Master the placeholder system for dynamic automation
At a Glance
- Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
- Time required: ~15 minutes
- Prerequisites: Getting Started tutorial
- What you'll learn: File properties, extracted data placeholders, date formatting
What are placeholders?
Placeholders are special tags enclosed in angle brackets < > that get replaced with actual
values when a PDF file is processed. They allow you to create dynamic file names, folder paths, and email content
that automatically adapt to each document.
Example:
File name pattern: <FileName>_<FileCreatedYear4>-<FileCreatedMonth>
Result: Invoice_2024-12.pdf
Types of placeholders
There are three main categories of placeholders:
| Category |
Description |
Example |
| File Properties |
Information about the PDF file itself |
<FileName>, <ParentFolder> |
| Date/Time |
Various date formats based on file or processing date |
<FileCreatedYear4>, <TodayMonth> |
| Extracted Data |
Values extracted from PDF content using rules |
<RuleId:1(InvoiceNumber)> |
File property placeholders
These placeholders provide information about the PDF file being processed:
| Placeholder |
Description |
Example Value |
<FileName> |
Original file name (without extension) |
Invoice-2024-001 |
<FileExtension> |
File extension |
.pdf |
<ParentFolder> |
Name of the containing folder |
Incoming |
<SourceFolder> |
Full path of the source folder |
C:\Documents\Invoices |
<PageCount> |
Number of pages in the PDF |
3 |
<FileSize> |
File size in bytes |
125432 |
Date and time placeholders
Date placeholders are available for different date sources: file creation date, file modification date,
processing date (today), and dates extracted from PDF content.
Date sources:
| Prefix |
Date Source |
FileCreated... |
When the file was created |
FileModified... |
When the file was last modified |
Today... |
Current date when processed |
RuleId:X(Name){...} |
Date extracted from PDF content |
Date components:
| Suffix |
Description |
Example |
...Year4 |
4-digit year |
2024 |
...Year2 |
2-digit year |
24 |
...Month |
Month (2 digits) |
12 |
...MonthName |
Month name |
December |
...Day |
Day of month (2 digits) |
15 |
...Week |
Week number |
50 |
...Quarter |
Quarter (1-4) |
4 |
Example: Organize by year and month
Sub-folder: <FileCreatedYear4>\<FileCreatedMonth>-<FileCreatedMonthName>
Result: 2024\12-December
Extracted data placeholders
These placeholders use values extracted from PDF content via extraction rules. The syntax includes
the rule ID and optionally the rule name for readability.
Basic syntax:
<RuleId:1(RuleName)>
RuleId:1 - The unique ID number of the extraction rule(RuleName) - The name you gave the rule (optional but recommended for clarity)
Example: Invoice file naming
File name: <RuleId:1(InvoiceNumber)>_<RuleId:2(CustomerName)>
Result: INV-2024-0042_ACME Corporation.pdf
Date formatting for extracted dates:
When an extraction rule uses the Date data type, you can access individual date components
using curly braces:
<RuleId:2(InvoiceDate){Year4}>-<RuleId:2(InvoiceDate){Month}>-<RuleId:2(InvoiceDate){Day}>
Result: 2024-12-15 (ISO date format)
Available date components: {Year4}, {Year2}, {Month}, {MonthName}, {Day}, {Week}, {Quarter}
How to insert placeholders
- In any task configuration with a text field (File Name, Sub-folder, Email Subject, etc.)
- Click the Insert placeholder link above the input field
- Select the category: File properties, Date/Time, or Extracted data
- Choose the specific placeholder you want to insert
- The placeholder is inserted at the cursor position
Tip: You can also type placeholders directly if you know the syntax. The Results Preview
tab shows how placeholders will be resolved for your sample files.
Combining placeholders
You can combine multiple placeholders with static text to create complex naming patterns.
Use underscores, hyphens, or other characters to separate values.
Example: Complete archive path
- Base folder:
C:\Archive
- Sub-folder:
<RuleId:1(Supplier)>\<RuleId:2(InvoiceDate){Year4}>\<RuleId:2(InvoiceDate){Quarter}>Q
- File name:
<RuleId:2(InvoiceDate){Year4}>-<RuleId:2(InvoiceDate){Month}>-<RuleId:2(InvoiceDate){Day}>_<RuleId:3(InvoiceNumber)>
Result: C:\Archive\ACME Corp\2024\4Q\2024-12-15_INV-0042.pdf
Result
After completing this tutorial, you understand:
- The three types of placeholders (file properties, dates, extracted data)
- How to format dates using date components
- How to reference extracted data with RuleId syntax
- How to combine placeholders for complex naming patterns
- How to insert and preview placeholders in the application
Quick reference
Common placeholder patterns:
| Use Case |
Pattern |
| Date-based archive folder |
<FileCreatedYear4>\<FileCreatedMonth> |
| Invoice naming |
<RuleId:1(Number)>_<RuleId:2(Date){Year4}-{Month}-{Day}> |
| Customer folder organization |
<RuleId:1(Customer)>\<TodayYear4> |
| Timestamped backup |
<FileName>_<TodayYear4><TodayMonth><TodayDay> |