Home Integration guide Invoice sending

Attachments and invoice image

When sending e-invoices, a PDF version of the invoice is always sent, except in Peppol. It is expected that ERP generates and sends the invoice image in PDF format along with the XML. In that way the user can have better overview of the PDF view of the invoice.

The invoice image and attachments can be embedded within XML or sent within a zip with the XML itself, depending on the invoice format that is used.
If the invoice image is sent as an attachment within a zip file, the invoice XML and invoice image in the zip needs to be named the same way for AutoInvoice to recognize the attachment as the invoice image. For example 12345.xml and 12345.pdf. Name of the other attachments doesn’t need to match with the XML file.

Attachment (image or other) size is maximum 10 Mb per file. Server limit for the whole package is 150 Mb. It is not recommended to use big attachments. Smaller the better.

You cannot send attachments inside a zip file if you use a format that supports embedding (eg: Peppol BIS 3.0, OIOUBL 2.1). Any extra files will be skipped from the zip file.

In case PDF invoice image is not provided, a general invoice image will be created by AutoInvoice based on the original XML invoice, using the AutoInvoice PDF templates. The purpose of PDF templates is to provide bare minimum substitution of missing PDF invoice image, in order to avoid stopping the invoice sending process.

AutoInvoice PDF templates include the core invoice content. This substitution PDF invoice image might not satisfy everyone’s needs, therefore it is recommended that the ERP provide own PDF invoice image along with the XML, especially when special content contrsuction or specific design of invoice image is needed.

In AutoInvoice there are two different general templates in use, depending on market area / country where the invoice is sent to. Belowe you can find the examples.

The design of the general templates may change at time, however keeping all the existing document data in it.

Supported attachment filetypes

  • .tif
  • .tiff
  • .jpg
  • .jpeg
  • .png
  • .gif
  • .txt
  • .xml
  • .xls
  • .xsl
  • .xlsx
  • .html
  • .htm
  • .pdf - RECOMMENDED
  • .aix
  • .doc
  • .docx
  • .ods

These are the attachment types supported by AutoInvoice SOAP and REST API.

Note that there might be also format and operator specific limitations. Remember check limitations from format’s documentation, e.g. PEPPOL support only these MimeCodes.

Examples

Example XML files have tag names as values to make make it clear where they will be visualised in the PDFs. Note that if all the address details are given the PDF will easily expand to two or more pages.

Finvoice

The following example PDF is generated when invoice is sent in Finnish market, and the XML is in Finvoice 3.0 format.

Download as PDF

The following example PDF is generated when invoice is sent in other markets, and the XML is in Finvoice 3.0 format.

Download as PDF

Finnish market example has <SpecificationDetails> -element given (<SpecificationFreeText> tags). That element has different font and styling. The font is Courier (all the characters are equally wide). The purpose of using this font type in this case is to keep the formatted text as it is given in the XML.

Example usage of <SpecificationDetails> -element and how it would look like in the PDF

<SpecificationDetails>
  <SpecificationFreeText>LASKUN VAPAAMUOTOISET ERITTELYTIEDOT:</SpecificationFreeText>
  <SpecificationFreeText>Sarake-1              Sarake-2                                                             Sarake-3</SpecificationFreeText>
  <SpecificationFreeText>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</SpecificationFreeText>
  <SpecificationFreeText>1.sarakkeen tieto     2.sarakkeen tieto                                                       10,00</SpecificationFreeText>
  <SpecificationFreeText>Toinen rivi           Toinen rivi                                                          1 000,00</SpecificationFreeText>
  <SpecificationFreeText>Kolmas rivi           3/2                                                                      1,00</SpecificationFreeText>
  <SpecificationFreeText>Muotoituja tietoja voidaan käyttää mm.tarkemman erittelyn esittämiseen:</SpecificationFreeText>
</SpecificationDetails>

SpecificationDetails example

TEAPPSXML

The following example PDF is generated when invoice is sent in Finnish market, and the XML is in TEAPPSXML 3.0 format.

Download as PDF

The following example PDF is generated when invoice is sent in other markets, and the XML is in TEAPPSXML 3.0 format.

Download as PDF