Skip to main content
If you regularly fill out the same court forms, client intake PDFs, or standard legal forms, Gavel can automate the process entirely. You upload a fillable-field PDF, open the PDF Tagger to connect each field to a variable in your workflow, and from then on Gavel populates the form automatically whenever a user completes the questionnaire. There is no need to type into the PDF manually — every tagged field is filled in based on the answers provided.

​
How it works at runtime

When a user finishes the questionnaire and Gavel generates documents, it reads each PDF field’s tag and substitutes the corresponding questionnaire answer into that field. Fields tagged to a variable receive the variable’s value. Fields tagged with a conditional value receive the text that matches the condition. Fields marked as Untagged are left blank. The result is a filled PDF that looks as though it was completed by hand.

​
Prepare your PDF

Your PDF must have fillable fields before you can tag it in Gavel. If your PDF does not already have fillable fields, you have two options:
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro — the standard tool for adding text fields, checkboxes, and signature fields to any PDF.
  • Gavel PDF Renamer — upload your PDF to the Gavel Document Templates folder first. This unlocks the PDF. Download that version and then use the Gavel PDF Renamer at start.gavel.io/pdf to add text fields, checkboxes, or signature fields.

​
Tag PDF fields

1

Add the PDF to your workflow

Open your workflow and go to the Document Templates tab. Upload your fillable PDF. It will appear in the list of templates attached to the workflow.
2

Open the PDF Tagger

Click Tag on the right side of the PDF entry. This opens the PDF Tagger, which displays your PDF with all its fillable fields visible and selectable.
3

Select a field

Click on any fillable field in the PDF. A panel appears with four options for what to put in that field.
4

Choose a tagging option and save

Select the appropriate option for that field (see below), configure the value, and click Save. Repeat for all fields you want to tag.

​
Field tagging options

For each fillable field in your PDF, you have four choices:
Maps the field directly to a workflow variable. When the questionnaire is completed, the field is filled with the answer to that question.How to use: Select the field, choose Insert Variable, pick the variable from the list, and click Save.

​
Checkboxes

Gavel can check or uncheck PDF checkboxes based on questionnaire answers.
To check a box conditionally based on a workflow answer:
  1. Select the checkbox field in the PDF Tagger.
  2. Choose Insert Conditional Value.
  3. Build the condition — for example, “check this box if the variable hasChildren equals Yes.”
  4. Click Save.
Repeat for each checkbox that depends on a variable.
If a box should always be checked regardless of questionnaire answers:
  1. Select the checkbox field in the PDF Tagger.
  2. Choose Enter Text.
  3. Type Yes in the text field.
  4. Click Save.

​
Advanced formatting with Enter Text syntax

When you choose Enter Text, you can enter Gavel formatting syntax to apply calculations, transformations, or conditional logic to the field value. PDF syntax is slightly different from Word syntax:
ContextSyntax format
Word document{{ capitalize(TextVariable) }}
PDF field${ capitalize(TextVariable) }
PDF syntax uses a single set of curly brackets with a dollar sign instead of double curly brackets. To build the correct syntax:
  1. Use the Word add-in or the Learning Center to generate the syntax you need.
  2. Remove one set of brackets and add a $ before the remaining opening bracket.
  3. Paste the result into the Enter Text field.
For example, to format a number as currency in a PDF field, enter: 
${ currency(numbervariable) }

​
Splitting a number across multiple fields

Some forms — such as those with a Social Security Number or phone number — use separate fields for different digit groups. You can split a number variable across fields using slice notation: 
${ str(NumberVariable)[0:3] }
In this example, 0 is the start position and 3 is the end position (the first through fourth characters). Adjust the start and end positions for each field to match the digit groupings in your form.
PDF syntax is the same as the syntax used in workflow question logic, so you can reuse the same expressions you use when referencing prior answers in the questionnaire.

​
Repeating items in PDF fields

If your questionnaire includes a repeating item (for example, a list of parties or assets), you can tag PDF fields to specific instances of those repeating values. Open the PDF Tagger, select the relevant field, and choose the repeating item variable and the instance you want to map to that field.
PDFs have a fixed layout — there is no way for Gavel to dynamically add rows or pages to a PDF the way it can in a Word document. Plan your PDF form with a fixed number of rows for repeating data, and map each row’s fields to the corresponding repeating item instance.

​
Adding fillable fields to a PDF that has none

If your PDF does not have any fillable fields yet, you need to add them before uploading to Gavel.
1

Upload the PDF to Gavel Document Templates

Go to the Document Templates section of your Gavel dashboard and upload the PDF. Gavel unlocks the PDF structure, making it editable.
2

Download the unlocked version

After uploading, download the version stored in Gavel. This is the file you will add fields to.
3

Add fields using the PDF Renamer

Visit start.gavel.io/pdf and upload the downloaded file. Use the PDF Renamer to add text fields, checkboxes, or signature fields where needed.
4

Upload the final version to your workflow

Upload the updated PDF to your workflow’s Document Templates tab and begin tagging.