Creating Documents

There are several ways to create documents in Crove, from manual creation to fully automated workflows.

Manual creation

The simplest way to create a document:

1. Go to Documents in the sidebar
2. Click Create Document
3. Select a template from the dropdown
4. Enter a name for the document
5. Click Create

You'll be taken to the document detail page where you can add recipients and send invitations.

From the template page

You can also create a document directly from a template:

1. Go to Templates
2. Open the template you want to use
3. Click Create Document in the template header

Via public link

Enable public fill on a template to let anyone create and fill a document:

1. Open the template editor
2. Go to template settings
3. Enable Public Fill
4. Copy the public link
5. Share it via email, website, or messaging

When someone opens the link, a new document is automatically created and they can fill the form immediately. No login required.

Via API

Create documents programmatically for automated workflows:

curl -X POST https://crove.app/api/external/v1/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "templateId": "template_id_here",
    "name": "Contract - Acme Corp",
    "data": {
      "clientName": "Acme Corporation",
      "contractAmount": 50000
    }
  }'

See the API Reference for full details.

Via incoming webhook

Set up an incoming webhook to create documents automatically when external events occur:

1. Go to Settings > Webhooks
2. Create an incoming webhook
3. Configure field mapping
4. Use the webhook URL in your external system

When a payload is received, Crove automatically creates a document with the mapped data. See Incoming Webhooks for details.

Adding recipients

After creating a document, add recipients who will fill the form and/or sign:

1. Open the document
2. Click Add Recipient
3. Enter their email address
4. Assign a role (determines which fields they fill)
5. Configure permissions:
   • Can update response — Allow editing after submission
   • Can download document — Allow PDF download
   • Submission required — Make their submission mandatory
   • Default view — Form view or document preview

Signing order

For multi-party documents, set the signing order:

• Sequential — Recipients sign in a specific order (1, 2, 3). The next signer is automatically notified when the previous one completes.
• Parallel — All recipients can fill and sign at the same time.

Sending invitations

Once recipients are added:

1. Click Send to send email invitations
2. Each recipient receives a unique link to fill their portion
3. Customize the email subject and message (optional)
4. Track delivery status in the document activity log

Email invitation contents

Each invitation email includes:

• Your workspace name and logo
• Custom subject line (or default)
• Custom message (optional)
• A secure link to the fill page
• The recipient only sees fields assigned to their role

Pre-filling data

When creating a document via API or incoming webhook, you can pre-fill variable values. This is useful for:

• Populating known data from your CRM
• Setting default values from external systems
• Partially completing forms before sending to recipients

Pre-filled values appear in the form but can be edited by the recipient (unless the field is locked).

Document naming

Give documents descriptive names for easy identification:

• Manual: Enter a name when creating
• API: Pass a name field in the request body
• Incoming webhook: Use expressions to auto-generate names from payload data

Example naming patterns:

• Contract - [Client Name] - [Date]
• NDA - [Company] - Q1 2026
• Invoice #[Invoice Number]