← CatalogTrace Starter workflow · v1

FOR AUTOMATION BUILDERS

Your PDF extraction
step, ready to wire in.

Use CatalogTrace as the extraction step in an existing n8n workflow. A manual run sends one PDF URL to Apify and returns lines with original text, mapped fields, page coordinates and a mandatory review flag.

Download n8n workflow JSON ↓

The template is free to download. Running its Apify step uses your own account and can incur usage charges. It is an independently authored starter, not an n8n-approved template. Local configuration and review-code checks are complete; import and end-to-end execution in n8n have not yet been verified.

Five-minute setup

  1. Import the JSON into your n8n instance using Import from File. It uses built-in Manual Trigger, Code, HTTP Request and Sticky Note nodes only.
  2. In Extract with CatalogTrace, select an n8n Header Auth credential. Header name: Authorization. Value: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN. Create/select this credential privately; never paste a token into the workflow JSON.
  3. Read Choose PDF and layout. Its initial input points to a real, public historical Steel Industries catalog, physical page 13. These prices are not current purchasing data. Use the default only to reproduce the documented test, or replace the URL, pages and column boundaries for a document you are authorized to process.
  4. Review current Apify pricing. This workflow sets maxTotalChargeUsd=0.11, 512 MB and a 60-second Actor timeout. The $0.11 budget is not a minimum charge. Every manual execution may start another billable run.
  5. Execute once. Inspect Human review queue. All extracted lines remain unapproved, including apparent product rows. A missing currency remains unknown, and headers are not silently removed.

What happens next?

Compare rows against the source PDF. Then build an explicit human approval step before copying approved data to a business system. This template does not send email, update an ERP, match products, place orders or write to Sheets.

Failures and retries

There are no automatic retries of the run-start request. If the HTTP request times out or the connection drops, inspect your Apify Runs page before manually retrying: a run may already exist and could still incur charges. A failed or malformed response stops the workflow. An empty result is not evidence of a successful catalog import.

Data handling

The Actor processes files in Apify; n8n may retain input/output in execution history. Review retention settings. For confidential PDFs, adapt the input to authorized base64 upload rather than publishing a public file URL. Never process a file you have no right to share with these services.

Try the product first

Real extraction walkthrough · Free local browser tool · API, limits and privacy · CatalogTrace on Apify

No production-readiness, universal accuracy or time-saving claim is made. Scans, wrapped product lines or different layouts may require additional work.