Step 7: Generate Your First Document
Time to complete: ~1 minute
What you'll do: Run your automation and generate your first document
What you'll need: All previous steps completed
This is the moment of truth - let's generate your first document and see Gdocify in action!
UI Navigation
Where to find it: Click the "Run" or "Generate" button, typically in the bottom-left area of the editor or in the automation dashboard.
Running Your Automation
- Go to your automation in Gdocify
- Click the "Run" or "Generate" button
- Choose which records to process:
- All records: Generate documents for every record in your data source
- Specific records: Select individual records to process
- Click "Generate Documents"
Watching the Generation Process
Once you click generate, you'll see:
- Progress indicator: Shows how many documents are being generated
- Status updates: Real-time feedback on the process
- Success/error messages: Confirmation when each document is created
The process typically takes a few seconds per document, depending on:
- Document complexity
- Number of placeholders
- Image processing (if using image placeholders)
Viewing the Generated Document
After generation completes:
- Check the status: You'll see a success message
- Open Google Drive: Navigate to the folder you configured
- Find your document: Look for the filename you specified
- Open and verify: Check that all placeholders were filled correctly
Understanding What Happened
Here's what Gdocify did:
- Read your data: Retrieved the record(s) from your data source
- Opened your template: Loaded the Google Doc template
- Replaced placeholders: Filled in each
{{placeholder}}with actual data - Applied formatting: Maintained your template's styling
- Generated output: Created the Google Doc and/or PDF
- Saved to Drive: Placed files in your specified folder
Verifying the Results
Check that:
- ✅ All placeholders were replaced with data
- ✅ Formatting looks correct
- ✅ Document is saved in the right location
- ✅ Filename matches your template
- ✅ Content is accurate
What Happens Next?
If everything looks good, you're ready to scale up! Continue to Step 8: Test with Multiple Records to generate documents for all your data.
Troubleshooting
If something didn't work:
- Missing data: Check that your placeholders are mapped correctly
- Wrong location: Verify your result settings
- Formatting issues: Review your template
- Errors: Check the execution history for details
See our Troubleshooting Guide for more help.
Tips
- Review carefully: Check the first document thoroughly before generating many
- Make adjustments: If something's not right, fix it now before scaling
- Celebrate: You just automated document generation! 🎉