DocuSign basic concepts

This page describes the basic concepts you need to know before using DocuSign.

Document

• Actual files that require signatures. You must add tags to a document, so your signer knows where to input information.

Envelope

• Envelopes are the packages that documents are sent in. To set up your recipients, delivery settings, as well as messages, you must edit an envelope.
• Envelopes are containers that can be sent to multiple recipients for viewing or signing.
• Envelopes have unique identifiers associated with them, and each document within an envelope also carries its own unique identifiers.
• Start your envelope first - you need an envelope with at least one Signer or Acknowledge receipt recipient to add tags to your document.

Templates

• They are types of envelopes that can be applied each time you send an envelope, so you won't have to add documents, setup the routing order, place and/or assign the tags. This saves time since templates can be sent repeatedly.
• You can visit this page for more information on these concepts.

Signature requesting

• You can create the envelope html definition programmatically in case you want to use custom envelopes.
• Otherwise, you can create and send an envelope quickly by using the Create Envelope using Template or Create by Copying Envelope activities. For more information on the details of the API used by these activities, please visit this page.
• Use the Add Document to Envelope activity to add a document to an envelope. For more information on the details of the API used by these activities, please visit this page.
• Use the Add Recipient to Envelope activity to add the recipients. For more information on the details of the API used by these activities, please visit this page.
• For more informaion on the guide or to request a signature, please visit this page.

Checking whether the document or envelope is signed

• Once you have requested the signature by following the steps above, the recipient receives the email and must sign the document.
• You can check the status of the envelope by using the Get Form Data activity. For more details on the API used for this activity, please visit this page.
• The response of the above API has a status field, which contains the information/status of signers, to whom the document/envelope was sent (as shown in the sample API response presented below).
  
• If this status field has the value signed or completed then that recipient has already signed the document or all the pending actions have been completed. That’s how we understand whether a person has signed or not.

Process of downloading signed documents

• Once the recipient has signed the document and the envelope status field has the value signed or completed, the documents can be downloaded either as a .zip file or combined PDF file or portfolio.
• You can download the documents of the envelope by using the Download Documents of Envelope activity. For more details on the API used for this activity, please visit this page. The certificate of completion can also be downloaded based on the value provided for the input parameter certificate.