@castpdf/n8n-nodes-castpdf

This is an n8n community node. It lets you use CastPDF in your n8n workflows.

CastPDF turns HTML templates and your data into PDFs: invoices, receipts, certificates, reports and more. You design
a template once in CastPDF, then fill it with data from any workflow.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation
platform.

Installation
Operations
Credentials
Compatibility
Usage
Resources
Version history

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community
nodes documentation. The package name is @castpdf/n8n-nodes-castpdf.

Operations

CastPDF

Both PDF operations return the PDF's details and a signed download URL. Turn on Download PDF File to also get
the PDF as binary data, ready for an email, Google Drive or S3 node.

The CastPDF node can be used as a tool by n8n's AI Agent.

CastPDF Trigger

Starts the workflow when a PDF is ready (pdf.created) or when a PDF failed (pdf.failed), for PDFs from any source:
the API, a batch, a spreadsheet run or another workflow. You can limit it to one template.

Credentials

You need a CastPDF account and an API key.

1. Sign up at castpdf.com if you have no account yet.
2. In CastPDF, open Connect > API and create an API key.
3. In n8n, create a CastPDF API credential and paste the key into API Key. Leave Base URL as it is.

The key decides the mode:

• A live key (starts with cpdf_live_) makes real PDFs that count toward your plan.
• A test key (starts with cpdf_test_) makes free PDFs with a "CASTPDF TEST" watermark.

n8n checks the key when you save the credential.

Compatibility

Built with @n8n/node-cli 0.51.4 against n8n-workflow 2.42 (n8n 2.x). The template fields use n8n's resource mapper
and the trigger uses webhooks, so use a current n8n version. The trigger needs an n8n instance that CastPDF can reach
over public https (see below).

Usage

Create a PDF from a template

1. Pick the Template from the list (or paste its ID).
2. Under Data, choose Template Fields and keep Map Each Field Manually. The template's fields appear,
   read from the template's sample data: one field per value (like Customer > Name), and one list field per group of line items (like
   Items (line items: description, quantity, price)). Map a list of objects to a line item field, for example
   {{ $json.line_items }}.
3. Numbers and true/false values are converted to the type the template expects, so text like 1,234.50 works.
4. Fields you leave empty are left out. If you fill in nothing at all, CastPDF renders the template with its sample
   data, which is handy for a first test.

A template without sample data has no fields to show. Add sample data to the template in CastPDF and reload the
fields, or set Data to JSON and give the whole data object, for example:

{
  "invoice_number": "INV-1042",
  "customer": { "name": "Ada Lovelace" },
  "items": [{ "description": "Consulting", "quantity": 2, "price": 150 }]
}

With Map Automatically, every field of the input item is sent to the template. Fields the template does not use
are ignored.

Test mode

Turn on Test Mode while you build the workflow. It makes a free, watermarked test PDF that does not count toward
your plan, even with a live key. Turn it off when the workflow goes live. With a test key every PDF is a test PDF.

The trigger

• Webhooks are in the CastPDF Starter plan and above. On the Free plan, activating the workflow shows an error
  that says so.
• Activating the workflow adds a webhook endpoint named n8n: PDF ready (workflow ...) in CastPDF under
  Connect > Webhooks. Deactivating the workflow removes it. Each active
  CastPDF Trigger uses one of the team's 10 webhook endpoints.
• CastPDF only sends to public https addresses. A local n8n on localhost cannot receive events. Use n8n Cloud, a
  server with a public https address, or a tunnel.
• A live key hears about live PDFs, a test key about test PDFs. So PDFs made with Test Mode on do not start a
  workflow whose trigger uses a live key.
• Every request is checked against the CastPDF-Signature header with the endpoint's signing secret, which the node
  keeps when it creates the endpoint. Requests without a valid, recent signature are refused.

Example workflow

Create an invoice PDF for every new paid order and email it:

1. Shopify Trigger (or any trigger with order data).
2. CastPDF: PDF > Create From Template, your invoice template, map the customer and the order lines, turn on
   Download PDF File.
3. Gmail: Send, attach the binary field data.

Resources

• n8n community nodes documentation
• CastPDF documentation
• CastPDF API reference
• CastPDF webhooks
• Support: support@castpdf.com

Version history

• 0.1.0: first release. CastPDF node (Create From Template, Create From HTML, Template Get and Get Many) and
  CastPDF Trigger (PDF ready, PDF failed).