Smart Tags & Dynamic Data
Turn Any PDF into a
Personalised Document — Automatically
Smart Tags are dynamic placeholders you drop into any PDF template. Type a forward slash, search for any WordPress field, and PDFDraft replaces it with real data every time a PDF is generated — no manual editing, no coding.
15+
Smart Tags
3
Tag Categories
Zero
Manual Edits
Any
Template Type
How It Works
What Are Smart Tags?
Smart Tags are placeholders you insert into a WP Data Field element on your PDF canvas. When a PDF is generated, each tag is automatically replaced with live data from WordPress — post details, user information, or site settings.
Drag a WP Data Field onto your canvas, double-click, and type / to open the tag search menu
Start typing to filter — select your tag and it’s placed instantly
The canvas shows the placeholder — generated PDFs show real data
Style tags exactly like text — font, size, color, and alignment all carry through to the PDF
Tag Reference
Three Categories, Unlimited Possibilities
Every Smart Tag belongs to one of three data sources. Mix and match across categories in the same template.
📄 Post Data
Current Post or Page
Pull any field from the post or page the PDF is being generated for.
/post.title
/post.content
/post.excerpt
/post.author
/post.date
/post.modified
/post.url
/post.featured_image
/post.categories
/post.tags
👤 User Data
Current User or Author
Personalise with the logged-in user’s profile or the post author’s details.
/user.display_name
/user.email
/user.first_name
/user.last_name
/user.username
/user.bio
/user.avatar
🌐 Site Data
Global WordPress Settings
Brand your PDFs consistently using site-wide details from WordPress settings.
/site.name
/site.tagline
/site.url
/site.admin_email
/site.description
Date Fields
Date Formats, Your Way
Date fields output the current or post date in any format you choose. Pick a preset or enter a custom PHP date string for complete control over how dates appear in your PDFs.
Common Date Formats
F j, Y → January 15, 2025
m/d/Y → 01/15/2025
Y-m-d → 2025-01-15
l, F j, Y → Monday, January 15, 2025
Uses standard PHP date format strings. Any valid PHP format works.
Styling & Design
Style Tags Like Any Other Text Element
WP Data Field elements sit on the canvas just like any text block. Select one and the same toolbar appears — change the font, size, weight, color, and alignment. Every style choice is preserved when the PDF is generated.
Font family, weight, and size — identical controls to a text element
Text color, alignment, and line height carry through to the exported PDF
Position and resize the field freely — it’s just another canvas element
Use different styles per field — a name in large Fraunces, a date in small body text
Pair With the Visual Builder
Smart Tags Live Inside the Drag-and-Drop Canvas
Smart Tags aren’t a separate system — they’re a feature of the Visual PDF Builder. Drop a WP Data Field element onto the canvas, position it anywhere, style it however you like, and the tag does the rest at generation time. Every pixel of control, zero manual data entry.
Three Steps to Dynamic Data
Drag a WP Data Field element onto the canvas
Double-click → type / → search and select a tag
Save and publish — real data appears in every generated PDF
Use Cases
Smart Tags in Action
See how real teams use dynamic data to personalise every PDF they generate.
Personalised Certificates
Use /user.display_name and /post.date to auto-fill each certificate with the recipient’s name and the completion date.
Dynamic Invoices
Pull customer name, email, and post title into invoice headers with /user.* and /site.name tags for consistent branding.
Member Reports
Generate personalised activity or progress reports per user. Tags like /user.first_name and /user.bio make each report unique.
Event Tickets
Insert the attendee’s name, the event title from /post.title, and the event date via a formatted date tag — all automatically.
WooCommerce Receipts
Combine customer user tags with site branding tags to generate fully branded order receipts for every WooCommerce transaction.
Blog Post PDFs
Use /post.title, /post.content, and /post.author to turn any blog post into a download-ready formatted PDF.
FAQ
Common Questions About Smart Tags
Start Personalising Today
Every PDF, Personalised Automatically
Install PDFDraft free and start using Smart Tags in minutes. Drop a WP Data Field, type a forward slash, and let your WordPress data do the work.