EscribalDrawing & shapes
This group draws vector graphics directly onto the PDF pages: straight lines, rectangles (square or rounded corners), ellipses and circles, polygons, arcs, curves, and solid or gradient color fills. Unlike text and paragraphs, these are shapes painted at exact positions on a chosen page — useful for diagrams, frames, dividers, colored backgrounds, and decorations.
Prerequisite: before using any of these instructions, the workflow must already have a PDF created (with Create PDF).
These concepts recur across every instruction in this group; they are explained here once.
-
Document: indicates which document in the workflow the instruction applies to. If left empty, the current document is used. If the document doesn’t exist (or is not a PDF), the instruction simply does nothing.
-
Shapes are drawn when the PDF is saved. Every instruction in this group is recorded now and painted when the PDF is saved (when it is rendered to the final file). The shapes appear in the finished
.pdf, not before, and they are drawn on top of whatever content is already on the page. -
Positions and sizes are in centimeters, measured from the top-left corner of the page. A point like
2, 2is 2 cm in from the left and 2 cm down from the top. -
Thickness is in points. Line and border thickness is given in points (a point is 1/72 inch), the usual unit for line weights.
-
Page numbers start at 1. Each shape is drawn on a single page. If the page number is out of range it is adjusted to the nearest valid page.
-
Colors are hex codes: line, border and fill colors are given as a hex code — 6 characters like
FF0000(red), with or without a leading#. An invalid code is drawn as black. -
Outline or filled: the shape instructions that can be hollow or filled (Draw Rectangle, Draw Rounded Rectangle, Draw Ellipse, Draw Polygon) decide it by their Fill color (hex) field: leave it empty for outline only, or give it a color to fill the interior (the outline is then drawn on top). The Fill Rectangle… instructions always fill and have no outline.
-
Dynamic values (
@name): in a text field (the polygon’s list of points, the line style, any color) you can type@followed by the name of a value saved earlier in the workflow, and it will be replaced by that value. -
“From variable” fields: the
@nametrick only works in text fields. The numeric fields in this group (page number, positions, sizes, radius, thickness, angles) each have a companion “from variable” field:- If you leave it empty, the value typed in the normal field is used.
- If you fill it in with the name of a saved value, the engine ignores the normal field and reads the value from that variable.
This is mainly for chaining instructions. If you only work with fixed values, you can ignore these fields. (The color fields don’t need one — they accept
@namedirectly — and the yes/no field Horizontal has no “from variable” companion.)
- Draw Arc .pdf
- Draw Bezier .pdf
- Draw Ellipse .pdf
- Draw Line .pdf
- Draw Polygon .pdf
- Draw Rectangle .pdf
- Draw Rounded Rectangle .pdf
- Fill Rectangle Gradient .pdf
- Fill Rectangle Solid .pdf
Draw Arc .pdf
Draws an arc (a slice of an ellipse’s outline) between two angles, inside an invisible bounding box.
When to use it: to draw a curved segment, a pie-slice edge, or a rounded connector on a page.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| X position (cm) | Left edge of the bounding box, from the left of the page | 2 |
No |
| Y position (cm) | Top edge of the bounding box, from the top of the page | 2 |
No |
| Width (cm) | Width of the bounding box | 6 |
No |
| Height (cm) | Height of the bounding box | 6 |
No |
| Start angle (degrees) | Angle where the arc begins | 0 |
No |
| Sweep angle (degrees) | How many degrees the arc spans from the start angle | 90 |
No |
| Border thickness (points) | Thickness of the arc line | 1 |
No |
| Color (hex) | Line color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
000000 |
No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| X position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Y position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Width (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Height (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Start angle (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Sweep angle (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Border thickness (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: the arc is drawn when the PDF is saved. It is only an outline (arcs are never filled). The page number is adjusted to a valid page if it is out of range; an invalid hex color is drawn as black.
Draw Bezier .pdf
Draws a smooth cubic Bézier curve from a start point to an end point, shaped by two control points.
When to use it: to draw a smooth freeform curve — a wave, an S-shape, or a custom connector — that a straight line or arc can’t produce.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| Start X (cm) | Horizontal position of the start point | 2 |
No |
| Start Y (cm) | Vertical position of the start point | 8 |
No |
| Control 1 X (cm) | Horizontal position of the first control point | 4 |
No |
| Control 1 Y (cm) | Vertical position of the first control point | 2 |
No |
| Control 2 X (cm) | Horizontal position of the second control point | 8 |
No |
| Control 2 Y (cm) | Vertical position of the second control point | 2 |
No |
| End X (cm) | Horizontal position of the end point | 10 |
No |
| End Y (cm) | Vertical position of the end point | 8 |
No |
| Border thickness (points) | Thickness of the curve line | 1 |
No |
| Color (hex) | Line color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
000000 |
No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Start X (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Start Y (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Control 1 X (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Control 1 Y (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Control 2 X (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Control 2 Y (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| End X (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| End Y (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Border thickness (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: the curve is drawn when the PDF is saved. The two control points pull the curve toward them but the line itself passes only through the start and end points. The page number is adjusted to a valid page if out of range; an invalid hex color is drawn as black.
Draw Ellipse .pdf
Draws an ellipse or circle that fits inside a rectangular box, optionally filled.
When to use it: to draw a circle, an oval highlight, or a rounded badge on a page. A square box (equal width and height) gives a perfect circle.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| X position (cm) | Left edge of the box, from the left of the page | 2 |
No |
| Y position (cm) | Top edge of the box, from the top of the page | 2 |
No |
| Width (cm) | Width of the box (the ellipse’s horizontal diameter) | 6 |
No |
| Height (cm) | Height of the box (the ellipse’s vertical diameter) | 4 |
No |
| Border thickness (points) | Thickness of the outline | 1 |
No |
| Border color (hex) | Outline color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
000000 |
No |
| Fill color (hex) | Interior color, 6 hex characters. Empty = no fill (outline only). Accepts @name |
(empty) | No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| X position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Y position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Width (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Height (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Border thickness (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: the ellipse is drawn when the PDF is saved. With Fill color (hex) empty only the outline is drawn; with a color the interior is filled and the outline is drawn on top. Page number is adjusted to a valid page if out of range; an invalid hex color is drawn as black.
Draw Line .pdf
Draws a straight line between two points, with a chosen thickness, color, and dash style.
When to use it: to draw a divider, an underline, a rule, or a connector between two points on a page.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| Start X (cm) | Horizontal position of the start point | 2 |
No |
| Start Y (cm) | Vertical position of the start point | 2 |
No |
| End X (cm) | Horizontal position of the end point | 10 |
No |
| End Y (cm) | Vertical position of the end point | 10 |
No |
| Line thickness (points) | Thickness of the line | 1 |
No |
| Style | Line style: solid, dash, dot, or dashdot. Supports @name |
solid |
No |
| Color (hex) | Line color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
000000 |
No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Start X (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Start Y (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| End X (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| End Y (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Line thickness (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: the line is drawn when the PDF is saved. An unrecognized
style falls back to solid. The page number is adjusted to a valid page if out of
range; an invalid hex color is drawn as black.
Draw Polygon .pdf
Draws a closed polygon through a list of points you provide, optionally filled.
When to use it: to draw a triangle, arrow, star, or any custom straight-sided shape by listing its corners.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| Points | The corners, in centimeters, as x1,y1|x2,y2|x3,y3…. Supports @name |
2,2|8,2|5,8 |
No |
| Border thickness (points) | Thickness of the outline | 1 |
No |
| Border color (hex) | Outline color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
000000 |
No |
| Fill color (hex) | Interior color, 6 hex characters. Empty = no fill (outline only). Accepts @name |
(empty) | No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Border thickness (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: if the Points field is empty, or it does not describe at
least two valid points, the instruction does nothing. Points are written as pairs
x,y separated by | (for example 2,2|8,2|5,8 is a triangle); the shape is always
closed (the last point connects back to the first). Decimals are written with a dot
(2.5,3.75), whatever your regional settings; a coordinate that is not a number counts
as 0. The polygon is drawn when the PDF is saved. With Fill color (hex) empty
only the outline is drawn; with a color the interior is filled and the outline is drawn
on top. An invalid hex color is drawn as black.
Draw Rectangle .pdf
Draws a rectangle at a position and size, optionally filled.
When to use it: to draw a frame, a box around content, a table cell, or a colored panel on a page.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| X position (cm) | Left edge, from the left of the page | 2 |
No |
| Y position (cm) | Top edge, from the top of the page | 2 |
No |
| Width (cm) | Width of the rectangle | 6 |
No |
| Height (cm) | Height of the rectangle | 4 |
No |
| Border thickness (points) | Thickness of the outline | 1 |
No |
| Border color (hex) | Outline color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
000000 |
No |
| Fill color (hex) | Interior color, 6 hex characters. Empty = no fill (outline only). Accepts @name |
(empty) | No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| X position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Y position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Width (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Height (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Border thickness (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: the rectangle is drawn when the PDF is saved. With Fill color (hex) empty only the outline is drawn; with a color the interior is filled and the outline is drawn on top. Page number is adjusted to a valid page if out of range; an invalid hex color is drawn as black.
Draw Rounded Rectangle .pdf
Draws a rectangle with rounded corners, optionally filled.
When to use it: to draw a soft-cornered box, a button-like panel, or a rounded frame instead of a sharp-cornered rectangle.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| X position (cm) | Left edge, from the left of the page | 2 |
No |
| Y position (cm) | Top edge, from the top of the page | 2 |
No |
| Width (cm) | Width of the rectangle | 6 |
No |
| Height (cm) | Height of the rectangle | 4 |
No |
| Corner radius (cm) | How rounded the corners are | 0.5 |
No |
| Border thickness (points) | Thickness of the outline | 1 |
No |
| Border color (hex) | Outline color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
000000 |
No |
| Fill color (hex) | Interior color, 6 hex characters. Empty = no fill (outline only). Accepts @name |
(empty) | No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| X position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Y position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Width (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Height (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Corner radius (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Border thickness (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: works exactly like Draw Rectangle but with rounded corners controlled by Corner radius (a larger radius gives rounder corners). It is drawn when the PDF is saved. With Fill color (hex) empty only the outline is drawn; with a color the interior is filled and the outline is drawn on top. Page number is adjusted to a valid page if out of range; an invalid hex color is drawn as black.
Fill Rectangle Gradient .pdf
Fills a rectangular area with a smooth gradient between two colors (no outline).
When to use it: to paint a colored banner, header background, or decorative panel that blends from one color to another.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| X position (cm) | Left edge, from the left of the page | 2 |
No |
| Y position (cm) | Top edge, from the top of the page | 2 |
No |
| Width (cm) | Width of the area | 6 |
No |
| Height (cm) | Height of the area | 4 |
No |
| Color 1 (hex) | The start color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
FFFFFF |
No |
| Color 2 (hex) | The end color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
0064C8 |
No |
| Horizontal | Yes = blend left→right; No = blend top→bottom | Yes |
No |
| X position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Y position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Width (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Height (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Horizontal (from variable) | Reads the yes/no value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: the fill is drawn when the PDF is saved and has no outline. The gradient runs from Color 1 to Color 2: left-to-right when Horizontal is Yes, top-to-bottom when No. Page number is adjusted to a valid page if out of range; an invalid hex color is drawn as black.
Fill Rectangle Solid .pdf
Fills a rectangular area with a single solid color (no outline).
When to use it: to paint a plain colored block — a highlight, a background panel, or a masked area — behind or over content.
| Parameter | Meaning | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Document the instruction applies to | (current document) | No |
| Page number | Page to draw on (starts at 1) | 1 |
No |
| X position (cm) | Left edge, from the left of the page | 2 |
No |
| Y position (cm) | Top edge, from the top of the page | 2 |
No |
| Width (cm) | Width of the area | 6 |
No |
| Height (cm) | Height of the area | 4 |
No |
| Fill color (hex) | Fill color, 6 hex characters. Empty = black. Accepts @name |
6496C8 |
No |
| Page number (from variable) | Reads the page number from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| X position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Y position (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Width (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
| Height (from variable) | Reads the value from a saved value | (empty) | No |
Important behavior: the fill is drawn when the PDF is saved and has no outline. Page number is adjusted to a valid page if out of range; an invalid hex color is drawn as black.
This documentation is the help of the application, and it comes underCreative Commons Attribution 4.0.