Template Discovery • PrefillPDF API

Extract PDF Form Field Names

Inspect a PDF template and return its available form fields before building your mapping workflow.

Updated·Jul 13, 2026

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What you can do with PDF Form Field Extraction API

Automatic Discovery

Return available fields from uploaded templates.

Faster Integrations

Avoid manually inspecting every field name.

Accurate Mapping

Use exact field identifiers in your API payload.

Template Validation

Confirm required fields before generation.

Developer Output

Use the field list directly in your application.

Reusable Workflows

Save mappings for repeated template use.

How it works

1
Upload the template
Provide the fillable PDF you want to inspect.
2
Run field extraction
Call the field extraction endpoint.
3
Review the field names
Use the returned names to build your payload.
4
Generate PDFs
Send mapped values through the form-filling API.

Common workflows

Unknown Templates

Inspect third-party forms before integration.

Template QA

Verify field names after a template update.

Dynamic Mapping UIs

Build interfaces that let users map fields.

Form Libraries

Catalog fields across many uploaded templates.

Migration Projects

Move existing form workflows into an API.

Developer Testing

Inspect template compatibility during setup.

Benefits

Avoid guessing field names

Reduce setup time

Validate templates before use

Build safer mapping tools

Support many document templates

Improve form automation reliability

Related PDF API features

Extract JSON from PDF API

Convert PDF documents into structured JSON that is easier to validate, analyze, store, and send into automated workflows.

Fill PDF Forms API

Automatically fill PDF form fields using your data, templates, and API-driven workflows.

Extract Text from PDF API

Extract and clean readable text from PDF files for search, summaries, analysis, classification, and automated workflows.

PDF Watermark API

Add text or image watermarks to PDF documents automatically through an API-driven workflow.

FAQ

What fields can be detected?

The endpoint returns the available form field names found in the uploaded PDF template.

Why do I need exact field names?

Exact field names allow your API payload to place values in the correct PDF fields.

Can I use this before filling a PDF?

Yes. Field extraction is designed to help you build and validate the mapping first.

Can I inspect multiple templates?

Yes. You can run extraction for each template and maintain separate mappings.

Does this extract document text too?

This feature focuses on form field names. Use the text or JSON extraction features for document content.

Start using PDF Form Field Extraction API

Connect your PDF workflow to PrefillPDF and automate document processing from your application.