I'm interested in using DocuSign. I ran the demo and I saw what appeared to be a PDF file. My document that I require signing is a PDF file. Several questions.
Do I have to re-make my PDF file with DocuSign?
Is it even possible to use a PDF or must I use some sort of private DocuSign file format?
Step 2 on the "how does it work" page states you need to indicate who needs to sign. Does that mean I need to specify the names of the persons going to sign the documents? I ask this because I do not know the names of the people before hand, they download a PDF file from my website, and the functionality I need is as simple having them sign the pdf file they download then re-upload it.
DocuSign accepts virtually any file type, but converts any file that you provide to PDF format (if it isn't already in PDF format). You can certainly provide files to DocuSign in PDF format; i.e., you don't need to convert your PDF files to any other format before submitting them to DocuSign.
Regarding question #3 -- typically you'd design your web app to collect the user's name and email address prior to calling DocuSign to initiate the signing of the document(s). That way, when you make the API call to DocuSign to create the envelope and initiate the signing session, you include signer information (name and email address) in the API request.
Finally, if you're looking for a quick/easy way to collect signer info (name & email address) and get document(s) signed from your website, without having to build an API integration -- I'd suggest you checkout DocuSign PowerForms. Based upon the information you've provided about your scenario, using PowerForms might enable you to achieve your goal of getting the document(s) signed. Please note though, even if you use PowerForms to get the document(s) signed, you'll still need to use either the API or DocuSign Connect to retrieve the signed document(s) so that you can store them on your web server.
Related
My use case only requires Docusign for e-signature of pre-filled PDF forms.
The PDF forms will be generated on our application side where some fields will be automatically filled (using xPressions) and the user will fill in the remaining blank fields.
The use case:
In our web application the user is presented with a task/action.
After invoking the task the user is presented with a PDF form.
The user fills in the blank fields of the PDF form and closes it.
The user is then invited to e-sign the document.
The web applications initiates a session with Docusign and transfers the PDF document to Docusign.
The web application hands control over to Docusign (in an IFrame) where the user can add a signature to the document.
Docusign hands control back to the web application.
The user task is complete.
The web application retrieves the e-signed document.
End
In this use case we don't have a need for Docusign templates or powerforms as the PDF generation solution already exists. This existing PDF generation solution is quite complex and it would not feasible or cost effective re-implement within the Docusign solution.
My question, is the above, e-signature-only, use case feasible within the docusign solution?
You will want to use "embedded signing" to keep the entire flow within your web app. This is accomplished by specifying a "captive recipient" as the signer. In addition to name and email address, you will specify a "clientUserId" for the signer. This should be specific and unique to the actual signer, e.g. a "customer ID", employee ID, etc. In a pinch, you can use the email address.
See (https://developers.docusign.com/docs/esign-rest-api/esign101/concepts/embedding/).
You can use this API endpoint to create an envelope by passing your pdf.
See guide and section "Attaching documents to an envelope"
Is it possible to sign a Microsoft word or excel document by a user without having Docusign account(embedded signing ceremony)? Can we download the signed document later in the same format(.doc or .xlsx) using API?
Re:
Is it possible to sign a Microsoft word or excel document by a user without having Docusign account(embedded signing ceremony)?
The signer does not need an account. But the sender, the person initiating the signing request does need a DocuSign account.
Re:
Can we download the signed document later in the same format(.doc or .xlsx) using API?
The regular DocuSign eSignature service changes all source files, including Word and Excel files to the PDF format before they are signed.
DocuSign offers the DocuSign Signature Appliance which can digitally sign Word and Excel files in their native format. The result is a signed Word/Excel file which can still be used as a Word/Excel file. But any changes invalidate the digital signature.
First question:
If you build an integration for someone else - they wouldn't need to have an account. Someone (you, your customer, etc.) would have to have an account, but not every signer.
Second question:
The complete document is only available as PDF. You can convert it to some other format, but I'm not sure the reason you need it. The idea is that end-users can't easily modify that document, as you wouldn't want someone to sign something and than you changed what they signed, right?
I am working with existing Word documents that are currently updated in a mail merge. I would like to be able to (on the high-level) just be able to convert these documents in run-time to a Docusign template with signable fields and automatically send them (without having to upload documents to the Docusign site, etc., etc;). I don't want to change our current workflow, just add a "behind-the-scenes" step that automatically creates and sends the DocuSign envelope(s) to the specified signer. The users won't be signing into Word or DocuSign, they'll be literally clicking a "Generate and Send Document" button. Is the Docusign API object exposed in a way that makes this possible?
Chris Fleetwood
Software Developer
N.C. Partnership for Children, Inc.
cfleetwood#smartstart.org
One way you can do that is using the DocuSign Connector for Flow and PowerApps.
This does require you to have an account with Microsoft and potentially pay them extra (I'm not sure about that part, you would have to check with them) but it seems to have the functionality you need, without having to write any code.
DocuSign also has a Word Add-In that does support templates, but only through the template-match feature. If the document you are authoring looks like a document stored in your DocuSign account inside a template - you can use this template form Word with one-click.
I created a template and to use that I upload a excel with list of user's name and email. Then docusign send the email to recipients and signature is captured.
I want to automate part of it. Have a link in application that should fetch the document to sign [ parameter for templates - logged in user's name and email ] and then display the document for user to sign. How this can be achieved in java web application... we are using Oracle ADF for application.
This Code Example Launcher should help.
If you are looking to have your end-users sign via email, you can
(1) Utilize Bulk Send functionality to send a DocuSign template to a list of different users. See this guide
If, however, you are hoping to embed Docusign in your app, I would suggest you investigate
(2) Building embedded signing with a template. Specifically, Check out example #13.
I'm trying to integrate #docusignapi into my website and was looking for a pre-signed upload mechanism. But their API don't talk about that (at least I haven't seen it anywhere).
Did anyone successfully managed to do that?
If you are not familiar with pre-signed upload, here's a blogpost from Dropbox about how they propose that.
DocuSign does not offer a pre-signed upload feature at this time.
You can upload documents via the Envelope::create API call in the body of the JSON object after being Base64 encoded.
You can see this via scenario 2 in the example launchers (see below).
You can also upload document(s) in binary mode via a multi-part mime transaction. See scenario 10 in the example launchers.
Documents can also be uploaded in separate transactions if the envelope is first created in draft mode.
The example launchers are listed below. Each includes 14 or more scenarios.
C# -- https://github.com/docusign/eg-03-csharp-auth-code-grant-core
PHP – https://github.com/docusign/eg-03-php-auth-code-grant
Java – https://github.com/docusign/eg-03-java-auth-code-grant
Node.js – https://github.com/docusign/eg-03-node-auth-code-grant
Python – https://github.com/docusign/eg-03-python-auth-code-grant
Ruby – https://github.com/docusign/eg-03-ruby-auth-code-grant
Curl (direct API) – https://github.com/docusign/eg-03-curl
If you want UI to upload documents to the envelope before Sending the envelope for ESigning, the you can use Sender View for Draft envelope, with this soln. your customers need to come to your App, and then App can call this ESign APIs to generate one time URL, and load that URL in the browser to ask your users to upload the document on the Envelope.
Update:
There is one more option which can be used, but this will be only used if the recipient of the envelope has a DS Account, then you can add them as an Editor (Allow to Edit) recipient type in the workflow. When they will get email from DocuSign then they will login with their DS Credentials and can modify the envelope in same way as Sender of the envelope, with Editor Recipient Type, they can add/update Documents, add/update Recipients and their Tabs.