Mixed PDFs in One Folder? Auto-Classify Them in Zapier Using PDF4me

If you’re drowning in a mix of invoices, contracts, and receipts — all landing in the same folder — sorting them manually simply doesn’t scale. Here’s a smarter fix: use PDF4me’s Classify Document action inside Zapier to automatically identify each PDF type and route it accordingly.

The logic is clean: define your classification rules once on dev.pdf4me.com, then let Zapier handle the rest every time a new file arrives.

What You’ll Need

• A PDF4me account — Classification templates live at dev.pdf4me.com. You define matching rules using regex or JavaScript expressions.
• A Zapier account — You’ll build a two-step Zap.
• A PDF4me API key — Used to connect PDF4me inside Zapier.
• A file source — This guide uses Dropbox (“New File in Folder”), but Google Drive or SharePoint work just as well.

Step 0: Set Up Your Classes on PDF4me First

Before touching Zapier, log in at dev.pdf4me.com and click Classify Document in the sidebar. This is where classification lives — Zapier just sends the file and gets back a result.

Click Edit, then add a class:

• Class Name — This is what Zapier receives (e.g., pdf4me_invoice)
• Expression type — Choose Regular Expression or JavaScript
• Expression — e.g., invoice(.*) to catch any document mentioning "invoice"

Test with a sample file, then hit Save Changes. Your Zap won’t work without this step done first.

The Zap: 2 Steps, Done

Step 1 — Trigger: New File in Folder (Dropbox)

Create a new Zap and set your trigger to Dropbox → New File in Folder. Configure it like this:

• Folder — Path to your watched folder (e.g., /Blog Data/Classify Document)
• Include files in subfolders? — False (unless you need subfolders)
• Include file contents? — Yes (critical — PDF4me needs the actual bytes)

Test the trigger and confirm you see 1. File, 1. File Name, and 1. File Ext in the output.

Step 2 — Action: Classify Document (PDF4me)

Add PDF4me as your action app and select **Classify Document**. Connect using your API key, then map the fields:

• File → 1. File from the trigger
• File Name → 1. File Name + 1. File Ext (e.g., Pdf4me + .pdf)

Run a test. The output will include Class Names (e.g., pdf4me_invoice) and a Trace Id. Each classification costs 1 credit.