In today’s business landscape, the efficient processing of invoices is crucial for maintaining financial accuracy and ensuring timely payments. However, dealing with large PDF files containing multiple invoices can be a time-consuming and error-prone task. This user guide demonstrates how to leverage the Aquaforest PDF Connector for Power Automate — specifically the Split PDF by barcode action — to automate the separation of invoices based on barcode values.

Challenges

Manual processing of invoices within large PDF files poses several challenges:

• Time-consuming — Separating and organizing individual invoices manually is time-consuming, especially when dealing with a high volume of documents.
• Error-prone — Manual separation increases the risk of errors in categorizing and assigning invoices to the correct processing workflows.
• Lack of efficiency — Traditional methods hinder the efficiency of accounts payable processes, leading to delays in payment cycles.

Split PDF by barcode action

The Aquaforest PDF Connector for Power Automate introduces a powerful action that enables splitting PDFs by barcode, and it’s designed to address the challenges associated with invoice processing. This action utilizes barcode values embedded in PDF files to automate the splitting of the PDF into individual invoices. Moreover, it allows the generation of customized file names for the split files based on the extracted barcode values.

How to split PDFs by barcode using Power Automate

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to implement the Split PDF by barcode action.

Step 1 — Configure the PDF Connector

Add the Aquaforest PDF Connector to your Power Automate workflow. First, choose the type of the flow and the trigger.

For this example, choose the Automated cloud flow and set the When a file is created (properties only) trigger. This trigger is activated when an item is created or modified in a library. As it returns only the properties stored in the library columns, you need to add a Get file content step and use the Identifier property returned by this action to get to the contents of the file.

Click the + button to add a new action, and in the search bar, type split pdf by barcode.

In the next step, fill in the Connection Name and API Key fields. Give your connection a name, and use the primary key that was generated when you signed up for PDF Connector.

Step 2 — Provide input parameters

When you activate the connector and add an action, the next step is to fill in the required fields. Enter the source file name, file content (Base64 string), and file name template.

• File Content — The content of the source file. Click the thunder sign and type Get file content. Then click Add.
• File Name Template — Template for the output text result if a barcode match is found. You can leave it as it is and %VALUE1% will be replaced by the barcode values found dynamically.
• File Name — Click the thunder sign and choose File name with extension.

Step 3 — Configure optional parameters

Fill in the following fields, if they’re relevant:

• Pages With No Match — Define the behavior for pages with no barcode value in the split section output.
• No Barcode Match Template — Template for the text to be returned if a barcode match isn’t found.
• Output File Options — Choose the location of the page with the barcode in the output files from the split operation.

Step 4 — Create file action

Add the create file action and configure following the details below:

• Site Address — The URL of your SharePoint site.
• Folder Path — The location of your SharePoint library where the input file is stored.
• File Name — Choose Split Output Files (file name) and add .pdf. The output file name contains the barcode file in it.
• File Content — Click the thunder sign to open dynamic content. Click See More to show all the output parameters, and then click Split Output Files (file content) and confirm by clicking the Add button.

Split Output Files is the array of split files with their corresponding file names.

You can also check other output parameters:

• Page Range — The page range containing the page numbers of the split operation.
• Is Successful — A Boolean value specifying if the operation was successful or not.
• License Info — Information about your API subscription key, which tells you the license type, how many calls you’ve made, and how many calls are remaining.
• Error Message — Contains the error message returned by the operation, if any exist.

Step 5 — Execute the action

Click Save and run the Power Automate workflow to execute the Split PDF by barcode action.

Step 6 — Review the output

Check the output for accurately separated invoices with customized file names based on barcode values.

Conclusion

By incorporating the Split PDF by barcode action into your Power Automate workflows, you can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of invoice processing. This post provides a comprehensive walkthrough of the action, empowering users to streamline accounts payable processes and reduce manual effort.