When sending a document to be signed, with DocuSign, I can choose a Document Label for the document with a dropdown list which I can manage administrative access. I don't, however, see the purpose of the Document Labels since I don't see any obvious way of using them to e.g. filter documents and create statistical reports. More information on the subject can be found here.
Can somebody describe to me the actual purpose of having these labels?
Here is screenshot of the Document Labels section:
Hmm, I agree the documentation you linked is missing some detailed information on what they are for. In Classic (and soon again to be in the New UI) they were called Envelope Custom Fields, from the old documentation they are classified as "fields that can be used to record information about the envelope, help search for envelopes and track information. The custom fields are shown in the Message window when a user is creating an envelope. The custom fields are not seen by the envelope recipients."
Think of it as an invisible label that you can than use to report on later. In the Reporting section of DocuSign it's actually called "Custom Field" and can be added to reports:
Envelope custom fields (Document Labels) are labels used to classify, record, and track information about envelopes sent by a user. These labels are shown to a sender when an envelope is being created; they are not seen by recipients.
The values for an envelope custom field can be free-text entries, or selected from a list of possible values. Envelope custom fields can be required or optional.
It is a metadata over envelopes. For instance, if you want to associate a case number or Invoice Number present in your system with an envelope but you do not want recipient to see it then you use Envelope custom fields (Document Labels) for this purpose. Then you can search envelope based on this label value in the Manage tab in your DocuSign Account. So Document Label helps in mapping data in your system with the envelopeId plus it helps you send extra data on an envelope which you do not want recipient to see.
Related
Is there a way that I can provide any custom document metadata when adding documents to my DocuSign envelopes when using the REST API?
DocuSign appear to enforce the use of a positive integer for the DocumentId's we provide in the envelope. Whilst we are indeed using a positive integer, sometimes, there is some additional info that we need to supply, which we would like to come back in the DocuSign webhook events for specific documents.
I've had a look at the Document object but can't see anything obvious that I could use. An example would be simply providing a true/false along with a specific document, which I can inspect when I receive the DS webhook events.
At the moment, the only workaround I can think of is to add an Envelope Custom Field which contains any of my DocumentId's where 'true' is applicable, which feels like a bit of a shoddy solution, and I don't know if there's a character limit in those Envelope Custom Fields, which could break such a workaround.
Custom envelope text fields give you complete flexibility on providing meta-data that you can get back from the webhook. Here is some information about this:
This is how you create a custom field for an envelope:
https://developers.docusign.com/docs/esign-rest-api/reference/Envelopes/EnvelopeCustomFields/create/
This article shows code examples in 7 languagues on how to get the custom fields values :
https://developers.docusign.com/docs/esign-rest-api/how-to/get-envelope-custom-field-values/
I am testing the Docusign API and I can send a document to sign and get it signed in the position I want using the SignHere data structure and setting the AnchorString.
I want to add a field for the signed date but what is the format and field name required. I can't see anywhere that tells me how to type these into a Word document.
I see you can create templates online using Docusign and put in these fields but I don't see how that will work for us. The document will be dynamically created by our document assembly system and then sent via the Docusign API so I need to build in the fields at that point when I add the signature anchor string.
So what is the Word document special field format and list of Docusign available fields please?
Also it would be good to know how to insert a field to ask the signer to enter some text. Any entry box.
Thanks for any help.
If you're using Salesforce to send out these documents, the DocuSign CLM product supports template codes in Word. See docs.
Otherwise, you can only specify locations of fields (tabs) in the Word doc. This is done via anchor strings also known as auto-place fields. Docs.
Placing the anchor strings in your Word doc is the first step. For the second step, I recommend that you create a DocuSign template by using the DocuSign web tool. Then, when you send the document via the API, you combine it with the template. Or better, you can insert the Word document into the template itself.
The advantage of this technique is that your business users, with the right instructions, can update the template by themselves.
An alternative is for the DocuSign API request to specify the document and the various fields (tabs) that should be included in the document for the signers.
Added
Two other options:
Create your source documents as HTML documents. You can include special tags to indicate different types of DocuSign fields. You can also indicate sections of documents that can be expanded/closed by the signer. HTML field documentation.
This is the best approach, IMHO.
Create your source documents as PDF Forms with form fields. DocuSign can then transform the PDF form fields into DocuSign form fields. There are limitations. Docs.
Simple Question,
I have a document with about 100 read only text tabs, but only about 5 sign here / edittable text tabs...
In order to populate all the text tabs with the data on entry, I have had to send them with the signer(s) individually... is there a way to specify the read only text tabs as a "Document" Level... and then only use the edittable tabs in each particular signers section?
Tabs are always set with regards to particular recipient, for document level data there are Envelope Fields but those are used for custom meta data for the envelope and not during the signing experience.
One option I'm not sure will help you or not is Custom Fields (not to be confused with Envelope Fields) which are recipient level tabs you can create one-time then re-use in your requests/templates. You can test them easily by editing a template and going into the Custom Tab section in tagging palette on the left.
As you can see you can set the Initial Value and also make it Read Only then save the Custom Tab. Then in your code you can reference this tab where needed for your recipients to save some legwork.
DocuSign tabs need to be assigned to the recipients only, you cannot have DS Tabs on the envelope without assigning it to a recipient. If I understood your query, then you have multiple recipients on the envelope at the same routing order and each recipient should see the pre-populated data for each read only DS Tab on the document before signing. If yes, then there is one setting at an account level which will burnt the DS tab value on the document before any signer will start the signing ceremony. If you go to Admin --> Sending and Signing Section --> Sending Settings --> then select When an envelope is sent, write the initial value of the field for all recipients. With this setting enabled all recipients at the same routing order will be able to see the values of these read only tabs pre-populated from your application.
This is continuation to the following post
insert a page into document while sending envelope using DOCUSIGN
I have rephrased my question due to poor explanation before.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
I am not successful in finding a documentation about the following scenario.
I am trying to find whether is it possible to "dynamically" insert table in a PDF while creating an envelope out of Template. Assume that you have created a template with one signature and you want to give an option to insert other rows for multiple sinature.
No information found so far. Thats why i am trying to see if there is a way which i am not aware of.
Any reference to online material is greatly appreciated!!!
One option to facilitate your use case might be to create multiple Templates in DocuSign -- one for each possible number of signers, and then have your application logic determine which Template to use during Envelope creation based upon some logic within your application. For example, let's assume the following scenario:
Your application is an online loan processing application that collects information from the borrower, and then uses DocuSign to present the loan documents for signature.
If there IS NOT a co-borrower, then you only need signature from one person (the borrower).
If there IS a co-borrower, then you need signatures from two people (the borrower AND the co-borrower).
In DocuSign, you create two (nearly identical) templates:
Loan Docs - 1 signer : This template defines a single recipient role (Borrower) and the document(s) in the template only contain space for the Borrower's signature.
Loan Docs - 2 signers : This template defines two recipient roles (Borrower and Co-borrower) and the document(s) in the template contain spaces for both the Borrower's signature and the Co-borrower's signature.
If your application determines there is no co-borrower, then it creates the Envelope using the first template (Loan Docs - 1 signer). If your application determines there IS a co-borrower, then it creates the Envelope using the second template (Loan Docs - 2 signers).
So, that's one way of handling it. Another way of handling things would be the following:
Create a single template that defines Recipient Roles (and corresponding tags in the document(s)) for the maximum number of Signers you'd ever have.
When you make the "Create Envelope" API call using that template, only supply recipient information for the number of signers that are required for that specific Envelope.
For example, let's say that your template defines 2 recipient roles (Borrower and Co-borrower), and contains signature tags for each recipient.
If your application determines that there are 2 signers, you supply information for both signers in the "Create Envelope" API call.
If your application determines that there is just 1 signer, you supply information for only the Borrower in the "Create Envelope" API call.
DocuSign will simply drop/ignore any tags belonging to recipient roles that you did not supply information for in the "Create Envelope" API call. So, in the latter case (info supplied for only one signer), the space(s) in the document(s) where the second signer's signature would have appeared still exists -- it'll just be empty/blank (because there is no second signer for the Envelope).
Does anyone know the difference between using the Data Field in Standard set of fields versus defining a Custom field ?
JK
If you are talking about envelope custom fields - those are invisible during signing and should be used for meta-data only.
Here is a good reason to use envelope custom fields:
A loan origination system might have a loan ID and would put the loan ID as a meta data on all the DocuSign envelopes that pertain to that loan. This makes searching and cross linking easy.
Here is a good use case for regular "Secure Fields" or "Form Fields" or "Data Fields":
A system has address for a particular signer and wants to pre-populate that data for signing, but maybe give the signer an option to correct it. You put the data field on and then the user can fill it out or update it.
Hope this helps.