**, creates a new report based on the **PDF Report Generator recipe "Project Status Report"**. ### **3) Item recipe: Button integration** Example: Clicking on the button **Generate PDF**, creates a new report based on the **PDF Report Generator recipe "Portfolio Report"**.\ \ In order to use the button integration you need a column that contains a button. You can also create a new one on the fly while adding the integration.
### **4) Item recipe: Date integration** Example: 1 day after the timeline end date is reached, create a new report based on the PDF Report Generator recipe "ProjectReport". # Charts Create charts based on the data from your monday.com board and output them on your PDF reports. ## Create Charts for your reports You can generate charts based on data from your monday.com board by using PDF Report Generator. These charts can be output on your report by using specific placeholders. This article is all about how to generate charts by using PDF Report Generator. If you want to learn how to insert them into your documents, [take a look here.](/create-template/charts) ### **Example Use Case: Project Status Report** In this example, charts have been added to an Project Status Report. You can use your generated charts to prepare your reports graphically and display data in an understandable way. As you can see in this bar chart example, you can also choose two values ​​on the Y axis so that you can compare two values ​​with each other. Project Reports? Sure, but make it look sexy!
**Note:** You can also use our [Report Builder](/create-report/report-builder) to generate charts that will be automatically inserted into your report/template. ### **Generate Charts** 1. Open the PDF Report Generator View and go to "More". 2. Click on "Charts" and "Create new chart". 3. Select the type of chart you want to create, e.g. Bar, Pie, Bubble,...\ If you're not sure yet, you can simply select a type and you'll get a preview of your possible chart. 4. Determine which data you want to display on the X and Y axes. See section "Supported field types" for an overview. 5. Select the calculation function that serves your use case: Sum, Average, Median, Minimum, Maximum. 6. Type in a name for your chart by clicking on the field "New chart". If no name is entered, PDF Report Generator will create a name for you. 7. Save your chart. 8. In order to add your charts to your documents, please follow the steps [in this article.](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/help/template/charts)
**Note:** All charts generated by PDF Report Generator fulfill the purpose of being output on your PDF reports. They do not replace the chart function that monday.com offers. ### **Supported field types for charts** **Chart X axis:** * People columns * Status columns (including colors in tables and groups) * Date columns **Chart Y axis:** * Number columns * Mirror columns * Formula columns * \+ "Count items", which adds up the number of items present # Tables Create tables directly in the app and insert them into your reports by simply using a placeholder. ## What is a table? We are talking about a table in which we automatically output a list of all items and/or sub-items of a monday.com board. To do so, you only need two rows - no matter the number of items/sub-items: one for the headings and one for the placeholders. The second row will automatically replicate itself by the numbers of items/sub-items in the exported PDF. These structure outputs a loop across the entire board and can thus retrieve all items and output them on the report. In comparison to a table in which individual content is written in each row, these are dynamic tables that work with placeholders. **Note:** You can also use our [Report Builder](/create-report/report-builder) to generate tables that will be automatically inserted into your report/template. ## Create a new table Instead of building tables from scratch in Microsoft Word, you can define tables directly in the PDF Report Generator app and insert them into your report by using a placeholder or by copy and paste. 1. Open the PDF Report Generator View and go to **"More"** 2. Click on **"Tables"** and **"Create a new table"** 3. **Click on the "Table Name" field** to insert a custom name for your table. If no name is entered, PDF Report Generator will create a name for you. 4. **Select the data source:**\ a) Items: includes all items from the whole board\ b) Items in one group: includes items from a specific group, that you can choose 5. **Define grouping:** group your items by the groups from your board or by status\ You can also display sums for each group 6. **Apply filter**: you can apply the board filter, that you are currently using 7. **Select the columns** you want to display in the table. 8. **Define advanced settings:**\ a) Sort by: sort your items by order of the board or other columns you use 9. **Save your table**. 10. In order to add your table to your documents, please follow the steps in the next section.
## How to use the table You can use the table definition you just created in two ways: ### **Option 1: Insert the placeholder for the table into your Word template, in this case {{Table:Items Effort by Group}}**
For each table a specific placeholder is generated. You'll find the name of the placeholder next to the name of your table. This means that the whole table you defined (incl. groups) can be displayed by only inserting this placeholder into your template. This is what it looks like on your template:
And this is the result on the final PDF:
### **Option 2: Copy & paste the table definition into your own Word template.** You can also download the entire table definition in Microsoft Word format and copy it into your own Word template. This gives you the opportunity to customize the design of the table. 1. Click on the download button.
2. Open the file and copy the table definition part between the dashed lines into your own Word template.
3. Using the entire table definition instead of only the placeholder gives you the opportunity to customize the table. This is an example of how the pasted but customized table definition could look like in a template:
# Advanced Filtering Advanced filtering is necessary if you want to filter for some special columns or subitems and include the conditions in your templates. ### Concept of advanced filtering Some filters can't be automatically retrieved from your monday board (e.g. subitems). In such cases, we need to load all items and filter on our side by including the filter condition in the docx template. **Note:** That's a relatively rare needed feature for advanced use cases. Please check out these help center articles before: * [​Apply board filters​](/create-report/apply-board-filter) * ​[Dynamic Tables​](/tables) #### **Step 1: Retrieve the filter string** 1. Open the PDF Report Generator view in your monday board 2. Apply your preferred filters in the board 3. Click on '**More**' and select '**Subscription**' 4. Click on the button 'Copy filter condition' to retrieve the specific, coded filter string:
In our example, the copied code string looks like this: {% code overflow="wrap" %} ``` W3tjb2x1bW5faWQ6Im5hbWUiLGNvbXBhcmVfdmFsdWU6WyJNaWxlc3RvbmUiXSxjb21wYXJlX2F0dHJpYnV0ZToiIixvcGVyYXRvcjpjb250YWluc190ZXh0fSx7Y29sdW1uX2lkOiJzdGF0dXMiLGNvbXBhcmVfdmFsdWU6WzBdLGNvbXBhcmVfYXR0cmlidXRlOiIiLG9wZXJhdG9yOmFueV9vZn1d ``` {% endcode %} **Background information for advanced users:**\ This code is a Base64 encoded filter string from monday. If you decode this string, the result would be {% code overflow="wrap" %} ``` [{column_id:"name",compare_value:["Milestone"],compare_attribute:"",operator:contains_text},{column_id:"status",compare_value:[0],compare_attribute:"",operator:any_of}] ``` {% endcode %} ### Step 2: Include filter in a template You can now use this filter in your templates. **Advanced Filter for Item Level** If you want to use the filter for item level, the filter needs to be included in the **`{{TableStart:Groups}}`** and **`{{TableEnd:Groups}}`** placeholders within brackets: `{{TableStart:Groups`**`(Filter string)`**`}}` `{{TableEnd:Groups`**`(Filter string)`**`}}` In your template, it would look something like this (highlighted in red):
**Advanced Filter for SubItem Level** You can also add the filter to a subitem table (see: [Subitem Table](https://app.gitbook.com/o/QlTDm0z88VmWkYWtzmvM/s/MnVzL8c1pE5zXO95iUKm/template/subitem-table)). In this case, the filter needs to be included in the **`{{TableStart:SubItems}}`** and **`{{TableEnd:SubItems}}`** placeholders within brackets: `{{TableStart:SubItems`**`(Filter string)`**`}}` `{{TableEnd:SubItems`**`(Filter string)`**`}}` In your template, it would look something like this (highlighted in yellow):
**Combination of both SubItem and Item Level Filter** In this case, both the item level and the SubItem filter needs to be included in the document. In your template, it would look something like this (Item level filter highlighted in red, SubItem filter highlighted in yellow):
**Note:** this feature is an advanced feature and you just need it in specific use cases. If you have any questions, please reach out to our [support team](https://www.pdfreportgenerator.com/contact/).