> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.sdocs.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.sdocs.com/developer-hub/document-workflows/software-development-kit/document-generation/method-generatedocument-modern.md).

# Method: generateDocument (Modern)

### Why?

Use `generateDocument` when your application requires immediate document generation and metadata return. This is the primary tool for "Real-Time" document needs, such as showing a PDF preview in an LWC immediately after a user clicks a button, or getting a `ContentDocumentId` to attach to a specific record in the same transaction.

### What: Technical Signature

This method is synchronous and resides in the `SDOC.DocumentSDK` class.

```java
public static String generateDocument(Id templateId, Id recordId, SDOC.GenerationOptions options)
```

| Parameter    | Type     | Required | Description                                                                             |
| ------------ | -------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `templateId` | `Id`     | Yes      | The 18-character Salesforce ID of the S-Docs Template.                                  |
| `recordId`   | `Id`     | Yes      | The ID of the base record (e.g., Account, Opportunity).                                 |
| `options`    | `Object` | No       | An instance of `SDOC.GenerationOptions` for advanced config (Email, User Inputs, etc.). |

Return Value Returns a JSON String. To access the data, deserialize it into a Map or a typed class:

```json
{
  "id": "a00...", 
  "contentDocumentId": "069...", 
  "attachmentName": "Invoice_V1.pdf",
  "createdDate": "2024-05-20",
  "ssignEnabled": "false"
}
```

***

### Solve: Implementation Patterns

**Scenario A: Basic LWC Controller**

Return the file ID directly to your front-end component for immediate viewing.

```java
@AuraEnabled
public static String getNewDocument(Id targetId, Id tempId) {
    // Generate and parse the result
    String jsonResp = SDOC.DocumentSDK.generateDocument(tempId, targetId, null);
    Map<String, Object> data = (Map<String, Object>)JSON.deserializeUntyped(jsonResp);
    
    return (String)data.get('contentDocumentId');
}
```

**Scenario B: Generation with Runtime User Inputs**

Inject data gathered from a custom UI directly into the document's merge fields.

```java
SDOC.GenerationOptions genOptions = new SDOC.GenerationOptions();
Map<String, String> inputs = new Map<String, String>{
    'Custom_Note' => 'This is a special instruction for this PDF.'
};
genOptions.documentOptions = new SDOC.DocumentOptions(inputs);

String result = SDOC.DocumentSDK.generateDocument(templateId, recordId, genOptions);
```

***

### ⚠️ Constraints & Limitations

* Format Support: Optimized for PDF and PDF-UPLOAD formats only.
* Context: Cannot be called directly within an Apex Trigger. Attempting to do so will throw a `GenerationException`.
* Transaction Limit: To protect org performance and governor limits, this method is restricted to one invocation per Apex transaction.
* Heap Size: Large templates with complex related lists may consume significant heap size. If you encounter `Heap Limit Exceeded`, consider offloading to the Asynchronous Jobs engine.


---

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