How to Use AI Templates in Composer
AI Templates let you turn any existing PDF document — an offering memorandum, a property flyer, a deal summary — into a fully functional, CRM-connected Composer template. Instead of building from scratch, you start with what you already have. The AI handles the layout reconstruction, field mapping, and image placement. You review, adjust, and publish.

This guide walks you through the complete workflow from uploading a PDF to exporting a finished, client-ready document.

What you'll need before you start

• A Composer account with AI Templates enabled (your admin controls this via the feature flag in org settings). ⚠️ Note: to see the feature enabled, you need to log in again to the Ascendix Composer tool.
• A PDF you'd like to convert — a marketing flyer, offering memo, or any document you regularly produce manually
• Access to the Salesforce org your Composer account is connected to

Step 1: Create a template from your PDF
Go to Templates → New Template → Printable → Create from PDF

Template creation options

You'll be prompted to upload your file. Choose your PDF and confirm. Composer will display an AI processing notice — this is expected and indicates that your document is being analyzed by the AI. The process typically takes under a minute for a standard 5–10 page document.

Upload a PDF

While the template is being generated, you'll see a progress indicator on the template card in your list. 

Tips for a better result:

• Clean, structured PDFs produce the closest match. A well-formatted single-column flyer will come out nearly identical to the original.
• Very dense multi-column layouts or PDFs with heavy graphical overlays may need some manual cleanup after generation — but you're still starting from a foundation, not a blank page.
• AI analyzes the content and groups it under sections (chapters). It may be 1 page = 1 section, or multiple pages with the same content aggregated into a single section.

Step 2: Choose the right Salesforce object
During the creation flow, before the template generates, Composer will ask you to confirm the Main Object — the Salesforce object that drives data fill (Listing, Contact, Opportunity, etc.). If unsure, use the “Auto-detect” feature.

Select a Main Object

The AI scans your PDF for entity clues and suggests up to 3 likely matches from your org. In most cases, the top suggestion is correct — click to select it and move on.

Main Object suggestions

Step 3: Review and complete variable mapping
Once the template is ready, open it. You'll land in the AI Template editor — this is where you review and fine-tune everything the AI set up.

AI Template editor

Open the Edit tab on the right panel. This is your central view of all dynamic elements: text fields, image placeholders, and map elements. Each one shows its current status:

• Mapped — linked to a Salesforce field with a confidence score.
• Unmapped — the AI couldn't find a match and flagged it for your attention.
• Static — not dynamic; will display the same content in every publication.

For text variables: Work through any unmapped items. Click the element you need to check, and pay attention to the Edit tab → Connect to Salesforce tab. In the text settings panel in the Edit tab, you can:

• Link the text to a Salesforce field, so it pulls the right content from the record at publication time.
• Keep it static if you want the same text in every document (like a logo or a background).

Unmapped text

If the field is not mapped, click the “Link field” button, enter the description (or field name if you know it) into the input, and click Submit.

Mapping input

Once the field is mapped, check its relevance.

Mapped text

For image variables: Each image the AI extracted from your PDF appears in the template at the correct position. By default, images are set up to support dynamic linking to Salesforce image gallery fields. In the image settings panel, you can:

Unmapped image

• Link the image to a Salesforce field, so it pulls the right photo from the record at publication time.
• Keep it static if you want the same image in every document (like a logo or a background)
• Replace the image with a different asset from your library (for static images only).

Image mapped to Salesforce

For map variables: If your PDF contained a map, the AI converts it to a Composer Map element — a live, data-driven map that renders based on the record's location data. In the map settings panel, you can:

• Connect the map to the relevant Salesforce geo field (field type: “Geolocation”).
• Set pin style, zoom level, and display logic.
• Switch between dynamic and static mode.

Map style settings

Step 4: Adjust template settings
At the top of the AI Template editor, you'll find the Template Settings header — the same controls you're used to in standard Composer templates. You can:

• Rename the template.
• Change the page orientation (portrait/landscape).
• Adjust the page size (Letter, A4, etc.).

AI Template settings

Step 5: Set conditions to control what appears in each document (optional)
If your document needs to show or hide content depending on the data in the record, you can use conditions in your AI template — the same conditional logic available in standard Composer templates.

Conditions let you define rules like:

• Show this section only if the property has a listed price
• Hide this block if the lease type is not NNN
• Display a different header depending on the asset class

How to set a condition: Select the element or section you want to control, open its settings panel, and look for the Conditions option. From there, define the rule based on the Salesforce field value you want to evaluate.

Condition in AI Template

Conditions are evaluated against the actual record data at publication time, so each generated document reflects the correct content for that specific record without any manual editing.

Step 6: Edit the layout using AI Chat (optional)
If you want to change the look of your template without navigating through editor panels, use the AI Chat sidebar — the chat icon in the right panel of the editor.

Type what you want in plain language. The AI applies the change directly to the template canvas:

• "Make the headline font larger and bold"
• "Add a dark blue banner across the top of the first section"
• "Remove the second image block"
• "Reorganize this section into two columns"

The editor stays fully responsive while the AI processes your request. Every change is validated before it's applied, so your template's structure and field mappings always stay intact.

Two types of edits you can make:

Element-level edits — when you reference a specific element, only that element changes. Everything around it stays exactly as it is. Use this for precise, targeted adjustments: resize the image, change the heading color, adjust the text block's font size.

Section-level edits — when you need to restructure a whole area: change the column layout, reorder content blocks, simplify a dense section. These are broader changes, so be specific about what you want to keep.

If the AI seems to lose track after many edits, click New Chat in the sidebar to reset the conversation context. This does not undo any changes to the template; it just gives the AI a fresh start for your next instruction.

New chat button

Step 7: Generate a publication
When your template is set up and you're happy with the layout, it's time to generate a publication. You can do this from two places:

• From Composer: Click Generate Publication on the template. Select the Salesforce record (or records) you want to generate documents for — this is the record that will supply all the live data.

Generate button in Ascendix Composer

• From Ascendix Search (inside Salesforce): You can also trigger publication generation directly from the Ascendix Search window in Salesforce, without opening Composer separately. Navigate to the record you want to generate from, open Ascendix Search, and select your AI template from the available templates. This is useful when you're already working in Salesforce and want to produce a document without switching tools.

Ascendix Composer window in Salesforce

Choosing your PDF output format: When generating for multiple records, Composer lets you choose how to package the output:

• Separate PDF per record — each record produces its own standalone document. Use this when you're generating individual property briefs or client-specific materials.
• Single combined PDF — all records are merged into one document. Use this when you're producing a portfolio or a multi-listing overview where all the records belong together in one file.

Make your selection before confirming, and Composer will generate accordingly.

Once confirmed, Composer fills the template with live Salesforce data at the time of generation using its native data-fill engine. The publication will appear in your Publications list with a status indicator.

Step 8: Review the publication before exporting
Before you export to PDF, open the publication from the publications list to review the output. This is your final check:

• Did all the fields fill correctly?
• Does the layout hold up with this record's actual data? (Long values can sometimes overflow a text box)
• Are the images showing correctly?
• Do the numbers, dates, and currencies look right for this document?

If anything looks off, you can make edits directly in the publication editor. When you're satisfied, proceed to export.

Regarding formatting: Number, date, and time values in AI publications automatically follow the format settings configured in your Organization Settings in Composer. You don't need to set this up per template — it's applied automatically on every publication run. If you see unexpected formats, check your Org's regional settings in Salesforce.

 

 

Step 9: Export as PDF
From the publications page, click Export as PDF. Composer generates a downloadable PDF that matches your template layout exactly — same sections, same formatting, same dynamic content from the record.

AI Publication editor

If you choose separate PDFs, each record's document downloads individually. If you choose a combined PDF, you receive a single merged file. Either way, the output is ready to attach to an email, share with a client, or upload to your document management system.

Troubleshooting common situations
 

Issue	Solution
The template was generated, but some sections look off	Complex layouts with overlapping elements or multi-column structures may need minor manual cleanup. Use the standard Composer editor tools to adjust or describe the change to AI Chat. If some pages are missed, either regenerate or create it from scratch in the template using AI Chat.
Several text fields are showing as unmapped	This usually happens with custom Salesforce fields that have non-descriptive internal names. Open the Edit tab, click on each unmapped element, and assign the correct field by describing which data you expect to see here. It's a one-time setup per template.
The map isn't showing in my PDF	Check two things:   1. whether the Google Maps API key is added to your Org Settings. 2. whether the map element is connected to a Salesforce field that contains geographic coordinates for the record you're generating.   If there is no key, ask your Salesforce Admin to add it here: If the map is not connected to any SF field, select it, open the Edit tab, and describe the data you expect to see here.   Another problem is missing geo data in the CRM. In this case, you will see the default geo data in the publication generated from such a record (Dallas, TX).
AI Chat changes aren't doing what I expected	Try being more specific about which element you mean and what change you want. Instead of "changing the text," try "changing the font size of the headline in the first section to 24px." If the AI seems confused after many edits, click New Chat to reset context and try again. Do not hesitate to open the Edit tab and make any edits manually.
My conditions aren't showing the right content	Check that the field you're evaluating in your condition is correctly mapped, and that the field value on the record matches exactly what your condition expects. Field values are case-sensitive in conditions. Open the template, review the condition rule, and re-generate once corrected.
Dates or numbers are showing in an unexpected format	AI publications use the date, time, and number formats from your Salesforce Org settings. If the format doesn't match your expectation, check the regional format settings in your Salesforce org configuration.
I can't find my AI template in the Ascendix Search window	Make sure the AI Suite package is enabled for your org and that your user role has access to it. If the package is enabled and you still don't see AI templates in the Ascendix Search template list, contact your Ascendix Support.
I've submitted the PDF and am waiting for too long	The larger the PDF, the longer processing will take. If you’re waiting longer than 20 minutes, try resubmitting. For persistent issues, contact Ascendix Support.