Hard-Coded Document Implementation Guide

This guide explains how to create and integrate a new hard-coded document into the document generation system.

Overview

Hard-coded documents are PDF templates with mostly static content and some dynamic fields (like borrower names, dates, etc.). They are used for standardized forms and disclosures.

Step-by-Step Implementation

1. Analyze the Source PDF

Carefully review the PDF document to identify:
Static content (disclosure text, headers, instructions)
Dynamic fields (borrower names, dates, loan information)
Page structure and breaks
Footer information
Tables and formatting requirements

2. Create the HTML Template

Create your HTML file in: documents/hard_coded_documents/html_templates/YOUR_DOCUMENT_NAME.html

Basic HTML Structure:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Document</title>
    <style>
        @page {
            size: Letter;
            margin: 0.75in 0.44in;
            font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;

            /* Footer configuration */
            @bottom-left {
                content: "Loan Officer Company NMLS #:\A{{ loan_officer_company_nmls }}\A...";
                font-size: 8px;
                white-space: pre;
            }
            @bottom-center {
                content: "Page " counter(page) " of X";
                font-size: 8px;
            }
            @bottom-right {
                content: "{{ footer_text }}\APrinted:{{ printed_date }}";
                font-size: 8px;
                white-space: pre;
            }
        }

        body {
            font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
            margin: 0;
            padding: 0;
            font-size: 11px;
        }

        /* Page break */
        .break-before {
            page-break-before: always;
        }

        /* Add other styles as needed */
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="page-content">
        <!-- Your content here -->
        {{ dynamic_field }}
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Key HTML Elements:

Headers: Use company logo and QR code if needed html <img src="{{ company_logo }}" alt="Company Logo" class="logo"> <img src="data:image/png;base64,{{ qr_code_base64 }}" alt="QR Code">
Dynamic Fields: Use Jinja2 template syntax html {{ borrower_name }} {{ printed_date }}
Signatures: Create empty fields for signatures ```html

```

Tables: Use standard HTML tables with borders ```html

Header {{ data }}

```

3. Create the Python Data Generator

Create your Python file in: documents/hard_coded_documents/input_jsons/YOUR_DOCUMENT_NAME.py

Basic Python Structure:

from datetime import datetime


def get_your_document_name_data(loan):
    """
    Generate data for Your Document Name
    """

    # Get current date
    printed_date = datetime.now().strftime("%m/%d/%Y")

    # Get borrower information
    borrowers = []
    youngest_borrower = loan.get_youngest_borrower()

    if youngest_borrower:
        borrowers.append({
            "name": youngest_borrower.get_full_name(),
            "signature": "",  # Empty for signature
            "date": ""  # Empty for date
        })

    # Get loan officer information
    loan_officer_nmls = loan.get_loan_officer_nmls_id() or "DEFAULT_VALUE"
    loan_officer_company_nmls = loan.get_loan_officer_company_nmls_id() or "DEFAULT_VALUE"

    # Return all data needed by the template
    return {
        # REQUIRED: URL for QR code generation
        "url": f"https://example.com/loan/{loan.id}",

        # Dynamic fields from loan object
        "borrowers": borrowers,
        "loan_officer_nmls": loan_officer_nmls,
        "loan_officer_company_nmls": loan_officer_company_nmls,
        "printed_date": printed_date,

        # Static/hard-coded values
        "footer_text": "YourDocumentFooter-2024",
        "document_id": "12345",

        # Any other fields your template needs
        "custom_field": "value",
    }

4. Register the Document in generator.py

Add your import at the top of documents/hard_coded_documents/generator.py:

from .input_jsons.YOUR_DOCUMENT_NAME import get_your_document_name_data

Add your case in the get_template_data function:

elif template_name == "YOUR_DOCUMENT_NAME":
    return get_your_document_name_data(loan)

5. Add to Constants

In documents/hard_coded_documents/constants.py, add your document to HARD_CODED_DOCUMENT_TYPES:

{"name": "Your Document Display Name", "value": "YOUR_DOCUMENT_NAME"},

6. Test Your Document

Restart your application
The document should now appear in the UI document list
Generate a test document to verify:
All dynamic fields populate correctly
Page breaks work as expected
Footer appears on all pages
Formatting matches the original PDF

Common Patterns

Multiple Borrowers

borrowers = []
for borrower in loan.borrowers.all():
    borrowers.append({
        "name": borrower.get_full_name(),
        "signature": "",
        "date": ""
    })

Conditional Content

{% if condition %}
    <p>Show this content</p>
{% endif %}

Loops in Templates

{% for item in items %}
    <div>{{ item.name }}</div>
{% endfor %}

Page Numbers

The CSS @page rule handles automatic page numbering:

@bottom-center {
    content: "Page " counter(page) " of " counter(pages);
}

Best Practices

Keep Static Content Static: Don't make fields dynamic unless they actually change
Use Consistent Naming: Match file names with the value in constants.py
Handle Missing Data: Provide defaults for optional fields
Test Pagination: Ensure content doesn't overflow pages
Match Original Formatting: Pay attention to fonts, sizes, and spacing

Troubleshooting

Document doesn't appear in UI: Check that all 4 integration steps are complete
Import errors: Verify file names match exactly
Missing data: Check loan object methods and provide defaults
Formatting issues: Use browser developer tools to inspect generated HTML
QR code not showing: Ensure url field is included in data dictionary

Example Documents

For reference, see these existing implementations: - HECM_NOTE.html / HECM_NOTE.py - HECM_DOT.html / HECM_DOT.py - HECM_TIL_APPLICATION.html / HECM_TIL_APPLICATION.py