Source tabs (formerly: Document combiner)

A template's output is assembled from ordered workspace document sources and blank pages. The template editor shows them in a document bar directly above the preview canvas — one tab per source, plus a Form tab when the template collects questions. Sources are workspace-owned, not nested inside templates — every template (and every automation) in the workspace points at the same set. Having any source at all gives the template its Generate capability.

Where the document bar lives

The document bar sits in a dedicated row directly above the preview canvas — not in the page's top navigation. The global nav above it stays focused on editor utilities (undo/redo, zoom, the +More menu). Putting the document bar next to the canvas keeps "which document am I composing" close to the document itself.

Three layouts based on what the template contains

The document bar picks one of three layouts automatically based on the template's contents — you don't toggle between them:

• Multi-source (default) — the full tab strip, one tab per source. Used when the template has multiple sources or one source plus a Form tab. Drag tabs to reorder.
• Single-source — a compact row with a color dot, the source name, a page scrubber, and a ⋯ menu. Used when the template has exactly one source and no Form tab — common for batch templates and simple "fill out one PDF" templates. All settings (identity, AI instructions, included pages, automation link) live in the ⋯ menu.
• Form-only — a minimal Form label with an × button. Used when the template has only form questions and no PDF source.

When a template has nothing yet (a brand-new template), the bar shows only the + Add button so you can populate it from there.

Adding a source to a single-source template promotes it to multi-source automatically; the bar switches the moment the new tab lands. There's no manual variant toggle.

What you need

• A template whose output needs one or more pieces
• One or more document sources in the workspace (manage them under the Documents tab)

How source tabs work

Every page in the final output comes from a source tab in the document bar. A tab can point at one of several referents:

• A workspace document source asset — the preferred form. A PDF blueprint uploaded once at the workspace level (cover sheets, letterhead, terms pages, blank forms) and reused across as many templates as you like. Each tab shows the source's file-category color dot so you can scan the stack at a glance. Asset references are also what declares this template's input categories — the autofill picker uses them to know which incoming files this template can process.
• Another template's output — for aggregating templates that stitch the outputs of other templates into a single packet. The tab points at the upstream template by ID and shows a 🔗 icon.
• A blank-page placeholder — one or more blank pages. Useful as separators or to reserve space for stapling or signature. Shows as ⬜ Blank.
• A Form tab — appears whenever the template has form-question inputs OR has template-level AI Instructions. Always leftmost when present. Hosts the questionnaire surface and the global AI Instructions textarea.

You compose the order by dragging tabs in the document bar. Each tab occupies a range of pages in the final PDF.

Active tab — page scrubber

When you click into a source tab, it expands inline to show a page scrubber: [‹] [editable input] / N [›]. The arrows walk through the included pages within the source; the input accepts direct entry and clamps to the source's page range.

In the single-source layout, the page scrubber is always visible on the compact row (no clicking needed — there's only one source to navigate). The Form tab does not show a scrubber — it's a single virtual surface.

Per-tab settings (chevron / ⋯ dropdown)

Each active source tab opens a settings popover — the chevron icon in the multi-source tab, or the ⋯ menu in the single-source layout. Both expose the same set of sub-sections:

1. Source identity — name input + file-category pill. Editing the name or category propagates to every template that uses this source.
2. AI instructions for this row — a per-row prompt that augments extraction for any field whose value comes from this source.
3. Include pages from source — a master "All pages" tri-state checkbox plus per-page checkboxes with thumbnails. Use this to slice a multi-page PDF down to the pages this template actually needs.
4. Automation — if an automation is linked to this source, shows a summary (trigger description, last-triggered timestamp, last-run status dot) with a Manage link. If none, shows a + Add automation link that routes to the automation create flow pre-filled with this source.

Template-reference tabs show the same dropdown minus the Automation section. Blank tabs show only a page-count stepper and orientation toggle.

Asset references drive routing

Each workspace document source carries a file category. When a tab references that asset, the asset's category becomes one of the template's input categories — that's what tells the autofill picker "this template consumes Permit Application files." There's no separate input-category field on the tab; the category lives on the asset and the tab derives it through the reference.

This means changing a source's file category instantly updates every template that uses it — no per-template re-tagging.

Routed from

Templates' settings drawer shows a read-only Routed from chip for every input category derived from the source tabs. The chips answer the "where does this template's input come from?" question at a glance.

The +Add menu

The + Add button at the right end of the document bar opens a popover with two sections:

1. Sources from this workspace — every workspace document source (with thumbnail, name, category color, page count). Sources already in the template are not filtered out — a source can appear multiple times. A search input appears when the workspace has > 8 sources.
2. Other:
   • Upload new file — opens a small modal: pick a PDF, give it a name, assign a file category (existing or new). Uploads to the workspace and adds it as a new tab.
   • Blank page — appends a new blank tab (default 1 page, portrait).
   • Add form — grayed out when a Form tab already exists. Otherwise creates a starter form-question field and snaps the preview to the new Form tab.

Step by step

1. Open the template editor.
2. For each piece of the final output, click + Add in the document bar above the preview and pick a workspace source, upload a new one, or add a blank.
3. Drag tabs to reorder (multi-source layout).
4. For each source tab, click the chevron (multi-source) or ⋯ (single-source) to open the settings popover and configure name, AI instructions, included pages, or attached automation.
5. Edits save on blur (debounced) — there's no explicit save button.

Tips

Related

• Creating a template
• Output file naming
• How autofill works