Invoice Generator Actor

Automate creation of polished PDF invoices (single or bulk) with pdfkit on Apify.
Supports Excel column paste or a full JSON array of invoices, auto-numbering, defaults, logo, and ZIP output.

Features

• Subtotal, discount, tax, grand total (auto)
• Two input styles: Excel-paste textareas or invoicesJson (array)
• Auto numbering (e.g., 00000, 00001, …)
• Bulk ZIP + individual PDFs in Key-Value Store
• Logo + seller block + one-page clamp

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Quick start

1. Install deps in package.json:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "apify": "^3.0.0",
    "jszip": "^3.10.1",
    "pdfkit": "^0.14.0"
  }
}

2. Run the actor from Apify UI or API using one of the inputs below.

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Input options

A) Excel-paste mode (no JSON needed)

Paste one value per line in the UI:

• Client Names, Client Addresses, (optional) Client Emails
• (optional) Invoice Numbers, (optional) Invoice Dates (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Line Description, (optional) Quantity, Amount

Also set top-level defaults (currency, tax, logo, seller, auto numbering).

Example (what you paste):

Client Names:

ACME LTD
Globex LLC
Initech

Client Addresses:

123 Main St, Springfield
Hauptstraße 1, Berlin
ul. Testowa 2, Warszawa

Line Item — Description:

Monthly subscription
Design sprint (1 day)
Consulting package

Line Item — Amount:

199.99
600
1200

Leave Invoice Numbers empty to let auto numbering handle it.

B) JSON array (full control)

Set invoicesJson (textarea) to a JSON array:

[
  {
    "invoiceNumber": "",
    "invoiceDate": "2025-11-03",
    "currency": "USD",
    "locale": "en-US",
    "onePage": true,
    "seller": { "name": "Your Company", "address": "Street 1", "email": "billing@company.com", "vat": "PL1234567890" },
    "client": { "name": "Client A", "address": "Road 10", "email": "a@client.com" },
    "items": [
      { "item": "SUB-MONTH", "description": "Monthly subscription", "quantity": 1, "amount": 199.99 }
    ],
    "taxRate": 23,
    "discount": 0,
    "paymentTerms": "Net 14",
    "footerNote": "Bank: XYZ • IBAN PL00 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000"
  }
]

Empty or missing invoiceNumber will be auto-assigned if auto numbering is on.

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Auto numbering

Control via top-level fields:

• useAutoInvoiceNumbering (boolean, default true)
• invoiceNumberStart (number, e.g., 0)
• invoiceNumberWidth (number, e.g., 5 → 00000, 00001, …)

Rules: Explicit numbers (from JSON or the “Invoice Numbers” textarea) are kept. Missing ones are generated.

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Global invoice date

If the Invoice Dates textarea is empty, set a single date for all with:

• globalInvoiceDate (YYYY-MM-DD)

Missing per-row dates fall back to globalInvoiceDate, then today.

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Output

• Single invoice → INVOICE-<number>.pdf
• Multiple invoices → individual PDFs and a ZIP (e.g., INVOICES.zip)
• Files appear in the run’s Key-Value Store

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API usage examples

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/<USERNAME>~invoice-generator/runs?token=<APIFY_TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "clientNamesLines": "ACME LTD\nGlobex LLC",
    "clientAddressesLines": "123 Main St\nHauptstraße 1",
    "lineDescLines": "Monthly subscription\nDesign sprint",
    "lineAmountLines": "199.99\n600",
    "defaultCurrency": "USD",
    "defaultLocale": "en-US",
    "defaultTaxRate": 23,
    "useAutoInvoiceNumbering": true,
    "invoiceNumberStart": 0,
    "invoiceNumberWidth": 5,
    "globalInvoiceDate": "2025-11-03",
    "sellerName": "Your Company Sp. z o.o.",
    "sellerAddress": "ul. Przykładowa 1, 00-000 Warszawa",
    "sellerEmail": "billing@company.com",
    "sellerVat": "PL1234567890",
    "zipName": "INVOICES.zip"
  }'

Node.js (Apify Client)

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });

const run = await client.actor('<USERNAME>/invoice-generator').call({
  invoicesJson: JSON.stringify([
    {
      invoiceNumber: "",
      invoiceDate: "2025-11-03",
      currency: "EUR",
      locale: "de-DE",
      seller: { name: "Your Company", address: "Street 1", email: "billing@company.com", vat: "PL1234567890" },
      client: { name: "Client B GmbH", address: "Hauptstraße 1, Berlin", email: "ap@b.com" },
      items: [{ item: "Consulting", description: "8h package", quantity: 8, amount: 1200 }],
      taxRate: 19,
      paymentTerms: "Net 14"
    }
  ]),
  defaultCurrency: "EUR",
  defaultLocale: "de-DE",
  useAutoInvoiceNumbering: true,
  invoiceNumberStart: 42,
  invoiceNumberWidth: 5
});

console.log('Run:', run.data.id);

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Common formatting pitfalls (and fixes)

• Always fence code with triple backticks and a language hint:

  • $
    

• Valid JSON only in invoicesJson (no comments, no trailing commas).
• When pasting columns: one value per line; blank lines are ignored.
• If your README shows curly braces weirdly inside Markdown lists, put them in a fenced code block.

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Troubleshooting

• “invoicesJson must be a non-empty JSON array”
  Your textarea isn’t valid JSON or it’s empty. Paste an array [...].

• Got multiple pages unexpectedly
  Ensure defaultOnePage: true (or set onePage: true per invoice). Long item lists get truncated with “... and N more item(s)”.

• Logo not showing
  defaultLogoPath must point to a file the actor can read (e.g., uploaded via schema file field). Paths are inside the actor’s sandbox.