Zapier & Power Automate Tips
When using PDF4me with Zapier or Power Automate, file-related errors often come from how the file is passed between steps rather than from PDF4me itself. Below is platform-specific guidance for the most common issues.
Zapier: "File: (Exists but not shown)"
If you get "File is Empty" or "File could not be opened" in a Zapier Zap, one frequent cause is the file field selection.
Zapier sometimes shows an option like "File: (Exists but not shown)" when a file is available from a trigger or previous step. Choosing this option can pass a reference or placeholder instead of the actual file content. PDF4me then receives nothing usable and returns an error.
Fix: Use the field that provides the full file content (e.g. the actual file or Base64-encoded content), not the "Exists but not shown" option. Look for alternatives in the dropdown such as "File" or "File Content" that deliver the complete file.
Power Automate: Base64 and File Content
Power Automate passes files to PDF4me as Base64-encoded strings. Common issues:
If the Base64 string is cut off (e.g. by a character limit in a Compose action), the decoded file will be corrupt or empty. Ensure the entire Base64 string is passed through.
Map the output of the step that actually contains the file (e.g. "File Content" from OneDrive or SharePoint), not a path or metadata field. Check the run history—every step before PDF4me should have succeeded.
If your flow has a step to convert the file to Base64, verify that step completes and outputs the full string before it's sent to PDF4me.
File Format: PDF vs Images
Several PDF4me actions expect PDF input only:
- ExtractTextByExpression – extracts text from PDFs
- SplitPdfByBarcode – splits a PDF by barcode
- Parse Document – parses structured data from PDFs
Sending a JPG, PNG, or other image format to these actions will typically return "File could not be opened" or "Invalid File".
Fix: Add a condition to send only PDFs to these actions, or convert images to PDF first using Convert to PDF (or the equivalent in Zapier, Make, or n8n), then pass the resulting PDF.
The same principles apply: use full file content or Base64, ensure upstream modules completed successfully, and use PDF for actions that require PDF input.