--- title: "Add Text to Document" url: "https://help.willow360.com/en/article/add-text-to-document" language: "en" last_updated: "2026-08-25T16:33:50.492Z" --- # Add Text to Document Add Text to Document is an automatic action in Willow360 that inserts one or more brand-new pages of formatted text before or after a document, without changing any of the document's existing pages. It is a straightforward way to add cover sheets, summaries, instructions, or other generated content to the files your workflows produce. ## When to Use Use Add Text to Document when: ● You want to add a cover sheet or title page to a document before it is delivered or signed. ● You want to append a summary or processing note after a document has been through a workflow. ● You need to include instructions for whoever receives the document next, such as an external signer. ● You want the inserted content to reflect the actual data collected or extracted earlier in the workflow, rather than fixed, generic text. ## How It Works A file reaches the Add Text to Document action in a workflow. Willow360 generates a new page, or set of pages, from the text you have configured, resolving any metadata tokens to their current values for that file. The generated page or pages are inserted either immediately before or immediately after the existing document, depending on how the action is configured. The original pages of the document are not altered in any way. Only new pages are added. The file continues through the rest of the workflow with the new content included. ## Key Rules and Considerations ● Add Text to Document only adds new pages. It cannot edit or overwrite the content of existing pages. ● Content is composed in a rich-text editor supporting headings, bold, italic, underline, and page breaks, so a single configuration can produce a multi-page insert if needed. ● Metadata tokens are resolved at the point the file reaches this action, so only metadata produced earlier in the workflow is available for use. ● The action can be placed before or after any other file-modifying action, so you can add an introductory page early in a workflow or a closing summary right at the end. ## Configuration There are three things to configure in the Add Text to Document action. Position Choose whether the new content is inserted before or after the existing document. Text Compose the content in the rich-text editor. Use headings, bold, italic, underline and page breaks to structure the content across one or more pages. Insert metadata tokens anywhere in the text to personalise the result automatically for each file. Text can be added in a single operation using Add All for a chosen metadata source, which drops in every available field from that source at once rather than one at a time. ## Practical Examples Customer cover sheet: a workflow that finalises signed agreements adds a page before the document reading "Prepared for \[Customer Name\], \[Company Name\] on \[Current Date\]", giving every document a consistent, professional opening page. Processing summary: an invoice approval workflow appends a page after the invoice reading "Approved by \[Approver Name\] on \[Approval Date\], total \[Total Amount\]", so the key facts are visible at a glance without opening the file history. Signing instructions: a contract workflow inserts a page of plain-English signing instructions before the contract, particularly useful for external signers who are new to WillowSign. Internal routing note: a scanned-document workflow appends a page recording which department the document was routed to and why, based on values extracted earlier by AI Data. ## Best Practices Keep inserted pages concise. A short, well-structured cover page or summary is easier to read than a long block of text. Use metadata tokens wherever the content should reflect the specific file, rather than typing fixed values that will not update for the next document. Place the action after any steps that produce the metadata you want to use, such as AI Data, Approve, or Fill in a Form, so the values are available when the text is generated. If you are adding both an introductory page and a closing summary, use two separate Add Text to Document actions positioned appropriately within the workflow. Preview the generated output with a sample file before relying on the action in a live workflow, particularly when combining several metadata tokens in one page. ## Troubleshooting A metadata token appears blank in the generated page: Confirm that the action producing that metadata runs earlier in the workflow and was not skipped by a condition. The inserted page appears in the wrong place: Check the Position setting and confirm whether it is set to insert before or after the existing document. Formatting looks different from the editor preview: Review the use of page breaks, as unexpected breaks can shift where headings or paragraphs land on the page. ## Related Articles [Unlocking the Power of Metadata in Willow360](https://help.willow360.com/en/article/unlocking-the-power-of-metadata-in-willow360) [Overview of Available Actions](https://help.willow360.com/en/article/overview-of-available-actions) [How to Configure and Use Each Action](https://help.willow360.com/en/article/how-to-configure-and-use-each-action) ## FAQs Q: Can Add Text to Document change the existing pages of a document? A: No. It only inserts new pages before or after the existing content. The original pages are never modified. Q: Can I insert pages both before and after the same document? A: Yes. Add two separate Add Text to Document actions to the workflow, one configured to insert before and one to insert after. Q: Can the inserted text include information collected earlier in the workflow? A: Yes. Any metadata produced by an earlier action, such as AI Data, Fill in a Form, or Approve, can be inserted as a token that resolves automatically for each file. Q: Will this action work if the source document is not a PDF? A: The action operates on the document as processed by the workflow. If your workflow converts files to PDF earlier, the inserted pages are added to the PDF output.