How to sign a document via api call? - docusignapi

How can I sign a document via API call without email client and UI interaction? Or if there is no way to sign, perhaps there is a way to force change status of a document?
I've seen many people asked for this and the answer was no, but all those posts are 2 years old. Perhaps there is a solution to it today?
It is possible to do everything via UI, but it is a terrible idea to spend time on an external service instead of your system under test.
Some say it defeats the purpose as the signer must view the document first, yes, but it is irrelevant, I simply want to test the flow of the system under test.
Please advise!

For testing purposes, you do not need to unit test the DocuSign signing ceremony since we test it all of the time. Instead, test that your API calls create the DocuSign envelope correctly.
For example, after your application creates the DocuSign envelope, your tests can interrogate DocuSign (via the API) that the envelope exists, is ready to be signed, etc.
If you're using embedded signing, you can test that your app can successfully obtain the URL for the signing via the DocuSign API.
For an end to end test, test software is available (from test software organizations) to interact with a web browser as a human does. Only test envelopes can be "signed" in this way.
For production signing of documents, the DocuSign signature appliance supports programmatic signing of documents using standards-based signatures (digital signatures). Your workflow must be authorized to sign documents on behalf of the signer.
For example, programmatically signing invoices sent by a company to its customers.

Related

Docusign - how to integrate docusign for multiple users each having different docusign credentials and multiple customers

I have an app were there are 2 kinds of users.
A builder and an owner.
Now there is a centralized platform that I am building, were each builder who have their own docu sign account with them, will register. And then provide with a docusign URL (I am not sure what that is), and the owner then clicks on the link, once they are logged in to their part of the system. They sign the document using docusign and the builder gets the corresponding response in the centralized system.
Is this approach can be done using docusign? Or the working of this is completely different?
You're likely referring to embedded signing vs remote signing from what I understood from your description.
https://developers.docusign.com/docs/esign-rest-api/esign101/concepts/embedding/
In embedded signing, your app will take care of authenticating the users on DocuSign's behalf.
Yes. The Builders are the DocuSign senders. As you say, they have the DocuSign accounts that will be integrated into your system.
The owners are DocuSign recipients. More specifically Signer Recipients.
The owners do not sign into DocuSign at all. They may register (and login) themselves with your app, that's a different issue.
When appropriate, the owners click a link on your app to sign documents.
You then have some options: did the builder initiate a signing request for the owner to sign at some point in the future? Or is the signing request initiated when the owner decides that they want a document generated that they will then sign? (Or both?)
When it comes time for signing, if the signing ceremony is presented by your app to the owner, we call that embedded signing.
If the builder initiates a document to be signed by the owner, then the quickest technique is to immediately send a signing request (by email or SMS) directly to the owner. That's called remote signing by DocuSign. (The other way to do it is to wait until the next time the owner logs into your app. I would not recommend this since it would tend to slow down the completion of the signing process.)

Docusign API: Multiple signatures in same ceremony

I'm investigating the feasibility of my company using the DocuSign API for a specific scenario. We are generating PDFs on our side which we then wish to use embedded signatures to sign on our end. The form must be signed by two parties, who are both physically present in the same session.
It sounds like Docusign isn't friendly towards the idea of submitting custom PDFs with signatures on them, as opposed to applying signatures to uploaded template PDFs. It also sounds like it does not want to do two different signatures in the same ceremony for security / auditing reasons. Is this correct? I'm not interested in doubling my number of round trips.
DocuSign can handle this scenario via one embedded signing session per signer. That way, each signer sees what is appropriate to them, the auditing is complete, etc.
You could also enable each signer to sign via their own mobile phone rather than passing around a tablet or somesuch.
Yes, there would be more than one API call to set this up. API call times to create a new signing session are quick. This is a frequent use case for DocuSign customers and developers.

Docusign eSignature REST API authentication

I am trying to integrate Docusign in my Web application. The website workflow will be as follows:
Users visit my website and log in.
Users will be given the option to choose Docusign Templates.
After selection, users need to sign that document.
After a successful signing, the signed document is sent to some authority.
My problem is how can I link my users to Docusign to sign. Does every user needs to have an account for embedded signing?? I need some help in understanding the flow of authentication and signing in DocuSign REST API. I have gone through the documentation but didn't understand properly. When I try to use the auth grant GitHub code to understand the flow. After logging in, it throws a null pointer exception. Please, someone, help me.
You can find code example in different languages to do what you're asking (sign from a template). You will want to use embedded signing so that the user sign as part of the app and not remote signing (via email).
As for your authentication question, no, signers never need to be part of the account. The sender can be a single user that is "sending" envelopes that are embedded in the app. So while there's no sending technically, you can think of it this way.
Hope this makes sense, please ask additional questions if not clear
recipientID is a GUID uniquely used to identify a recipient in DocuSign. When you create an envelope, each recipient should have one.
"and If the same name+email combination comes again, will it get the same signature or generate a new one?" It will remember it if they have an account.

Is it possible to simulate signing of a document via DocuSign API?

I'm working on testing our application and have the need to simulate signing of a document via the API. These aren't real documents I just need to be able to set the signing the order in a specific order but I don't receive emails for recipients until the previous one has signed. So is it possible to use the DocuSign API to sign a "Sign Here" tab? Or do I have any other options?
I haven't been able to find any clear information on this topic although I fear the answer is not. Looking through DocuSign's REST API there's a couple of endpoints that suggests I might be able to do this but I'm not quite sure it's referencing what I'm looking to do. The following endpoint has a GET and PUT function but not sure it's what I want.
{{baseUrl}}/envelopes/{{envelopeId}}/recipients/{{recipientId}}/signature_image
No, the DocuSign API does not have a functionality for 'robo-signing'.
If the goal is to check routing order, you could change a Signer to a Carbon Copy recipient: CC roles are immediately completed.
For reference, the signature_image API calls allow you to view or change a user's adopted signatures. They shouldn't be used to apply a signature to a document.

Provisioning limited DocuSign REST API Access

A 3rd party website is offering our service to their members. When they sign up, members have to agree to our contract. Currently this is handled manually, with envelopes being sent through email. We want to streamline this process allowing members to enter their information into the web site, and then immediately be presented with a contract to review and sign.
The 3rd party web site will collect the member information, then use the REST API to create a draft envelope based on a Template and information the the member enters on the website. The application will then display the contract in the web page so that the user can review and sign it. The document workflow will ensure that signed copies are routed to appropriate parties within our company via email for completion.
We want the 3rd party web site to have access to an account to which we can share templates. We want the 3rd party application to have very limited capabilities trhough the API:
Submit requests using a User ID and Integrator Key that we provide. These credentials need be different from other User Ids and Integrator Keys under our account
Create a draft envelope based on the templates we provide
Post a Recipient View allowing the application to display the document for review and siganture (in an IFrame)
Receive the signing status via the return URL provided in the Recipient View post
Possibly request status for an envelope
The external application should not have access to other templates, documents, or unnecessry API calls.
We want to be able to cancel the application's access at any time.
Question: Permissions and API Limitations
Is the above scenario feasible with respect to establishing limited access to the DocuSign REST API? How would we set this up?
Do account user permissions limit API use, if the API is enabled for the user? I found these settings in the user permissions section of the documentation. I can make guesses as to how to set them, but I need guidance on the actual implications of some settings.
Submit DocuSign API Requests: true
Manage Account: false
Send Envelope: true
Manage Templates: Use
DocuSign Desktop Client: false
Transfer Envelopes to User: false
Allow sender to set email language for recipients: false
I assume "Account-Wide Rights" should be false, but under that option in the documentation, it lists RequestStatus as one of calls covered. Will an application embedding the signing process still have sufficient permissions to complete the tasks listed above if "Account-Wide Rights" is false?
Are there other settings or issues I need to consider?
Firstly, thanks for using DocuSign. The answer to your question is in a few different parts. To clarify, I am answering assuming:
1.) You are a current customer (or about to be one) of DocuSign.
2.) You have a plan that is set up to allow integration (IE you aren't trying to do all of this with a personal plan, or something like that).
There are a couple of terms I will use... Sender and Recipient. In this scenario, the THird Party Website is "the sender" and they are Sending the documents through YOUR DocuSign account, using the API. The people who are signing up for your service are going to be Envelope Recipients.
Just like with the post office, someone has to send, and someone gets the envelope.
So far so good.
So what will happen is that the third party website will write some code that knows how to talk to the DocuSign API, and you will need to know:
-DocuSIgn Account ID (this is your DocuSign account)
-The Integrator Key (this is the key that you will need to certify before going live, which identifies all those API calls as coming from them)
-Credentials to access your account (this can be either the actual creds, or a token, etc).
Now, there are two ways to do it. You can either have the third party website make the and send all of the envelopes as if they all came from a single "user" in DocuSign (likely) or if you know that a particular user should send out things, you can do that too.
I am going to assume that all of the sign up packets will be sent as if they came from something like Signup#company.com.
So you will make sure you have a user in your DocuSIgn account with that Email address and name, and make sure that user has the ability to send via the API (there's a setting in DocuSign admin), and all envelopes will be sent as if that "person" sent them.
You will need the settings for that user (the one that will "send" all the envelopes), set as you showed above. You would need the Account Wide access if you wanted to send "on behalf of" a different user. But you aren't doing that, so you should be cool.
The last thing is that you will need to make sure you have an envelope based plan (as opposed to a seat based plan) because otherwise, that one mega-user will look suspicious (sending hundreds of envelopes in an automated fashion).
I hope this answers the question?
-Dan

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