Originally published at: https://www.onlyoffice.com/blog/2022/12/document-automation/
As a developer, you might be looking for a way to increase the productivity of users of your application. One of the best practices is choosing document automation software that makes it possible to create electronic documents fast and efficiently. In this article, you will find some of the most popular tools of this kind and learn what they are capable of.
What is document automation software?
Document automation involves the process of creating electronic docs from ready-to-use templates or from scratch, which allows you to save a lot of time by streamlining your business processes and workflows. Using specialised software tools, you can create, change, edit and manage electronic files of different kinds according to your needs.
With document automation software, it’s possible to create editable templates that can be used to automatically generate a great variety of documents, including contracts, agreements, questionnaires, proposals, reports and more. Such files can be produced with a few edits and quickly adapted for any purpose within minutes.
Let’s take a look at the best document automation software that you can find in the market.
ONLYOFFICE
ONLYOFFICE Docs Developer Edition is a powerful tool that allows you to enable automated document generation within your web-based application. It includes online editors for text documents, spreadsheets, presentations and fillable forms and also comes with tools for viewing and converting PDF files, and creating e-books. The basic functionality of the suite can be easily extended with Java Script plugins that are capable of connecting third-party services, like Telegram, YouTube and Jitsi, and adding UI components and editing features.
The ONLYOFFICE online editors are completely compatible with the Microsoft formats (DOCX, XLSX and PPTX), and provide support for other popular formats, such as ODT, ODS, ODP, DOC, XLS, PPT, PDF, TXT, RTF, HTML, EPUB and CSV.
With the ONLYOFFICE suite, users can work collaboratively: switch between two co-editing modes (Fast and Strict), review changes, navigate through file versions using the version history feature, leave comments, mention each other and communicate in real time.
ONLYOFFICE Docs Developer Edition provides cross-browser compatibility and allows you to enable document automation within any application due to its detailed API documentation and WOPI support. It’s compatible with any programming language and can be embedded into cloud-based and on-premise solutions.
When integrated with your web application, ONLYOFFICE allows you to add your logo and customize the interface of its editors by showing or hiding additional buttons.
ONLYOFFICE Docs Developer Edition comes with Document Builder, an advanced SDK for automated document generation and processing. Using this tool, you can allow your application to modify or build DOCX, XLSX, PPTX or PDF files without actually running Microsoft Office.
Do you want to see ONLYOFFICE Docs Developer Edition in action or start a free 30-day trial period? Choose what you need:
Windward Core
Windward Core is a document creation software tool that allows you to generate data-powered documents using inserted tags and specified parameters. The solution makes it possible to create editable templates in Microsoft Office, so you can easily produce Word, Excel and PowerPoint files with the desired layout and formatting.
For software developers, there is an easily-integrated Windward application so that they can create a completely customized system for data visualization, automated document generation and management.
One of the biggest advantages of Windward Core is that it requires no programming on a per-template basis. When Windward Core is embedded in your web application, you just upload DOCX, XLSX, or PPTX templates and you’re ready to get started. You don’t have to write additional code and test it, which saves a lot of time.
Windward Core combines powerful data capabilities and integrates with a variety of software outputs and programming languages.
PandaDoc
PandaDoc is a well-known document workflow automation solution that provides its own API platform to enable developers to build and integrate fully customizable workflows into their applications and websites.
With PandaDoc, developers can build the exact workflow solution to fit their team’s needs and preferences through PandaDoc.js, a JavaScript-based SDK that is designed to embed PandaDoc in any app with a few lines of code. Such integration allows your users to build and send electronic files directly within your application.
When embedded, PandaDoc allows you to experience a new way of treating “documents as apps”, which involves real-time editing, collaboration and fast performance. It also provides diagnostic tools and comprehensive API dashboards so that developers can benefit from full reporting visibility into automated document generation.
PandaDoc is easy to integrate with any product or platform, from data analytics solutions to invoicing and billing software, with a company’s current design and branding.
Conga Composer
Conga Composer is automated document creation software that allows you to seamlessly generate error-free files. Its standard version is designed for creating and managing files within the Salesforce ecosystem.
However, Conga Composer API makes it possible to embed the Conga document generation solutions into any application or website and use data from any system of record (including homegrown ones) within companies and teams of any size and geography.
Embedded document generation provided by Conga Composer works on all websites, applications and portals, and lets you produce various files, such as invoices, order forms, proposals, quotes and policy statements.
Typically, you have to receive the sample API code for testing purposes first before purchasing a commercial licence, so you need to contact the Conga point of contact if you decide to implement its API for document automation within your application.
Experlogix
Experlogix is a document automation software tool that helps you simplify and optimize business processes and workflows. It allows you to create simple and complex templates, capture data and customer information, manage enterprise content, and digitally sign and generate documents in batches or through automated flows.
For developers, Experlogix provides a special server-side component based on the OpenAPI Specification (OAS). Using this component, you can integrate your software application with Expertlogix to access its document generation and automation features from any external software.
Also, there is an extensive API documentation library where you can find detailed descriptions of all API calls and response messages. The Expertlogix API makes it possible to add custom buttons and features for specific tasks that can be called from a series of programmed functions.
How to choose document automation software that suits you best?
As you can see, choosing the best tool for document automation is not a trivial task. Today, there are a lot of powerful solutions that enable automated document generation within third-party applications and homegrown systems.
As a developer, you should carefully study what is in the market, weigh up the pros and cons of each option and go for the most suitable solution that will allow the users of your app or platform to make the most of document creation and generation.