Email Notifications: Outdated PDF Attachment Showing Removed Form Fields

Hello,

I hope you're doing well.

To begin with, I've barely used my free subscription so far, but I've really enjoyed the platform and the services you've provided.

I'm reaching out regarding an issue with one of my forms. I recently made several updates to the form, and the front end of the form appears correct on both my end and the respondent's end.

However, one of the people who signed up received an email containing both the submission details in the email body and an attached PDF of the completed form. The attachment is displaying a field that was removed from the form quite some time ago.

Everything reflecting below 'WhatsApp #' should not be part of the from and I believe no one should actually receive the attachment anyway. Please correct me if I am wrong.

This is concerning because I'm about to onboard new members into my community, and I want to ensure they receive a professional and accurate experience. I'm worried that outdated information appearing in form attachments may create confusion or reflect poorly on either my community or the form itself.

Could you please investigate this issue and advise on how it can be resolved?

Thank you for your time and support. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Shyam

Hi Shyam,

Thanks for reaching out to Jotform Support. I'm an AI assistant here to assist you.

There are three alternative solutions if the PDF file doesn't change when you update the form and still shows old fields like the ones below your WhatsApp # field:

The first one is when you make any changes and open PDF Editor so it can sync with the current form:

1. After you make changes in Form Builder, click on the Downward Arrow icon on the top-left side of the page and select PDF Editor.
2. Click on the Yes, Proceed button in the window that pops up, and the file will update automatically to match your current form fields.

Second, you can always update the PDF file manually and remove or add specific fields. Here’s how to do it:

1. In PDF Editor, click on the Add Element menu on the left side of the page.
2. Click on the Form Fields tab, then remove any fields you no longer want on the PDF, or drag and drop/click on the fields you want to add to your PDF document.

And third, you can create the PDF file in a new tab again. The new file will include all the fields on the current form automatically and exclude removed ones. It's easy to set up. Let me walk you through it:

1. In PDF Editor, in the blue navigation bar at the top, click on the New PDF button.
2. In the window that opens, choose a layout and that’s it. A fresh PDF document will be generated based on your current form, so the outdated fields below WhatsApp # will no longer appear.

If you prefer that respondents do not receive any PDF attachment at all, you can also disable the PDF attachment in your Autoresponder Email by going to Settings → Emails → edit the Autoresponder → Advanced/Attachments and turning off the PDF attachment option.

Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Hi,

This sounds like a PDF mapping or template caching issue rather than a problem with the email notification itself. If fields were removed from the form but are still appearing in the attached PDF, I would recommend checking the PDF document linked to the form and regenerating the PDF mappings. Sometimes older field references remain stored in the PDF template even after the fields have been deleted from the form.

You may also want to duplicate the PDF document, reconnect it to the latest version of the form, and test a new submission. Clearing and rebuilding the PDF mappings often resolves outdated field data appearing in email attachments.

We encountered a similar issue while reviewing form-generated documents for the website, and recreating the PDF configuration fixed the problem.

Hope this helps!

click here for more information .