Make your template smarter
Three things turn a plain template into a smart one: AI instructions that steer extraction, source tabs that assemble several sources into one output, and batch fields that reference data from across many cases.
A template that stamps values onto a PDF gets you most of the way. The three capabilities below help when extraction guesses wrong, when one output combines several source files, or when a single value becomes a whole table. Pick the capability your current template needs. If you are new to fields, Inputs, and Outputs, start with core concepts.
Steer extraction with AI instructions
When you set a field's Value source to Extracted, the app reads files and pulls a value. This extraction follows the field schema. An Extracted input requires a signal to work. You add a read zone (Add read zone), an AI instruction output, or a rule in the AI instructions disclosure. A field with no signal silently extracts nothing.
Field types also shape the extraction behavior. A date field forces a parseable date. It returns empty rather than inventing a missing value, and it also returns the literal wording from the document. Extraction ignores the options on a select field, because those options constrain the Form field only. You use the instruction box for what the type cannot say.
Instructions stack in four layers, and the field's own rule always wins. Next come per-run instructions, then document instructions, then template defaults. Per-run instructions sit in the Run button's caret menu under AI instructions for this run. The Data tab's chevron holds the template-level AI instructions and appears only when the template extracts. Each document tab's chevron has AI instructions for extraction guidance and page overflow rules. The AI extraction & instructions article covers these four layers and the model picker. You test extraction before automations using Test with sample documents or Run with your documents....
Assemble documents with source tabs
One output often spans more than one source file. The document bar above the canvas holds your source tabs. You click Add and choose Sources from this workspace, Upload new file, or Blank page. The tabs stitch in order into one PDF, and you drag tabs to reorder them. Removing a document asks for confirmation, but a blank page removes immediately. The Data tab is always leftmost and you cannot remove it. The document bar shows a multi-source layout, a Data-only layout, or an empty state. A document uploads once and you reuse it across the workspace.
When a document's layout shifts between runs, you turn on Document reflows. This toggle lives in the Template details dropdown, and it appears only when the template has a write zone. The feature is off by default and costs one extra AI call per fill. It helps the fill re-find each field's anchor on the new layout. It repositions every field temporarily for that run. The app does not save the relocated positions back to the template. The Combining & reflowing documents article walks through the bar layouts and reflow anchors.
Capture repeating rows with batch fields
Some templates run across a whole set of cases at once. You add a Batch field to turn a template multi-case automatically. One run fills the document with one row per case. It fans a template out over many cases. It does not collect many line items inside one case.
A Batch field captures a repeating row schema. You build the layout in the Schema Fields section by clicking Add Schema Field. You set each column's source to Extracted, Form field, or Static. The field requires a fixed row count. A Rows: stepper appears under Placements when the count goes above one. When a run selects more cases than this row count, the run refuses to start. You order the rows using the Row order (optional) setting, which defaults to the case selection order.
Anyone can author a Batch field, but running a batch requires account access. Free and Lite plans do not include batch access. Pro and Scale plans include it. Without access, the dashboard shows the Batch autofill lock drawer. Free and Lite plans keep you in the template workflow. You view a read-only dashboard after a run. The full dashboard and cases are Pro features. You select cases with Select All and run them with Autofill on the dashboard batch bar. The Batch & quick autofill article explains this bar and own-document runs.