Merge External Documents

introduction in this test drive, you will explore how cloudfiles document generation docid\ cmqmhkrlb3mveyvyapv9c , integrated with document management & sharing docid 3gglz90lgx5zfwkrgm7ra and salesforce flows, can automatically merge multiple documents stored in external storage (e g , sharepoint, google drive) into a single consolidated pdf file this setup allows users to upload multiple documents to a connected folder, select desired files to merge and then trigger a flow that generates a new combined pdf note the file types supported for merging are pdf, docx, images (png and jpeg) all of this is powered by salesforce flows and the flow actions from cloudfiles the test drive takes less than a minute to complete instructions follow the steps below to test the setup 1 go to the split or merge documents tab and create a new record no additional input is required — just save it 2 navigate to the external files tab on the record and and upload multiple files using the cloudfiles widget this uploads the documents into the connected external folder (i e a sharepoint folder) refresh the widget if the folder doesn't appear 3 in the file list, select the files you wish to combine then, click on the list button dropdown and choose "merge" 4 wait a few seconds for the automation to complete refresh the page to view updates 5 cloudfiles will combine the selected files and generate a new document named "merged pdf" into the folder 6 a corresponding result document record is created and the final merged file can be found attached to record, in the cloudfiles widget under the external files tab implementation this test drive is implemented using a salesforce auto launched flow, powered by the merge documents (sync) docid\ akbaey1ytn5miwrzxe1tl flow action the screen flow performs the following steps collects resourceids of files selected passes the selected resourceids to the merge documents (sync) docid\ akbaey1ytn5miwrzxe1tl action creates the final merged file into connected folder creates a result document child record and attaches the merged pdf to it additionally, this setup leverages the ability to add custom buttons to the file dropdown or list view in the cloudfiles component these buttons can be configured to launch either screen flows or auto launched flows , providing seamless integration and user triggered automation directly from the file interface beyond this test drive the merge documents (sync) action from cloudfiles isn’t limited to just this test drive—it can be reused across a variety of salesforce flows and automation scenarios whether you're working with screen flows, record triggered flows, or scheduled flows, this action can help automate document packaging tasks across teams below are few ways this action can be leveraged in broader enterprise use cases screen flows for on demand document packaging use the merge action in guided screen flows where users interactively select files from cloudfiles widget to merge external storage files, rename output, or trigger downstream steps auto merge on metadata updates (cloudfiles event triggered flows) trigger the document merge automatically when certain conditions are met—like when an external resource's metadata meet certain conditions scheduled flows for batch document compilation run scheduled flows that periodically merge documents (daily, weekly, monthly) for operational tasks post signature document bundling after a contract is signed via esignature, use the merge action to combine the signed contract, terms, and client documents into a single client archive package dynamic file assembly based on related records use flow logic to dynamically gather and merge files based on related objects or metadata conditions with document generation docid\ cmqmhkrlb3mveyvyapv9c + document management & sharing docid 3gglz90lgx5zfwkrgm7ra , cloudfiles allows you to automate generation and organizing documents in external storage directly from salesforce—boosting operational efficiency and enhancing user interactions