Group API Fill — JSON to PDF Packet as a ZIP

Search & Fill and Fill By Link cover operator-driven and respondent-driven workflows. Both keep a human in the loop. That is the right shape for review-heavy workflows, but it is the wrong shape when a back-office system already has the record data and just needs the PDFs back.

Group API Fill is for that case. A group exposes a single endpoint that accepts a JSON record and returns the per-template PDFs as a ZIP. The caller does not have to load the editor, pick a row, or simulate a respondent.

The group endpoint takes one JSON object whose keys map to the merged group field schema. DullyPDF fills each member template from those values and packages the per-template PDFs into a ZIP. That keeps the caller integration simple: one request, one response, one archive.

Each template inside the group still keeps its own field model, mappings, and fill rules. That is the difference between a packet ZIP and a single merged PDF: the templates remain separate and reviewable, so replacement, retention, and downstream routing stay manageable.

Saved templates and open groups expose an API Fill manager directly in the workspace header. Operators can publish or revoke the endpoint, rotate the API key, review recent activity, and copy ready-to-paste cURL, Node.js, or Python examples.

That keeps the production endpoint tied to the same template review the editor already enforces. The published packet endpoint represents the state of the group at publish time, not an arbitrary draft.

Use template-scoped API Fill when one PDF is needed per request. Use Group API Fill when the same record should produce a packet of related PDFs in one call. Use Fill By Link when the data source is a human respondent, not a back-office system.

The three workflows share the same template foundation. The difference is who provides the record data and what shape the response should take.

A useful group api zip packet test starts with one document your team already recognizes, not a perfect demo PDF. Open the existing file, review detection, rename ambiguous fields, confirm checkbox and radio behavior, and save the template only after the field list matches the way the document is used in practice.

Then fill one representative record end to end. Include long names, blank optional values, dates, yes/no choices, and any calculated or scannable fields the page depends on. That single controlled run exposes most template issues before they become repeated output problems.

Search & Fill is the right first path when an operator should pick a record and inspect the result before export. It works with row data from CSV, XLSX, JSON, or stored respondent records. SQL and TXT files should be treated as schema-only mapping inputs; database-backed production workflows should query the database elsewhere and send JSON through API Fill.

Output mode matters too. Editable PDFs are useful when someone will continue working in live fields. Flat PDFs are safer when the completed record goes to customers, employees, agencies, signers, or archive systems because the visible values are baked into the page instead of depending on the recipient PDF viewer.

The group api zip packet workflow is ready to reuse when a teammate can clear the document, rerun the same source record, and produce the same visible PDF without remembering hidden cleanup steps. If the result depends on one person knowing which field to fix manually, the template still needs review before it belongs in a repeat workflow.

• The saved template uses stable field names and reviewed field types.
• Source headers or API keys match the template schema without ambiguous duplicates.
• Checkbox, radio, calculated, image, barcode, and signature fields have been tested if the workflow uses them.
• At least one flat output and one editable output have been opened in the PDF viewers recipients are likely to use.