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The Print Screen to PDF action captures the current screen of a Glide app and generates a PDF file from it. This is useful for creating printable records, reports, or snapshots of app screens on demand.
When the action runs, Glide captures the current screen and renders it as an A4-format PDF. The PDF generates asynchronously—the URL is available in the designated column immediately, and the PDF renders in the background. The action stores a temporary URL to the generated PDF in a designated column.
Adding and setting up Print Screen to PDF
The Print Screen to PDF action creates a temporary URL available for 1 hour. This URL is a link to the PDF that can be saved, printed, or shared. To configure the Action, you’ll need a column in the Data Editor to store this URL.
Each time the action runs, it uses 1 update. The generated URL is temporary and expires after 1 hour. To save it beyond 1 hour, create an Upload File action to store the URL.
Open the Data Editor and select a table to store the URL.
Add a new URL column. This holds the temporary link to the PDF file.
In the Layout Editor
Select or add a Component that supports Actions, such as a Button.
Open the Action configuration menu.
Click + Add action and select Print Screen to PDF from the Communication category.
Name the action.
Choose an icon.
Configure the Temporary file URL field by selecting the column created in the Data Editor. Glide writes the generated PDF URL to this column each time the action runs.
Click away to exit the configuration.
In the Workflow Editor
Print Screen to PDF can only be triggered by an App Interaction workflow. It will not be available for any other workflow trigger type.
If you have not already, create a URL Column in the Data Editor to store the temporary link.
Open the Workflow Editor and create a new workflow.
Select App interaction as the trigger.
Choose the table for the screen to capture.
Click the + button to add a new step or update the default action.
Select Print Screen to PDF from the Communication category.
Configure the Temporary file URL field by selecting the column created in the Data Editor. This is where Glide writes the generated PDF URL when the workflow runs.
Add any additional conditions or steps as needed. For example, add an Upload File step after Print Screen to PDF to save the file permanently before the URL expires.
Name the workflow.
Click away to exit the configuration.
Controlling component visibility in the PDF
Components on the screen include a Visible in PDF setting in the Options tab. This controls whether the component appears in the generated PDF.
The Visible in PDF dropdown has two options:
Always — The component appears in the PDF. This is the default for most components.
Never — The component is hidden from the PDF.
Some components are always hidden from the generated PDF regardless of this setting: Location, Audio, Audio Recorder, Barcode Scanner, and Spinner.
Interactive elements are automatically cleaned up in the PDF. Buttons, input placeholders, and other interactive UI elements are removed or simplified to produce a clean, print-ready document.