Overview

Use this article to set up Enhanced PDF Formats for Billings, Master Billings, or other Salesforce objects. It covers the prerequisites, the one-time configuration of permissions, page layouts, and buttons, and how to create, customize, and test an Enhanced PDF Format. A Salesforce Administrator usually completes these steps before users generate PDFs.

In this article:

• Before You Begin
• Prerequisites
• One-Time Configuration for Enhanced PDFs
  • Step 1: Update Permissions
  • Step 2: Update Page Layouts and the Lightning Record Page (Upgraded Orgs)
• Set Up Enhanced PDFs for Billings and Master Billings
• Set Up Enhanced PDFs for Any Object
• Troubleshoot Setup Issues
• Related Articles

Before You Begin

• Review Enhanced PDF Formats to learn what Enhanced PDF Formats are and how they work. An Enhanced PDF Format generates PDFs from a Word (.docx) template instead of a Visualforce page, and users generate them with the Generate PDF button.
• Your existing Visualforce PDF Formats, standard or custom, continue to work unchanged. You can use both types in the same org.
• To design a template and add merge tags, see Enhanced PDF Formats Template Guide.

Prerequisites

Complete these prerequisites before you create an Enhanced PDF Format for any object, including Billings and Master Billings.

• Winter '27 Preview: Your org is on the Winter '27 Preview release or later.
• Accounting Seed Hub is authorized: Enhanced PDF Formats generate PDFs through Accounting Seed Hub. If the Hub is not authorized, the Generate PDF window displays a "Generation failed" error and no PDF is created. A user with the AS Hub Authorization permission set must authorize the Hub, as described in Accounting Seed Hub.
• PDFs open in the browser: Without this setting, PDFs download to your computer instead of displaying in the Generate PDF preview. The setting applies to all PDF files in your org, not only Enhanced PDF Formats.
  1. Navigate to Setup > File Upload and Download Security, and click Edit.
  2. For the PDF file type, select Execute in Browser.
  3. Click Save.
• Org-Wide Email Address (automated email only): If your org uses the Automated Email Billing job to email Billing PDFs on a schedule, each Enhanced PDF Format the job uses must have a verified Org-Wide Email Address. Unlike Visualforce PDF Formats, there is no fallback to the running user, so without one the job records an error and does not send. Manual and batch sends do not require one. To create an Org-Wide Email Address and add it to a PDF Format, see Configure Standard PDF Formats. For job settings, see Automated Jobs.

One-Time Configuration for Enhanced PDFs

Complete these steps once for your org.

Step 1: Update Permissions

• Users who set up formats and templates need the AS Full Admin or Accounting Manager permission set. If you use custom permission sets, these users need:
  • Edit access to the new Merge Tag object.
  • Edit access to the PDF Format object, including the new Merge Type, Target Object, and Default File Id fields.
• Users who generate Enhanced PDFs get access to PDF Formats and Merge Tags through the existing Cash In Accountant permission set. If you use custom permission sets, these users need:
  • Read access to the new Merge Tag object.
  • Read access to the PDF Format object, including the new Merge Type, Target Object, and Default File Id fields.
• Users who email PDFs need the standard Salesforce Send Email permission, and access to the Org-Wide Email Address if one is used.

Step 2: Update Page Layouts and the Lightning Record Page (Upgraded Orgs)

In upgraded orgs, complete these updates so the new fields, the Templates tab, and the Generate PDF buttons are available.

1. Update the PDF Format page layout. Add the new fields, and make Type and Visualforce PDF Page optional.
   1. Navigate to Setup > Object Manager > PDF Format > Page Layouts, and open the PDF Format layout your org uses.
   2. Drag the Merge Type field into the Information section.
   3. Drag the Target Object field into the Information section.
   4. Hover over the Type field, click the wrench icon, deselect the Required checkbox, and click OK.
   5. Repeat for the Visualforce PDF Page field.
   6. Click Save.
2. Activate the new PDF Format Lightning record page. The upgrade installs a new version of the packaged PDF Format Lightning record page alongside your current one. The new page includes the Templates tab.
   1. Navigate to Setup > Object Manager > PDF Format > Lightning Record Pages.
   2. Click the new packaged PDF Format record page, then click View.
   3. Click Activation, and assign the page.
   4. Follow the prompts, then click Save.
3. Add Generate PDF to the Billing page layout.
   1. Navigate to Setup > Object Manager > Billing > Page Layouts, and open the layout your org uses.
   2. Click Mobile & Lightning Actions, then drag Generate PDF to the Salesforce Mobile and Lightning Experience Actions section.
   3. Click Save.
4. Add Generate Billing PDFs to the Billing list view.
   1. Navigate to Setup > Object Manager > Billing > List View Button Layout. Click the row-level action dropdown, then click Edit.
   2. Move Generate Billing PDFs from Available Buttons to Selected Buttons.
   3. Click Save.
5. Add Generate PDF to the Master Billing page layout.
   1. Navigate to Setup > Object Manager > Master Billing > Page Layouts, and open the layout your org uses.
   2. Click Mobile & Lightning Actions, then drag Generate PDF to the Salesforce Mobile and Lightning Experience Actions section.
   3. Click Save.

Note: Visualforce PDF Formats use the Create PDF button, and Enhanced PDF Formats use Generate PDF. If your org uses both types, keep both buttons on the layout.

Set Up Enhanced PDFs for Billings and Master Billings

Create a Document version of an existing Billing or Master Billing PDF Format so you can customize it in Word. Complete the Prerequisites and One-Time Configuration before you begin.

Step 1: Create a Document Format From an Existing PDF Format

1. From the PDF Formats list view, click a PDF Format with a Type of Billing or Master Billing.
2. Confirm that the Create Document Format button appears above the record details.

Note: The Create Document Format button appears only on Billing and Master Billing PDF Formats whose Merge Type is not Document. It does not appear on Outstanding Statement or Activity Statement formats, or on formats that use a custom Visualforce page.

3. Click Create Document Format. In the dialog, enter a different name if you like, then click Create Document Format. A success message appears, and the new PDF Format record opens with Details and Templates tabs.

4. Click the Templates tab, then click the template to view it. The template is a .docx copy of the existing Visualforce PDF, including its merge tags, formatting, colors, and fonts.

5. Click Download to save the .docx with its merge tags.

Step 2: Customize the Template

Using the guidelines in Enhanced PDF Formats Template Guide, edit the .docx you downloaded:

1. Add or remove merge tags as needed.
2. Change the formatting, colors, and fonts.
3. Add your company logo and any other changes.
4. Save the file as a .docx.

Step 3: Upload the Template and Map the Merge Tags

1. From the PDF Formats list view, click the Document PDF Format you created in Step 1, then click the Templates tab.
2. Click Upload Template, then drag and drop or upload the .docx from Step 2.
3. In the Map Fields view, the template's merge tags are listed on the left, and each one must be mapped. Map them one at a time, or click Copy mappings from to reuse the mappings from another template.

4. Select the template to copy the mappings from, then click Copy mappings.

The system copies the mappings and tells you if any tags must be mapped manually. In this example, all tags are mapped.

5. To map a tag manually, click the tag on the left, then select the field it gets its value from.

Step 4: Review and Save the Mappings

1. When all tags are mapped, click Next to review the mappings.

2. Click Save Bindings.

The template is now active and ready to test.

Step 5: Test the Enhanced PDF Format

1. On a Billing record (or a Master Billing record, if you customized a Master Billing format), set the Billing Format field to the new PDF Format.

2. Click Generate PDF to review your changes. To make more changes, edit the template and repeat Steps 2 through 4.

When the format is ready, let your users know about the Generate PDF button. They can follow the steps in Enhanced PDF Formats to generate PDFs.

Set Up Enhanced PDFs for Any Object

You can generate PDFs for any Salesforce object: standard, Accounting Seed, or custom. These steps use the Cash Receipt object as an example.

Step 1: Add a Generate PDF Action to the Object

Objects other than Billing and Master Billing need a Generate PDF action.

1. Navigate to Setup > Object Manager, open the object (for example, Cash Receipt), click Buttons, Links, and Actions, and click New Action.
2. In Action Type, select Lightning Web Component.
3. In Lightning Web Component, select AcctSeed:createPdfLauncher.
4. In Label, enter a button name such as "Generate PDF." In the example below, the button is called "Generate Receipt PDF."
5. Click Save.

6. Add the new action to the object's page layout in the Salesforce Mobile and Lightning Experience Actions section, or to its Lightning record page, then click Save.

Step 2: Create an Email Template

Every PDF Format, including an Enhanced PDF Format, requires a Default Email Template, even if you do not plan to email the PDF. To create one, see Customize PDF Email Templates.

Step 3: Create the PDF Format Record

1. From the App Launcher, open PDF Formats, and click New.
2. In PDF Format Name, enter a name, such as the name of the object.
3. In Merge Type, select Document.
4. In Target Object, enter the object's API name, for example AcctSeed__Cash_Receipt__c.
5. In Default Email Template, enter the API name of the email template from Step 2, or copy the value from another PDF Format record.
6. Click Save.

Step 4: Design the Template

1. Create your template in a document application such as Word or Google Docs. Add your branding, such as your company logo and colors.
2. Using the guidelines in Enhanced PDF Formats Template Guide, add merge tags for the information to show on the PDF. This example shows a test template for a Cash Receipt.

3. Save the template as a .docx.

Step 5: Upload the Template and Map the Merge Tags

1. Open the PDF Format you created in Step 3, and click the Templates tab.
2. Upload your template. The merge tags are listed on the left and are not yet mapped.

3. Map each merge tag to a field on the object, or to a field on a related object.

4. When all tags are mapped, click Next.

Step 6: Review and Save the Mappings

1. In the Review Bindings view, review the mappings.

2. Click Save Bindings.

The template is now active and ready to test.

Step 7: Test the Enhanced PDF Format

Note: Unlike Billing and Master Billing, other objects do not need the PDF Format set on the record.

1. Open a record for the object, for example a Cash Receipt.
2. Click the action you created in Step 1. The PDF can take a few seconds to display.

If email is set up, scroll down to see the email section.

To update the template later, upload the revised .docx and click Copy mappings from to reuse the existing mappings.

When the format is ready, let your users know about the new button. They can follow the steps in Enhanced PDF Formats to generate PDFs.

Troubleshoot Setup Issues

What you see	Likely cause	How to fix it
The Merge Type field, Templates tab, or Create Document Format button does not appear	In an upgraded org, the PDF Format layout or Lightning record page has not been updated	Complete One-Time Configuration, Step 2
Saving a PDF Format with Merge Type set to Document fails because Type or Visualforce PDF Page is required	The fields are still marked Required on the PDF Format page layout	Deselect the Required checkbox on both fields, as described in One-Time Configuration, Step 2
Generate PDF is missing from a Billing or Master Billing	In an upgraded org, the button has not been added to the layout	Add it to the page layout, as described in One-Time Configuration, Step 2
Generate Billing PDFs is missing from the Billings list view	In an upgraded org, the button is still in Available Buttons	Move it to Selected Buttons, as described in One-Time Configuration, Step 2
The Generate PDF window displays "No PDF format for this record" on a Billing or Master Billing	The record's Billing Format field is blank or uses a Visualforce PDF Format	In the record's Billing Format field, select an Enhanced PDF Format
Generate PDF is not available on Cash Receipt or another object	Generate PDF is included only for Billing and Master Billing	Create a Generate PDF action for the object, as described in Set Up Enhanced PDFs for Any Object, Step 1
The Generate PDF window displays "Generation failed"	Accounting Seed Hub is not authorized	Authorize the Hub, as described in Prerequisites
The PDF downloads instead of displaying in the preview	The PDF file type is not set to Execute in Browser	Update File Upload and Download Security, as described in Prerequisites
The Automated Email Billing job records an error for an Enhanced PDF Format	The PDF Format has no verified Org-Wide Email Address	Add one, as described in Prerequisites
Error: "The Salesforce object can't be changed while templates exist. Remove all templates first."	You tried to change or clear the Target Object on a PDF Format that has a template, or on a format created with Create Document Format	Remove all templates from the Templates tab, or create a new PDF Format for the other object
Master Billing error: "One or more Billings on this Master Billing are not set up for the new PDF Generator: [Billing number]. Each of these Billings must use a PDF Format with a Merge Type of Document and a template attached. Please update or remove them and try again."	An included Billing has no PDF Format, uses a Visualforce PDF Format, or its format has no template	Assign an Enhanced PDF Format with a template to each listed Billing, or remove it from the Master Billing.

For template and merge tag issues, such as tags that do not fill in, see Enhanced PDF Formats Template Guide.

If an issue persists, contact Accounting Seed Support.

Related Articles

• Enhanced PDF Formats
• Enhanced PDF Formats Template Guide
• Accounting Seed Hub
• Configure Standard PDF Formats
• Create a Custom PDF Format
• Automated Jobs
• Mass Email Billings

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