iterationlayer Extract Invoices and Build Accounts Payable Spreadsheet
Accounts payable teams receive PDF invoices from multiple vendors and need to log them into a spreadsheet for the approval workflow. This recipe extracts structured data from all invoices in a single call, then feeds the results directly into an XLSX tracker with one row per invoice.
APIs Used
Document Extraction (1 credit per page), Sheet Generation (1 credits/request)
Prerequisites
You need an Iteration Layer API key. Get one at platform.iterationlayer.com during the 7-day trial.
For full integration guidance (SDKs, auth, MCP, error handling), see the Iteration Layer Integration Guide.
Implementation
# Step 1: Extract structured data from all three invoices
EXTRACTION=$(curl -s -X POST https://api.iterationlayer.com/document-extraction/v1/extract \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"files": [
{
"type": "url",
"name": "invoice-acme.pdf",
"url": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-acme.pdf"
},
{
"type": "url",
"name": "invoice-brightway.pdf",
"url": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-brightway.pdf"
},
{
"type": "url",
"name": "invoice-delta-freight.pdf",
"url": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-delta-freight.pdf"
}
],
"schema": {
"fields": [
{
"name": "invoices",
"type": "ARRAY",
"description": "One entry per invoice file",
"fields": [
{ "name": "vendor_name", "type": "TEXT", "description": "Vendor or supplier name" },
{ "name": "invoice_number", "type": "TEXT", "description": "Invoice reference number" },
{ "name": "invoice_date", "type": "DATE", "description": "Invoice issue date" },
{ "name": "due_date", "type": "DATE", "description": "Payment due date" },
{ "name": "total_amount", "type": "CURRENCY_AMOUNT", "description": "Total invoice amount" },
{ "name": "currency", "type": "CURRENCY_CODE", "description": "Invoice currency" }
]
}
]
}
}')
# Step 2: Generate XLSX accounts payable tracker from the extracted values
curl -X POST https://api.iterationlayer.com/sheet-generation/v1/generate \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"format": "xlsx",
"styles": {
"header": {
"is_bold": true,
"background_color": "#1E3A5F",
"font_color": "#FFFFFF"
},
"body": {
"font_color": "#333333"
}
},
"sheets": [
{
"name": "Accounts Payable",
"columns": [
{ "name": "Vendor", "width": 30 },
{ "name": "Invoice #", "width": 18 },
{ "name": "Invoice Date", "width": 14 },
{ "name": "Due Date", "width": 14 },
{ "name": "Amount", "width": 16 },
{ "name": "Currency", "width": 12 },
{ "name": "Status", "width": 14 }
],
"rows": [
[
{ "value": "Alpine Office Supplies GmbH" },
{ "value": "INV-2026-0041" },
{ "value": "2026-03-01", "format": "date" },
{ "value": "2026-03-31", "format": "date" },
{ "value": 888.98, "format": "currency" },
{ "value": "EUR" },
{ "value": "Pending" }
],
[
{ "value": "Brightway Marketing" },
{ "value": "BWM-10094" },
{ "value": "2026-03-05", "format": "date" },
{ "value": "2026-04-04", "format": "date" },
{ "value": 3450.00, "format": "currency" },
{ "value": "EUR" },
{ "value": "Pending" }
],
[
{ "value": "Delta Freight Solutions" },
{ "value": "DFS-88321" },
{ "value": "2026-03-10", "format": "date" },
{ "value": "2026-04-09", "format": "date" },
{ "value": 554.85, "format": "currency" },
{ "value": "EUR" },
{ "value": "Pending" }
]
]
}
]
}'
import { IterationLayer } from "iterationlayer";
const client = new IterationLayer({ apiKey: "YOUR_API_KEY" });
// Step 1: Extract structured data from all three invoices
const extraction = await client.extractDocument({
files: [
{
type: "url",
name: "invoice-acme.pdf",
url: "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-acme.pdf",
},
{
type: "url",
name: "invoice-brightway.pdf",
url: "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-brightway.pdf",
},
{
type: "url",
name: "invoice-delta-freight.pdf",
url: "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-delta-freight.pdf",
},
],
schema: {
fields: [
{
name: "invoices",
type: "ARRAY",
description: "One entry per invoice file",
fields: [
{
name: "vendor_name",
type: "TEXT",
description: "Vendor or supplier name",
},
{
name: "invoice_number",
type: "TEXT",
description: "Invoice reference number",
},
{
name: "invoice_date",
type: "DATE",
description: "Invoice issue date",
},
{ name: "due_date", type: "DATE", description: "Payment due date" },
{
name: "total_amount",
type: "CURRENCY_AMOUNT",
description: "Total invoice amount",
},
{
name: "currency",
type: "CURRENCY_CODE",
description: "Invoice currency",
},
],
},
],
},
});
const invoices = extraction.invoices.value as Array<
Record<string, { value: unknown }>
>;
// Step 2: Generate XLSX accounts payable tracker from the extracted values
const sheet = await client.generateSheet({
format: "xlsx",
styles: {
header: {
is_bold: true,
background_color: "#1E3A5F",
font_color: "#FFFFFF",
},
body: {
font_color: "#333333",
},
},
sheets: [
{
name: "Accounts Payable",
columns: [
{ name: "Vendor", width: 30 },
{ name: "Invoice #", width: 18 },
{ name: "Invoice Date", width: 14 },
{ name: "Due Date", width: 14 },
{ name: "Amount", width: 16 },
{ name: "Currency", width: 12 },
{ name: "Status", width: 14 },
],
rows: invoices.map((invoice) => [
{ value: String(invoice.vendor_name.value) },
{ value: String(invoice.invoice_number.value) },
{ value: String(invoice.invoice_date.value), format: "date" },
{ value: String(invoice.due_date.value), format: "date" },
{
value: Number(
(invoice.total_amount.value as { amount: string }).amount,
),
format: "currency",
},
{ value: String(invoice.currency.value) },
{ value: "Pending" },
]),
},
],
});
from iterationlayer import IterationLayer
client = IterationLayer(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
# Step 1: Extract structured data from all three invoices
extraction = client.extract_document(
files=[
{
"type": "url",
"name": "invoice-acme.pdf",
"url": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-acme.pdf",
},
{
"type": "url",
"name": "invoice-brightway.pdf",
"url": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-brightway.pdf",
},
{
"type": "url",
"name": "invoice-delta-freight.pdf",
"url": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-delta-freight.pdf",
},
],
schema={
"fields": [
{
"name": "invoices",
"type": "ARRAY",
"description": "One entry per invoice file",
"fields": [
{"name": "vendor_name", "type": "TEXT", "description": "Vendor or supplier name"},
{"name": "invoice_number", "type": "TEXT", "description": "Invoice reference number"},
{"name": "invoice_date", "type": "DATE", "description": "Invoice issue date"},
{"name": "due_date", "type": "DATE", "description": "Payment due date"},
{"name": "total_amount", "type": "CURRENCY_AMOUNT", "description": "Total invoice amount"},
{"name": "currency", "type": "CURRENCY_CODE", "description": "Invoice currency"},
],
}
]
},
)
invoices = extraction["invoices"]["value"]
# Step 2: Generate XLSX accounts payable tracker from the extracted values
sheet = client.generate_sheet(
format="xlsx",
styles={
"header": {
"is_bold": True,
"background_color": "#1E3A5F",
"font_color": "#FFFFFF",
},
"body": {
"font_color": "#333333",
},
},
sheets=[
{
"name": "Accounts Payable",
"columns": [
{"name": "Vendor", "width": 30},
{"name": "Invoice #", "width": 18},
{"name": "Invoice Date", "width": 14},
{"name": "Due Date", "width": 14},
{"name": "Amount", "width": 16},
{"name": "Currency", "width": 12},
{"name": "Status", "width": 14},
],
"rows": [
[
{"value": invoice["vendor_name"]["value"]},
{"value": invoice["invoice_number"]["value"]},
{"value": invoice["invoice_date"]["value"], "format": "date"},
{"value": invoice["due_date"]["value"], "format": "date"},
{"value": float(invoice["total_amount"]["value"]["amount"]), "format": "currency"},
{"value": invoice["currency"]["value"]},
{"value": "Pending"},
]
for invoice in invoices
],
}
],
)
package main
import il "github.com/iterationlayer/sdk-go"
func main() {
client := il.NewClient("YOUR_API_KEY")
result, err := client.ExtractDocument(il.ExtractDocumentRequest{
Files: []il.FileInput{
il.FileInput{
Type: "url",
Name: "invoice-acme.pdf",
Url: "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-acme.pdf",
},
il.FileInput{
Type: "url",
Name: "invoice-brightway.pdf",
Url: "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-brightway.pdf",
},
il.FileInput{
Type: "url",
Name: "invoice-delta-freight.pdf",
Url: "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-delta-freight.pdf",
},
},
Schema: il.ExtractionSchema{
Fields: []any{
il.ArrayFieldConfig{
Name: "invoices",
Type: "ARRAY",
Description: "One entry per invoice file",
Fields: []any{
il.TextFieldConfig{
Name: "vendor_name",
Type: "TEXT",
Description: "Vendor or supplier name",
},
il.TextFieldConfig{
Name: "invoice_number",
Type: "TEXT",
Description: "Invoice reference number",
},
il.DateFieldConfig{
Name: "invoice_date",
Type: "DATE",
Description: "Invoice issue date",
},
il.DateFieldConfig{
Name: "due_date",
Type: "DATE",
Description: "Payment due date",
},
il.CurrencyAmountFieldConfig{
Name: "total_amount",
Type: "CURRENCY_AMOUNT",
Description: "Total invoice amount",
},
il.CurrencyCodeFieldConfig{
Name: "currency",
Type: "CURRENCY_CODE",
Description: "Invoice currency",
},
},
},
},
},
})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
_ = result
}
{
"name": "Extract Invoices and Build Accounts Payable Spreadsheet",
"nodes": [
{
"parameters": {
"content": "## Extract Invoices and Build Accounts Payable Spreadsheet
Accounts payable teams receive PDF invoices from multiple vendors and need to log them into a spreadsheet for the approval workflow. This recipe extracts structured data from all invoices in a single call, then feeds the results directly into an XLSX tracker with one row per invoice.
**Note:** This workflow uses the Iteration Layer community node (`n8n-nodes-iterationlayer`). Install it via Settings > Community Nodes on self-hosted n8n, or add it directly on n8n Cloud with Verified Community Nodes enabled.",
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"parameters": {
"content": "### Step 1: Extract Invoice Data
Resource: **Document Extraction**
Configure the Document Extraction parameters below, then connect your credentials.",
"height": 160,
"width": 300,
"color": 6
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"content": "### Step 2: Generate AP Spreadsheet
Resource: **Sheet Generation**
Configure the Sheet Generation parameters below, then connect your credentials.",
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"name": "Manual Trigger"
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{
"parameters": {
"resource": "documentExtraction",
"schemaInputMode": "rawJson",
"schemaJson": "[
{
\"name\": \"invoices\",
\"type\": \"ARRAY\",
\"description\": \"One entry per invoice file\",
\"children\": [
{
\"name\": \"vendor_name\",
\"type\": \"TEXT\",
\"description\": \"Vendor or supplier name\"
},
{
\"name\": \"invoice_number\",
\"type\": \"TEXT\",
\"description\": \"Invoice reference number\"
},
{
\"name\": \"invoice_date\",
\"type\": \"DATE\",
\"description\": \"Invoice issue date\"
},
{
\"name\": \"due_date\",
\"type\": \"DATE\",
\"description\": \"Payment due date\"
},
{
\"name\": \"total_amount\",
\"type\": \"CURRENCY_AMOUNT\",
\"description\": \"Total invoice amount\"
},
{
\"name\": \"currency\",
\"type\": \"CURRENCY_CODE\",
\"description\": \"Invoice currency\"
}
]
}
]",
"files": {
"fileValues": [
{
"inputMode": "url",
"fileUrl": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-acme.pdf"
},
{
"inputMode": "url",
"fileUrl": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-brightway.pdf"
},
{
"inputMode": "url",
"fileUrl": "https://example.com/invoices/invoice-delta-freight.pdf"
}
]
}
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"name": "Extract Invoice Data",
"credentials": {
"iterationLayerApi": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Iteration Layer API"
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{
"parameters": {
"resource": "sheetGeneration",
"sheetFormat": "xlsx",
"sheetsJson": "[
{
\"name\": \"Accounts Payable\",
\"columns\": [
{ \"name\": \"Vendor\", \"width\": 30 },
{ \"name\": \"Invoice #\", \"width\": 18 },
{ \"name\": \"Invoice Date\", \"width\": 14 },
{ \"name\": \"Due Date\", \"width\": 14 },
{ \"name\": \"Amount\", \"width\": 16 },
{ \"name\": \"Currency\", \"width\": 12 },
{ \"name\": \"Status\", \"width\": 14 }
],
\"rows\": \"{{ $json.invoices }}\"
}
]",
"sheetStylesJson": "{
\"header\": {
\"is_bold\": true,
\"background_color\": \"#1E3A5F\",
\"font_color\": \"#FFFFFF\"
},
\"body\": {
\"font_color\": \"#333333\"
}
}"
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"credentials": {
"iterationLayerApi": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Iteration Layer API"
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],
"connections": {
"Manual Trigger": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Extract Invoice Data",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
},
"Extract Invoice Data": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Generate AP Spreadsheet",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
}
},
"settings": {
"executionOrder": "v1"
}
}
Extract invoice data from the files at [file URL 1], [file URL 2], and [file URL 3], then generate an accounts payable spreadsheet. Use the extract_document tool with these fields:
- invoices (ARRAY): One entry per invoice file, each with:
- vendor_name (TEXT): Vendor or supplier name
- invoice_number (TEXT): Invoice reference number
- invoice_date (DATE): Invoice issue date
- due_date (DATE): Payment due date
- total_amount (CURRENCY_AMOUNT): Total invoice amount
- currency (CURRENCY_CODE): Invoice currency
Then use the generate_sheet tool to create an XLSX accounts payable tracker with the extracted rows.
Response
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"buffer": "UEsDBBQAAAAIAA...",
"mime_type": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet"
}
}