Author your templates for eSignature
Contract Express 8.10 introduced simplified markup to add eSignature configuration to your template. Using this markup you can automatically populate the recipient information and specify the placement of signature data fields for each recipient.
The same markup is used for both DocuSign and Adobe Sign. Contract Express will detect the relevant eSignature provider at the time document is generated and eSignature provider-specific syntax is added to the document at that time.
This guide outlines how to author your Contract Express templates to use this integration.
Defining signatories
eSignature recipient fields are used to define the signatories. When the document is sent for eSignature, these people will receive a DocuSign or Adobe Sign invitation to sign the document.
Recipient fields are added to the template in the following format:
{ esignature recipient "email" with name as "name" }
- Email: email address is used as the unique identifier of the recipient, mandatory attribute.
- Name: first name and last name of the recipient, optional attribute.
Example
{esignature recipient "john.doe@mail.com" with name as "John Doe"}
{esignature recipient RecipientEmail with name as RecipientName}
{esignature recipient RecipientEmail}
Where the name attribute is not specified, the email address will be passed as the name to the eSignature provider.
If there are multiple recipients defined with the same email address, the first eSignature recipient field will be used.
note
The eSignature recipient field does not contribute text to the generated document and is completely removed at the time document is generated. The field does drive relevance for the variables it uses.
Anchoring the signature and other fields
To specify the place in the generated document where the signatory's signature will appear, you can use a signature anchor field.
There are other fields for additional information that can be collected at the time the document is signed. These are the date, initials, name, company, title, and email.
Anchors can be used to specify the location on the generated document for each of these inputs. It is important to remember that each anchor must belong to a specific signatory who is identified by the email address.
Anchor fields are added to the template in the following format:
{
esignature anchor
"email" anchor-type
}Email
: email address is used as the unique identifier of the recipient, mandatory attribute.Anchor-type
: signature, initials, date, name, company, title or email.Examples
{esignature anchor "john.doe@mail.com" signature}
{esignature anchor "john.doe@mail.com" initials}
{esignature anchor "john.doe@mail.com" date}
{esignature anchor "john.doe@mail.com" name}
{esignature anchor RecipientEmail signature}
{esignature anchor RecipientEmail company}
{esignature anchor RecipientEmail title}
{esignature anchor RecipientEmail email}
These anchor fields are supported by both DocuSign and Adobe Sign.
When Contract Express generates the document, these anchor fields are replaced with the eSignature provider specific placeholder text. For DocuSign, the placeholder text is added in white font colour. DocuSign does not remove this text and the signature and other fields are added on top of this text. For Adobe Sign, the placeholder text is black as Adobe Sign removes this text from the document when the signature fields are added.
The anchor fields also drive relevance for the variables inside it. If there is an eSignature anchor field for an email address that is not defined with an eSignature recipient field, this recipient will be automatically defined by Contract Express and the email address will be used both as the email address and name.
note
eSignature anchors are used for information that must be populated during the signing of the document and is not known at the time document is generated. For information that is certain at the time document is generated, it is best to populate using Contract Express fields.
Using DocuSign templates
DocuSign templates are used to create custom eSignature settings and workflows, such as the action for each recipient and the order in which they will receive and sign the documents.
When documents are sent to DocuSign from Contract Express, all recipients will have the default action "needs to sign" applied with a parallel signing order, unless a DocuSign template has been applied.
Applying a DocuSign template
DocuSign templates can be applied to generated documents by adding a field in the Contract Express template that uses the following format:
{
esignature template
"DocuSign template name" }{
esignature template
"DocuSign template ID" }Examples
{esignature template "Mutual NDA"}
{esignature template "Order Form"}
{esignature template "4fbcfb2f-21af-4e99-8b0f-770938fc058f"}
Mapping DocuSign template roles
You can map the eSignature recipients to the DocuSign template's roles by further defining the eSignature recipient fields using the following syntax:
{
esignature recipient
"email" with name as "name", role as "role" }Examples
{esignature recipient "john.doe@mail.com" with name as "John Doe", role as "Landlord"}
{esignature recipient RecipientEmail with name as RecipientName, role as "Disclosing Party"}
{esignature recipient RecipientEmail, role as "Client"}
If you map a recipient to a role that does not appear in the specified DocuSign template, a new role will be created automatically in the envelope and given default settings.
Repeated recipients
To ensure all repeated recipients are mapped, you can create distinct roles in the DocuSign template and assign each of these to the corresponding repeated recipients in the Contract Express template. Where the number of recipients is unknown, best practice is to create the maximum expected number of recipients with the same role to the DocuSign template.
If you have a repeated recipient with a static role that is mapped to a single DocuSign role, only the first repeated recipient will be mapped to the DocuSign template recipient. All subsequent recipients will be added to the envelope with the default settings.
Examples
[
repeat TenantCount
{esignature recipient TenantEmail with name as TenantName, role as "Tenant"}][
repeat TenantCount
{esignature recipient TenantEmail with name as TenantName, role as "Tenant"+repeatcounter
}]When the envelope is reviewed in DocuSign before sending it for signature, any DocuSign recipients that are not mapped to a Contract Express recipient in the document will need to be deleted manually. If the option to automatically send to DocuSign is enabled on the Contract eSignature anchors are used for information that must be populated during the signing of the document and is not known at the time document is generated. For information that is certain at the time document is generated, it is best to populate using Contract Express template, any DocuSign recipients that are not mapped will be ignored.
You can also create copies of your DocuSign templates for each potential number of recipients, configuring their actions as needed
Example
{esignature template "Lease for "+TenantCount+"Tenant"+if TenantCount is 1 then "" else "s"}
Where the DocuSign templates are called "Lease for 1 Tenant", "Lease for 2 Tenants", "Lease for 3 Tenants"…
DocuSign custom strings and fields
You can use DocuSign custom fields in your Contract Express templates. Custom fields are created in your DocuSign templates to capture information from the signatory beyond the standard fields provided.
The placement of both custom and default fields in the generated document can be set up in the location tab in the DocuSign template. The "AutoPlace" feature in the location tab allows you to specify a string that will locate the position of the field. These strings should be included in white text in your Contract Express templates to prevent them from showing up in the final generated document.
note
- DocuSign templates custom AutoPlace strings can work alongside Contract Express eSignature fields. Make sure you are not using both to avoid duplication.
- The old-style markup with the computable variable CE_ESignature_Signees and eSignature provider-specific anchors in the template will continue working in Contract Express 8.10 and later. However, that the same template cannot use both types of markup and the old markup will be ignored where the new eSignature fields are detected.
Further information
For more information about setting up eSignature, please see the Configuring eSignature for a template.
If you require any assistance, please contact our support team at contractexpress-support@tr.com.