PDF4me

Comprehensive PDF and document processing: generate barcodes, convert files, extract data, manipulate images, and automate workflows with the PDF4ME API

Actions80

Overview

The node provides an AI-powered invoice parsing operation that extracts structured data from invoice documents. It supports multiple input methods for the invoice file, including binary data from a previous node, a base64-encoded string, or a URL pointing to the invoice document. This functionality is useful in automating accounts payable workflows, extracting invoice details for bookkeeping, or integrating invoice data into ERP systems.

Practical examples:

Automatically extract vendor name, invoice number, date, and line items from PDF invoices received via email.
Parse scanned invoices uploaded as base64 strings to extract billing information without manual data entry.
Fetch invoice files from URLs and convert them into structured JSON data for further processing.

Properties

Name	Meaning
Input Data Type	Choose how to provide the invoice document to process. Options: Binary Data, Base64 String, URL
Input Binary Field	(If using Binary Data) Name of the binary property containing the invoice file (default: "data")
Base64 Invoice Content	(If using Base64 String) The base64 encoded content of the invoice document
Invoice URL	(If using URL) The URL pointing to the invoice file to process
Invoice Name	Name of the source invoice file for reference (e.g., "invoice.pdf")

Output

The node outputs JSON data representing the parsed invoice details extracted by the AI parser. This typically includes fields such as invoice number, date, vendor information, line items, totals, and other relevant invoice metadata.

If the input was binary or base64 data, the output JSON contains the structured invoice data extracted from that content. If the input was a URL, the node fetches the document and then outputs the parsed data similarly.

The node does not output binary data itself; its main output is the structured JSON representation of the invoice contents.

Dependencies

Requires access to an external AI-powered invoice parsing service (likely via API).
Needs appropriate API authentication credentials configured in n8n to connect to the parsing service.
Internet access is required if providing invoice files via URL or when the node needs to fetch remote files.

Troubleshooting

Common issues may include invalid or unsupported invoice file formats leading to parsing errors.
Errors can occur if the binary field specified does not exist or is empty.
Providing an incorrect or inaccessible URL will cause failures fetching the invoice document.
Base64 content must be correctly encoded; malformed strings will cause decoding errors.
Authentication failures with the external AI service will result in authorization errors.
To resolve errors, verify input data correctness, ensure proper credential configuration, and confirm network connectivity.