PDF Forms Editor

The PDF Forms editor controls the PDF Forms module - a universal tool that brings ready-made, fillable PDF documents (e.g. membership applications, registration forms, consent forms) into your app. You upload the PDF once, your app automatically detects the form fields inside it and builds a digital form from them. End users fill it out conveniently in the app - at the end, the original PDF is filled in on the server and sent as a file attachment by email to the configured recipients.

Overview

The editor is split into several areas (tabs):

Forms Upload PDFs, let fields be detected, maintain labels in multiple languages, combine fields into groups, set required fields and order, configure recipients per form.

Fill mode Choose per form: a guided mobile form, or fill out the original PDF directly and interactively.

View List, grid or carousel - how the available forms are displayed in the frontend.

Recipients & Opt-In Global defaults for recipients and the double opt-in flow (email confirmation by code).

Behavior My submissions, archiving, GDPR retention, list limit, admin push, home section.

Design Accent color and card radius of the form cards.

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What is the PDF Forms module?

Many clubs, associations and organizations work with fixed PDF templates - membership declarations, donation forms, official applications. Instead of rebuilding these forms, you simply upload the finished PDF. Requirement: the PDF must be a true AcroForm PDF, meaning it already contains fillable form fields (text fields, checkboxes, choice lists).

In short, the flow looks like this:

1. The admin uploads a PDF. Your app reads the contained form fields on the server.
2. A digital form is created automatically from those fields. You refine it: translate labels, mark required fields, sort the order.
3. You configure the recipients (e.g. the club office) and decide whether the user receives a copy.
4. The end user picks the form, fills it out in the app and submits it.
5. The original PDF is filled in on the server with the entered values and sent as a file attachment by email.

You can offer as many forms in parallel as you like - each with its own recipients and its own settings.

Only true fillable PDFs are supported

If you upload a flat or scanned PDF (one without real form fields), your app cannot detect any fields. Such files are automatically deleted right after upload - no form is created. Create fillable fields beforehand in a PDF program (e.g. “add form field”) and then upload the fillable PDF.

What the module is great for

• Membership applications & declarations - prospects fill out the club PDF directly in the app
• Registration & consent forms - e.g. for events, courses, trips
• Donation & sponsorship forms - the filled PDF goes to the office
• Official application templates - any fillable PDF can be offered digitally

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Core concepts

Templates (forms)

Every uploaded PDF becomes a template. A template has a title, a description, its detected fields, the recipients and a few toggles (active/inactive, copy to user, opt-in). Templates are maintained by the admin and are available to all app users.

Submissions

When a user fills out a form and submits it, a submission is created. It contains the entered values and (if archiving is enabled) the filled PDF. Users see their own submissions under “My submissions”, admins see all submissions in the admin area.

Double opt-in (optional)

If double opt-in is enabled for a form, the application is not sent immediately. Instead, the user receives an email with a 6-digit code to enter in the app. Only after this confirmation is the PDF generated and sent. This ensures that the email address provided really belongs to the user.

Email delivery with PDF attachment

The filled PDF is always sent as a file attachment in the email - both to the fixed admin recipients and to the optional user copy. Delivery runs through your app’s central email pipeline (Email module).

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Activation

The PDF Forms module is activated with a single tap (activation type “configuration”) - no external credentials are required. The actual work (uploading PDFs, maintaining fields) is done afterwards in the editor.

Requirements

The module requires Firebase, the authentication module (firebase_auth) and the Email module. Submissions are stored in Firestore, the call runs in the context of a logged-in user, and PDF delivery uses the email pipeline. These dependencies are set up automatically on activation.

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Opening the editor

1. Open Edit Mode in your app (App Builder Tools)
2. Go to Modules & Features
3. Tap PDF Forms, then Edit or PDF Forms Editor
4. The editor opens with the current settings

All changes to the global settings are saved immediately and applied reactively in the frontend.

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Frontend & admin at a glance

Frontend

Users open “Available forms” (/pdf-forms), pick a form, fill it out and submit it. Optionally they see “My submissions” with status. Forms can be shared via deep link and wired straight into the app navigation via the navigation target picker (“Forms” tab, see below).

Admin

Under /admin/pdf-forms you’ll find a dashboard with key figures (templates, submissions, pending, sent), the template management with search and filter, plus the submission overview.

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Linking forms into the app navigation

Every PDF form you create can be placed directly into your app navigation - for instance as an entry in the bottom navigation bar, on a custom page or as a button. Wherever you pick a navigation target, there’s a dedicated “Forms” tab for this: it lists all active PDF forms to choose from. Pick one and your app automatically links to the matching fill-out page (/pdf-forms/fill/{id}).

This way you guide users with a single tap straight to the desired form - without the detour via the form overview.