Parse PDF Data and Send It to Slack Using PDF.co and Zapier
Extract selected fields or table values from PDFs added to Google Drive, then post the results to a Slack channel.
Prerequisites
- PDF.co, Zapier, Google Drive, and Slack accounts.
- A Google Drive folder containing a sample PDF.
- Access to the Slack channel where you want to post the extracted data.
Step 1: Prepare a Parsing Template
Open the PDF.co Document Parser Template Editor and create or select a template for your PDF.
Configure the fields or table extraction rules for the values you want to send to Slack. Test the template against your sample PDF, save it, and copy its Template ID.
Follow the template creation guide for detailed instructions. Use source documents that match the layout your template was tested against.
Step 2: Set Up the Google Drive Trigger
Create a Zap and select Google Drive with the New File in Folder trigger.
Connect your Google account and select the drive and folder containing your source PDFs. Test the trigger and choose your sample PDF.
Step 3: Configure PDF.co Document Parser
Add PDF.co and select Document Parser.
Connect your PDF.co account by signing in and authorizing Zapier through OAuth.
Configure:
- Document URL: Map the File property from Google Drive.
- Template ID: Enter the ID from Step 1.
- Custom Profiles: Leave blank.
Test the action and check the extracted values. The simplifiedData output provides results you can map into subsequent steps. See the Document Parser documentation.
Step 4: Create the Slack Message
Add Slack and select Send Channel Message. Connect your Slack account and configure:
- Channel: Select the destination channel.
- Message Text: Write your message and insert the desired parsed values using Zapier’s field picker.
- Send as a bot?: Select Yes.
You can also include the source filename from Google Drive. For example:
New PDF processed
File: FILE_NAME
Reference: PARSED_REFERENCE
Total: PARSED_TOTALReplace the placeholders with mapped fields. Adjust the labels to match the information extracted by your template.
Step 5: Test and Publish
Test the Slack action using a test channel—this sends a real message. Confirm that the extracted values appear correctly.
Select your intended destination channel and publish the Zap. Each new PDF added to the Google Drive folder will be parsed and its selected data posted to Slack.
In this tutorial, you’ve learned to parse PDF data and send it to the Slack channel using PDF.co and Zapier integration.
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