Form Processing

Extract field-value pairs from tax forms, applications, surveys, and other structured documents. Parse identifies form fields, checkboxes, and their associated values automatically.

Form Schema

For forms with known fields, define a specific schema. For unknown forms, use a generic field-value pair approach:

Specific Form Schema (e.g., W-9 Tax Form)

{
  "name": "w9_form",
  "description": "Extract data from W-9 tax forms",
  "fields": [
    { "name": "name", "type": "string", "description": "Name as shown on income tax return" },
    { "name": "business_name", "type": "string", "description": "Business name, if different" },
    { "name": "tax_classification", "type": "string", "description": "Federal tax classification" },
    { "name": "address", "type": "string", "description": "Street address" },
    { "name": "city_state_zip", "type": "string", "description": "City, state, and ZIP code" },
    { "name": "ssn", "type": "string", "description": "Social Security Number" },
    { "name": "ein", "type": "string", "description": "Employer Identification Number" },
    { "name": "signature_date", "type": "date", "description": "Date of signature" }
  ]
}

Generic Form Schema

{
  "name": "generic_form",
  "description": "Extract all field-value pairs from any form",
  "fields": [
    { "name": "form_title", "type": "string", "description": "Title or heading of the form" },
    { "name": "form_fields", "type": "array", "description": "All fields found in the form", "items": {
      "type": "object",
      "fields": [
        { "name": "field_name", "type": "string" },
        { "name": "field_value", "type": "string" },
        { "name": "field_type", "type": "string" }
      ]
    }},
    { "name": "checkboxes", "type": "array", "description": "All checkboxes found in the form", "items": {
      "type": "object",
      "fields": [
        { "name": "label", "type": "string" },
        { "name": "checked", "type": "boolean" }
      ]
    }},
    { "name": "signatures", "type": "array", "description": "Signature fields detected", "items": {
      "type": "object",
      "fields": [
        { "name": "label", "type": "string" },
        { "name": "signed", "type": "boolean" },
        { "name": "date", "type": "date" }
      ]
    }}
  ]
}

Code Examples

cURL

curl -X POST https://api.parse.conversiontools.io/v1/extract \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@application-form.pdf" \
  -F "schema=generic_form"

Python

import requests

headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}

with open("application-form.pdf", "rb") as f:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://api.parse.conversiontools.io/v1/extract",
        headers=headers,
        files={"file": f},
        data={"schema": "generic_form"}
    )

data = response.json()
print(f"Form: {data['data']['form_title']}")

for field in data["data"]["form_fields"]:
    print(f"  {field['field_name']}: {field['field_value']}")

for checkbox in data["data"]["checkboxes"]:
    status = "checked" if checkbox["checked"] else "unchecked"
    print(f"  [{status}] {checkbox['label']}")

Node.js

const fs = require("fs");

const form = new FormData();
form.append("file", fs.createReadStream("application-form.pdf"));
form.append("schema", "generic_form");

const response = await fetch("https://api.parse.conversiontools.io/v1/extract", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
  },
  body: form,
});

const { data } = await response.json();
console.log(`Form: ${data.form_title}`);

data.form_fields.forEach((field) => {
  console.log(`  ${field.field_name}: ${field.field_value}`);
});

data.checkboxes.forEach((cb) => {
  console.log(`  [${cb.checked ? "x" : " "}] ${cb.label}`);
});

Sample Output

{
  "success": true,
  "id": "ext_frm_001",
  "data": {
    "form_title": "Employee Onboarding Form",
    "form_fields": [
      { "field_name": "Full Name", "field_value": "Jane Smith", "field_type": "text" },
      { "field_name": "Email", "field_value": "jane.smith@email.com", "field_type": "email" },
      { "field_name": "Phone", "field_value": "(555) 123-4567", "field_type": "phone" },
      { "field_name": "Start Date", "field_value": "2024-02-01", "field_type": "date" },
      { "field_name": "Department", "field_value": "Engineering", "field_type": "text" },
      { "field_name": "Position", "field_value": "Senior Developer", "field_type": "text" },
      { "field_name": "Emergency Contact", "field_value": "John Smith - (555) 987-6543", "field_type": "text" }
    ],
    "checkboxes": [
      { "label": "I agree to the terms and conditions", "checked": true },
      { "label": "I have read the employee handbook", "checked": true },
      { "label": "I opt in to the dental plan", "checked": false },
      { "label": "I opt in to the vision plan", "checked": true }
    ],
    "signatures": [
      { "label": "Employee Signature", "signed": true, "date": "2024-01-25" }
    ]
  },
  "pages_used": 2,
  "confidence": 0.92
}

Tips for Form Processing

Use a specific schema when you know the form layout for higher accuracy
Checkboxes are detected automatically — both filled and empty states are captured
Signature detection identifies whether a field has been signed, not the signature content
Multi-page forms are supported — each page is processed and data is merged into a single result