Using Zapier and EasyFTP to upload a Jotform-generated PDF to an SFTP folder

I'm using Zapier to have the PDF that is generated get uploaded to an SFTP via EasyFTP. I followed the advice in this Jotform support doc to construct the PDF file URL: https://www.jotform.com/answers/2622930-we-need-the-pdf-url-in-zapier-we-get-the-attachments-urls-but-the-pdf-itself-is-missing

The file transfer to the SFTP is failing:

I'm getting this error when I test the generated URL: "{"error":"You're not authorized","success":false,"duration":"0.035"}"

How do I fix this? I need the PDF file I generate with Jotform to be sent to an SFTP folder, along with the attachment PDFs that are uploaded by customers when they complete the Jotform.

Hi Alex,

Thanks for reaching out to Jotform Support. I’ll need a bit of time to look into this. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

We appreciate your patience while we work on a solution.

Hi Alex,

The reason why you are seeing the error message You're not authorized is because the generated PDF does not have public access by default. This means that when you try to access the PDF URL, it requires proper authorization to view the file. You may turn off the Require log-in to see submissions option so that the URL can be accessed without needing to log in. Let me show you how:

1. On your My Workspace page, click your avatar on the top right.
2. Click on Settings.
3. On the left side menu, click on Security and enter your verification code.
4. Uncheck the box for Require log-in to see submissions.

If you want to keep the login requirement enabled for security reasons, you can include your Jotform API key in the request to authenticate and authorize access to the PDF file programmatically. This way, the system recognizes your request as authorized and allows the file transfer.

https://api.jotform.com/server.php?action=getSubmissionPDF&sid={SubmissionID}&formID={FormID}&reportid={yourPDFDocumentID}&apikey={apiKey}

Give it a try and let us know there’s anything else we can help you with.

Hi Christine,

The PDF has private information and it has to be password protected. How do we get Zapier to use the credentials to access the PDF?

Best,

Alex

Hi Alex,

Is the issue still happens after turning off the Require log-in to see submissions option on your account? If that's the case, this might be because you have limited access to the PDF since it is password-protected. You can make use of the option provided by my colleague, Christine, with using the API endpoint that includes your API key but you need to make sure that the Require login option is disabled.

Give it a try and let us know if you have any other questions.

Hi Jovito,

If I turn off the Require login option, won’t anyone be able to see the private information in the PDF? That’s not ok.

Hi Alex,

For testing purposes, you can try setting the password-protection on your PDF document then link it to your folder and if the PDF is still not working when using the API endpoint, our other option is to limit the users who can access the folder where these PDF documents are stored. Can you try testing this on your end and check if it works?

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

Hi Jovito,

How do I password protect the PDF? It’s not one that Jotform generates - it’s one that already exists and Jotform fills in the fields and signs

Best,

Alex

Hi Alex,

Could you confirm first that the PDF was successfully generated via the API method? And the issue now is the transfer or uploading of the PDF file to the SFTP site? If the PDF is not yet generated, I suggest we complete that first, before proceeding to the next step.

Because there's no direct API endpoint to automatically download PDFs in Jotform, you can manually create a PDF link via the API and download the PDF file of a submission. The URL link provided by Christine earlier can be use in GET request method to generate the PDF:

https://api.jotform.com/server.php?action=getSubmissionPDF&sid={SubmissionID}&formID={FormID}&reportid={yourPDFDocumentID}&apikey={apiKey}

Could you give this a try first and generate the PDF?

Once we hear back from you, we'll be able to move forward to the next step.

Thanks for breaking this down. I’ve been trying to automate document uploads from form submissions, and combining Zapier with EasyFTP sounds like a solid solution. The PDF URL trick you mentioned really helped me connect the dots. I was stuck on how to reference the file reliably in the Zap — this clears things up a lot.