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Product Hack/help: Using Pipefy Connections as 'Picklists'

  • May 13, 2025
  • 1 reply
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I have an idea which will be of huge benefit for my customers, provide a customer service which betters the competition and also simplify existing operational complexity.

I have designed an elegant solution in Pipefy as a Proof of Concept but limitations on the way Pipefy Start Forms display data from connected pipes appears to make this approach useless.

Use Case

I want to provide Customers with a Pipefy Public Start Form to allow them to request services from a pick list of service offerings from my company. Each Service offering will describe

  • who the service is intended for (eg private individual, business etc)
  • what the service is, what the service includes
  • what the service does not include
  • service pricing

This will ensure the customer can make an informed decision and choose the most appropriate service.

Great!

Proof of Concept

  1. I’ve created a “Service Picklist” Pipe which will essentially serve as a database Picklist of Services (see attached Card screenshot “Example Service.png” as an example of one of our services) as defined in the Pipe
  2. I’ve created a simple (public) Enquiry Pipe which connects to the “Service Picklist” Pipe allowing a customer to select a Service from the picklist - https://app.pipefy.com/public/form/rlQiqW1R

Issues

  1. Customer browses/picks Service from the Picklist
    Pipefy truncates data from the Service Picklist. Customers therefore cannot see information about the service and therefore cannot make informed choices - eg see “Issues when selecting a service from the picklist.png”
  2. PDF Generator does not include connected fields
    We want to be able to send a PDF copy of a customer enquiry using Pipefy’s PDF Generator but the PDF Generator does not allow inclusion of data on connections

Help !

Can anyone suggest a way I can achieve this use case using Pipefy?

Best answer by joao-quint

Thank you for providing such a well-documented use case — it’s clear you’ve thoughtfully structured a solution in Pipefy that has strong potential for both operational efficiency and improved customer experience.

Let’s break this down and explore how to work around the current limitations, especially around connected fields and visibility on Public Start Forms.

🧩 Your Goal (Recap)

  • Let customers choose from a list of services via a public Start Form.

  • Each service should display:

    • Purpose

    • What’s included / not included

    • Pricing

  • Once selected, you want:

    • The full description of the selected service visible to the customer

    • A PDF output that includes all those service details (even if they come from a connected pipe)

❌ Current Limitations You’ve Found

  1. Connected field data (like Purpose, Pricing, etc.) is not shown in full in the Public Start Form.

  2. Pipefy's PDF Generator does not include connected field data, which makes your automated communications incomplete.

✅ Workarounds & Solutions

🔹 1. Replace Connection with Dropdown + Conditional Blocks

Instead of using a connection to a Service Pipe:

  • Create a dropdown field listing all services (e.g. “Occupational Therapy Functional Assessment...”).

  • For each service, use Conditionals to:

    • Display rich text blocks (Read-only fields) showing all the related details.

    • These blocks can include text fields for pricing, purpose, inclusions, etc., fully visible to the customer.

🟢 Benefit: All information is visible in the form.
🔴 Limitation: Less scalable (you must maintain the data in the form, not centrally).

📚 How-to: Using Conditional Fields

🔹 2. Embed Service Details as Rich Text in the Enquiry Pipe

Use a long text or rich text field (even hidden) and populate it via automation (Workato, Make, or API):

  • When a service is selected (from a connected field or dropdown),

  • Use an automation to:

    • Fetch the data from the “Service Picklist”

    • Concatenate it into a single text field (Service Details)

    • This field can then:

      • Be shown in the form

      • Be printed in the PDF

📚 How-to: Using Pipefy GraphQL API

🔹 3. Use External Form + Pipefy API

If you need full flexibility and control over layout:

  • Create a custom frontend (even in a simple web page or Google Form)

  • Fetch services via Pipefy’s GraphQL API

  • Show full service details

  • Once the customer selects one, submit the data via API into the Enquiry Pipe

📚 How-to: Create a card via API

🔹 4. PDF Generator Alternative

Since Pipefy’s native PDF Generator does not include connected data:

  • Use Zapier, Make (Integromat), or n8n to:

    • Fetch both the enquiry card and its connected service record

    • Generate a PDF using tools like Google Docs + Google Drive, PDF.co, or Placid

    • Send it via email or attach it to the card

📚 Help: Pipefy + Make Integration Guide

🧠 Suggested Flow (No-Code Friendly)

  1. Public Start Form

    • Dropdown: “Choose a Service”

    • Conditional read-only fields: show purpose, price, etc.

    • Hidden field: store full service summary

  2. Automation or API

    • On form submission, populate hidden fields with full data if needed

  3. PDF Generation

    • External tool like Make pulls the card + details

    • Generates PDF and emails to customer

✅ Summary

Problem Solution
Truncated connected fields in form Use dropdown + conditional text, or external form/API
PDF missing connected field data Use automation to copy data into fields OR generate PDF externally
Scalable service picklist Maintain service records in database, fetch with API for full flexibility

 

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1 reply

joao-quint
Pipefy Staff
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  • joao-quintPipefy Staff
  • Pipefy Staff
  • 47 replies
  • Answer
  • July 1, 2025

Thank you for providing such a well-documented use case — it’s clear you’ve thoughtfully structured a solution in Pipefy that has strong potential for both operational efficiency and improved customer experience.

Let’s break this down and explore how to work around the current limitations, especially around connected fields and visibility on Public Start Forms.

🧩 Your Goal (Recap)

  • Let customers choose from a list of services via a public Start Form.

  • Each service should display:

    • Purpose

    • What’s included / not included

    • Pricing

  • Once selected, you want:

    • The full description of the selected service visible to the customer

    • A PDF output that includes all those service details (even if they come from a connected pipe)

❌ Current Limitations You’ve Found

  1. Connected field data (like Purpose, Pricing, etc.) is not shown in full in the Public Start Form.

  2. Pipefy's PDF Generator does not include connected field data, which makes your automated communications incomplete.

✅ Workarounds & Solutions

🔹 1. Replace Connection with Dropdown + Conditional Blocks

Instead of using a connection to a Service Pipe:

  • Create a dropdown field listing all services (e.g. “Occupational Therapy Functional Assessment...”).

  • For each service, use Conditionals to:

    • Display rich text blocks (Read-only fields) showing all the related details.

    • These blocks can include text fields for pricing, purpose, inclusions, etc., fully visible to the customer.

🟢 Benefit: All information is visible in the form.
🔴 Limitation: Less scalable (you must maintain the data in the form, not centrally).

📚 How-to: Using Conditional Fields

🔹 2. Embed Service Details as Rich Text in the Enquiry Pipe

Use a long text or rich text field (even hidden) and populate it via automation (Workato, Make, or API):

  • When a service is selected (from a connected field or dropdown),

  • Use an automation to:

    • Fetch the data from the “Service Picklist”

    • Concatenate it into a single text field (Service Details)

    • This field can then:

      • Be shown in the form

      • Be printed in the PDF

📚 How-to: Using Pipefy GraphQL API

🔹 3. Use External Form + Pipefy API

If you need full flexibility and control over layout:

  • Create a custom frontend (even in a simple web page or Google Form)

  • Fetch services via Pipefy’s GraphQL API

  • Show full service details

  • Once the customer selects one, submit the data via API into the Enquiry Pipe

📚 How-to: Create a card via API

🔹 4. PDF Generator Alternative

Since Pipefy’s native PDF Generator does not include connected data:

  • Use Zapier, Make (Integromat), or n8n to:

    • Fetch both the enquiry card and its connected service record

    • Generate a PDF using tools like Google Docs + Google Drive, PDF.co, or Placid

    • Send it via email or attach it to the card

📚 Help: Pipefy + Make Integration Guide

🧠 Suggested Flow (No-Code Friendly)

  1. Public Start Form

    • Dropdown: “Choose a Service”

    • Conditional read-only fields: show purpose, price, etc.

    • Hidden field: store full service summary

  2. Automation or API

    • On form submission, populate hidden fields with full data if needed

  3. PDF Generation

    • External tool like Make pulls the card + details

    • Generates PDF and emails to customer

✅ Summary

Problem Solution
Truncated connected fields in form Use dropdown + conditional text, or external form/API
PDF missing connected field data Use automation to copy data into fields OR generate PDF externally
Scalable service picklist Maintain service records in database, fetch with API for full flexibility

 

João Quint - Support Team

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