How to create a PDF contract in OpenSolar

Overview

A PDF Drag & Drop contract template lets you upload your existing contract PDF and place dynamic fields on top of it. When a customer accepts a proposal, OpenSolar fills those fields with live project data and presents the completed PDF for review and signature.

Use PDF Drag & Drop when you want:

• Your existing branded layout and typography preserved
• Precise placement of fields on specific pages
• Fast setup from a finished PDF (no retyping the contract in OpenSolar)

Use the Text Editor (HTML) instead when you need to write the contract in OpenSolar or use conditional sections (for example, show battery terms only when a battery is included).

Important: Editor type (PDF Drag & Drop vs Text Editor) is chosen when you create the template and cannot be changed later.

Before you start

1. Prepare a clean PDF of your contract (final wording, page breaks, branding).
2. Keep the file under 10 MB.
3. Have a sample project ready with a system design and payment option that include the data you want on the contract (contacts, pricing, equipment, loan fields, etc.).
4. Optional: connect DocuSign or PandaDoc if you want e-signature through those providers.
5. Decide whether this template should auto-apply org-wide, by payment type, or only when selected on a project.

Step 1 — Open Contract Templates

1. Go to Control.
2. Open Purchase Experience.
3. Select Contract Template.

You will see My Contracts List.

Step 2 — Create a new PDF contract

1. Click + Add Contract 
2. Complete the create form:

3. If Auto-apply is enabled, optionally set:

• States and/or ZIP codes (US)
• Default for org
• Override default for specific payment types (Loan, PPA, Cash, Regular Payment, Lease, Prepaid Lease, Prepaid PPA)

4. Click Save.

The PDF upload and field placement happen on the Edit page after you save — not on the Create form.

Product guidance:

The PDF Drag-and-Drop is the fastest way to get your document set up. This option lets you upload your file and drag fields directly onto it without having to worry about formatting the underlying document.

Step 3 — Upload your PDF 

On the Edit page for your new template:

1. Find Step 1: Upload the PDF.
2. Click Import File (or the upload area).
3. Select your PDF.

Accepted types include PDF (and images). Maximum size: 10 MB.

Pages in the finished contract come from this uploaded file. You navigate with Prev Page / Next Page; you do not add or delete pages inside OpenSolar.

Step 4 — Load sample project data

Placeholders unlock only after you load sample data.

1. Find Step 2: Load Sample Data.
2. Select:

3. Click Load Sample Data.

If you skip this step, you will see:

To access placeholders please select a sample project, system, and payment option and then click the "Load Sample Data" button above.

Why sample data matters

• It unlocks the Field Placeholders list.
• Preview values come from that project/system/payment option.
• Choose a sample that includes every field you plan to place (for example, a loan option if you need lender/term fields).
• Re-load sample data if you change project, system, or payment option.

Step 5 — Drag placeholders onto the PDF

1. Open the Field Placeholders panel.
2. Use Search Placeholders or browse categories.
3. Drag a field onto the PDF page where it should appear.
4. Move it into position; use zoom and Prev/Next Page as needed.
5. Click a placed field to Format or Delete.

Placeholder groups you will commonly use

Many price fields (for example system price or down payment) default to Currency formatting when dropped.

Step 6 — Format placed fields

Select a field on the PDF, then open Format. Typical options:

Also available:

• Adjust font size for all placeholders? → Apply to All Placeholders
• Preview toggle to declutter the PDF while reviewing

Notes:

• Custom Django tags may show Preview unavailable in the editor — confirm by generating a contract on a real project.
• Formula results may not fully update in the editor preview; verify on a generated contract.

Step 7 — Optional: DocuSign or PandaDoc

On the Edit page, set Integration:

• None — OpenSolar native review and sign
• DocuSign — if your org is connected
• PandaDoc — if connected and enabled for your org

Then:

1. Drag DocuSign / PandaDoc fields from the placeholders panel onto the PDF (customer signature, countersigner, date signed, etc.).
2. Under DocuSign Settings or PandaDoc Settings, configure:

• Enable countersigner
• Dynamic (Assigned Team Member) or Fixed countersigner
• Countersigner name/email
• Optional DocuSign PDF header visibility
• Consumer protection guide templates where applicable

3. Save. Validation will warn if countersigner tags do not match the countersigner settings.

Step 8 — Save and assign the template

Click Save on the contract edit page.

How the template gets onto a project

A. Auto-apply (org default)
If Auto-apply is on and the project matches your filters / payment-type defaults, the template is selected automatically.

B. Per project or per system / payment option

1. Open the project → Online Proposal.
2. Expand Contract Template settings.
3. Choose:

• Set Per Project — one template for the whole project, or
• Set Per System/Payment option — different templates per payment option

4. Select your PDF template (or Default).

Step 9 — Test the customer experience

1. Open a project that uses the template.
2. Preview / accept the proposal and open the sign-contract step.
3. Confirm:

• PDF generates successfully (One moment while we generate your contract... should resolve)
• Fields are filled and aligned on each page
• Currency and dates look correct
• Signature flow works (native, DocuSign, or PandaDoc)
• Page navigation works (Prev Page / Next Page, expand/collapse if shown)

You can also generate a Contract PDF from the project (Manage → Generate Document → Contract PDF).

PDF vs HTML — which should I choose?

Editing an existing PDF template

• Control → Contract Template → Edit — upload a new PDF if needed, move/format fields, change auto-apply and integration.
• Online Proposal — you can select a PDF template for a project, but you cannot edit the PDF template content there.

If you open a PDF template from Online Proposal you will see:

Please edit this contract template via the Control tab
This contract template was made using PDF drag and drop. Templates made in this manner cannot currently be edited in the Online Proposal tab.

Implementing your E-Signature provider

OpenSolar integrates seamlessly with PandaDoc and DocuSign, allowing you to generate signature envelopes directly within your project workflow. By connecting these accounts, you eliminate the need to manually send documents externally, keeping the entire signing process within the OpenSolar customer experience.

Select a provider below to view the setup instructions:

• How to use PandaDoc on OpenSolar 
• How to set up DocuSign on OpenSolar 

Best practices

1. Design the PDF with clear blank space where dynamic fields will sit.
2. Use a sample project that matches the payment type and data you need.
3. Prefer Popular / structured fields over free text when the data already exists in OpenSolar.
4. Set Currency / date formatting on numeric and date fields.
5. Place signature tags with enough space for a clear signature.
6. Test at least one full checkout generation before enabling Auto-apply.
7. Duplicate a working PDF template when creating a language or payment-type variant.
8. Keep separate PDF templates for Cash vs Loan if layouts or fields differ a lot.

Troubleshooting

FAQ

What can I put on a PDF contract template?
Your uploaded PDF layout, plus dragged placeholders for customer, project, system, pricing, equipment, free text, custom tags, and e-signature fields.

Do I rewrite my contract in OpenSolar?
No. Upload the finished PDF and place fields on top of it.

Why must I load sample data?
Sample data unlocks placeholders and drives the on-canvas preview. Without it, you cannot drag fields.

Can customers still sign online?
Yes. They review the generated PDF in checkout and sign with OpenSolar native signing, DocuSign, or PandaDoc depending on Integration.

Can I have different PDF contracts for cash and loan?
Yes. Use Auto-apply payment-type overrides, or assign different templates per payment option on Online Proposal.

Can I add pages inside OpenSolar?
No. Page count comes from the uploaded PDF. Update the PDF file and re-upload if you need more pages.

Location of frequently used placeholders:

Related articles

• How to configure your HTML contract in OpenSolar