DocsAutomator eSign

DocsAutomator eSign allows you to collect legally binding electronic signatures on your generated documents. This guide covers all available features and configuration options.

Quick Overview

Feature	Description
Multiple Signers	Add unlimited signers to a single document
Signing Order	Parallel or sequential signing workflows
Field Types	Signatures, dates, text, checkboxes
Email Customization	Custom invitation, reminder, and completion emails
Branding	Add your logo to the signing portal
Reminders	Automated reminder emails for unsigned documents
Audit Trail	Complete record of all signing activity
Data Integration	Save signed PDFs and field values back to your data source
Webhooks	Receive POST notifications when signing completes

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Adding eSign Fields to Templates

eSign fields are added to your Google Docs template using special tags. When the document is generated, these tags are detected and converted into interactive signing fields.

Use the Editor Helper in the DocsAutomator app to conveniently add eSign tags to your template.

Tag Syntax

{{esign.TYPE_SIGNER}}

• TYPE: The field type (signature, date, text, checkbox)

• SIGNER: The signer number (1, 2, 3, etc.)

Field Types

Type	Tag Example	Description
Signature	{{esign.signature_1}}	Full signature capture
Date	{{esign.date_1}}	Date picker (auto-fills current date)
Text	{{esign.text_1}}	Text input field
Checkbox	{{esign.checkbox_1}}	Checkbox for agreements

Examples

Single signer document:

Signature: {{esign.signature_1}}
Date: {{esign.date_1}}

Two-signer contract:

Buyer Signature: {{esign.signature_1}}
Buyer Date: {{esign.date_1}}

Seller Signature: {{esign.signature_2}}
Seller Date: {{esign.date_2}}

With additional fields:

I, {{esign.text_1}}, agree to the terms above.
{{esign.checkbox_1}} I accept the terms and conditions
Signature: {{esign.signature_1}}

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Configuring Signers

Signer Information

For each signer detected in your template, you can configure:

Field	Required	Description
Email	Yes	Where to send the signing invitation
Name	No	Displayed in signing portal and certificate

Dynamic Signer Information

Signer details can be pulled from your data source using field mapping:

For Airtable, Google Sheets, SmartSuite:

• Select fields directly from a dropdown menu

• System shows available fields from your connected data source

For ClickUp and other sources:

• Use placeholders: {{buyer_email}}, {{client_name}}

• Placeholders are resolved when the document is generated

Signing Order

Choose how multiple signers interact:

Parallel Signing (Default)

• All signers receive invitations simultaneously

• Signers can complete in any order

• Faster completion for multi-party documents

Sequential Signing

• Signers receive invitations one at a time

• Signer 2 is invited only after Signer 1 completes

• Ensures documents are signed in a specific order

• Shows progress: "Signs first", "Signs after Signer 1"

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Email Configuration

Email Sender Options

Option	Description
DocsAutomator	Emails sent from [email protected]
Your Gmail	Emails sent from your connected Gmail account

Using your Gmail account provides personalized branding and may improve deliverability for your recipients.

Customizing Email Content

Three email types can be customized:

1. Invitation Email - Sent when requesting a signature

2. Reminder Email - Sent to signers who haven't completed

3. Completion Email - Sent when all signers have signed

Available Template Variables

Use these variables in your email subject and body:

All Emails:

• {{documentName}} - Name of the document

• {{signerName}} - Recipient's name

• {{signerEmail}} - Recipient's email

Invitation & Reminder Emails:

• {{expirationDate}} - When the signing link expires

• {{signButton:Click to Sign}} - Renders as a button (customize text)

• {{signLink:Sign here}} - Renders as a text link (customize text)

Completion Email:

• {{downloadButton:Download PDF}} - Download button (customize text)

• {{downloadLink:Download here}} - Download link (customize text)

Example Custom Invitation

Subject:

Action Required: Please sign {{documentName}}

Body:

Hi {{signerName}},

You have been requested to sign a document.

Please review and sign by {{expirationDate}}.

{{signButton:Review & Sign}}

If the button doesn't work, use this link: {{signLink:Click here}}

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Reminder Settings

Automatic reminders help ensure documents get signed on time.

Setting	Default	Range	Description
Enable Reminders	Off	-	Toggle automatic reminders
Reminder Interval	3 days	1-30 days	Time between reminders
Maximum Reminders	3	1-10	Total reminders per signer

Reminders are only sent to signers who haven't completed. Once a signer finishes, they stop receiving reminders.

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Branding

Custom Logo

Upload your company logo to display on the signing portal:

• Supported formats: PNG, JPG, WEBP, SVG

• Maximum size: 2MB

• Display location: Top of the signing page

If no logo is uploaded, the DocsAutomator logo is displayed.

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Expiration Settings

Setting	Default	Range	Description
Link Expiration	30 days	1-365 days	How long signing links remain valid

After expiration:

• Signing links no longer work

• Session status changes to "Expired"

• Document must be regenerated for new signing

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Notification Recipients

Configure who receives notifications when signing progresses:

Team Members

• Select which workspace members receive notifications

• Default: All team members

Custom Emails

• Add additional email addresses (comma-separated)

• Useful for external stakeholders

Notification Events:

• Progress updates (when each signer completes)

• Final completion (when all signers finish)

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The Signing Experience

What Signers See

When a signer opens their signing link:

1. Document View - Full PDF with interactive field zones

2. Field Navigator - Shows progress through required fields

3. Signers Panel - Lists all signers and their status

Completing Fields

Signature

• Draw using mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen

• Clear and redraw if needed

• Mobile-optimized for touch devices

Date Fields

• Calendar picker interface

• Can auto-fill with current date

• Manually selectable if needed

Text Fields

• Type required information

• Validation ensures required fields are filled

Checkboxes

• Click to toggle

• Required checkboxes must be checked to proceed

Completion Flow

1. Fill all required fields

2. Click "Complete" button

3. Confirmation message displayed

4. Completion email sent with download link

Declining to Sign

Signers can decline to sign if needed:

• Click "Decline" option

• Enter reason (optional)

• Session marked as declined

• Admin notified

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Field Configuration

Customizing Field Labels

Each field can have custom display settings:

Setting	Description	Example
Display Name	Label shown to signer	"Company Name"
Help Text	Guidance text below field	"Enter your registered company name"

Required vs Optional Fields

• Currently only the signature field is required, all other field types are optional

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Certificate of Completion

Every signed document automatically includes a Certificate of Completion page containing document details, signer information, signatures, and timestamps. This certificate provides evidence of the signing process for legal and compliance purposes.

For detailed compliance information, see Compliance & Legal Validity

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Data Source Integration

Saving Signed PDFs

The signed PDF can be automatically saved back to your data source:

Data Source	Save Method
Airtable	Attachment field
Google Sheets	HYPERLINK in cell
SmartSuite	File field
ClickUp	Task attachment

Saving Field Values

eSign field values (text, checkbox, date) can be mapped to data source fields:

1. Open field mapping configuration

2. Select which eSign fields to save

3. Choose destination fields in your data source

4. Values saved automatically when signing completes

Mappable field types:

• Text fields → Text columns

• Checkbox fields → Yes/No columns

• Date fields → Date columns

Note: Signature images are not mapped to data sources.

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Webhook Integration

Receive real-time notifications when signing is completed via webhooks.

Configuration

Webhooks are configured in the Output section of your automation settings:

Setting	Description
Webhook URL	HTTPS endpoint to receive POST requests
Enable Webhook	Toggle webhook notifications on/off

When Webhooks Fire

For e-signature enabled automations, the webhook fires once when all signers have completed signing and the final signed PDF is generated.

Event	Trigger
Signing Completed	All signers have signed and the final PDF is generated

Note: Intermediate events (individual signer completion, document viewed, reminder sent, etc.) do not trigger webhooks—these are tracked internally and available in the audit trail.

Note: For e-sign automations, the webhook does not fire when the document is initially created. It only fires when signing completes.

Webhook Payload

When all signers complete, a POST request is sent with:

{
  "signedPdfUrl": "https://storage.googleapis.com/...",
  "sessionId": "507f1f77bcf86cd799439011",
  "documentName": "Purchase Agreement - John Doe",
  "status": "completed",
  "completedAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "signers": [
    {
      "email": "[email protected]",
      "name": "John Doe",
      "signedAt": "2025-01-15T10:25:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "email": "[email protected]",
      "name": "Jane Smith",
      "signedAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "fieldValues": {
    "text_1_company": {
      "type": "text",
      "value": "Acme Corp",
      "tagName": "{{esign.text_1_company}}",
      "signedBy": "[email protected]",
      "signedAt": "2025-01-15T10:25:00.000Z"
    },
    "checkbox_1_agree": {
      "type": "checkbox",
      "value": true,
      "tagName": "{{esign.checkbox_1_agree}}",
      "signedBy": "[email protected]",
      "signedAt": "2025-01-15T10:25:00.000Z"
    },
    "date_2_startDate": {
      "type": "date",
      "value": "01/20/2025",
      "tagName": "{{esign.date_2_startDate}}",
      "signedBy": "[email protected]",
      "signedAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
    }
  }
}

Payload Fields

Field	Type	Description
signedPdfUrl	String	URL to download the signed PDF
sessionId	String	Unique identifier for the signing session
documentName	String	Name of the document
status	String	Always "completed" when webhook fires
completedAt	ISO Date	Timestamp when all signing was completed
signers	Array	List of all signers with their details
signers[].email	String	Signer's email address
signers[].name	String	Signer's name (if provided)
signers[].signedAt	ISO Date	When this signer completed
fieldValues	Object	Non-signature field values filled by signers

Field Values Object

The fieldValues object contains all non-signature fields completed during signing:

Field Type	Value Format
Text	String value entered
Checkbox	Boolean (true/false)
Date	Date string (e.g., "01/20/2025")

Note: Signature fields are excluded from the webhook payload for privacy.

Identifying E-Sign Webhooks

If you use the same webhook URL for multiple automations (some with e-sign, some without), you can identify e-sign webhooks by checking for the signers array:

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  if (req.body.signers) {
    // E-signature completion webhook
    console.log('Signing completed:', req.body.signedPdfUrl);
  } else {
    // Regular document creation webhook (non-esign automation)
    console.log('Document created:', req.body.pdfUrl);
  }
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

Error Handling

• Webhook requests have a 30-second timeout

• Failed webhooks are logged but do not fail the signing process

• The signed PDF is still generated and stored regardless of webhook status

• Check your server logs if webhooks aren't being received

Example: Receiving Webhooks

Node.js/Express:

app.post('/webhook/docsautomator', (req, res) => {
  const { signedPdfUrl, sessionId, signers, fieldValues, documentName } = req.body;

  console.log(`Document "${documentName}" signed by ${signers.length} signers`);
  console.log(`Signed PDF: ${signedPdfUrl}`);

  // Process each signer
  signers.forEach(signer => {
    console.log(`- ${signer.name} (${signer.email}) signed at ${signer.signedAt}`);
  });

  // Access field values (text, checkbox, date fields)
  for (const [key, field] of Object.entries(fieldValues)) {
    console.log(`${key}: ${field.value} (filled by ${field.signedBy})`);
  }

  // Store the signed PDF URL in your database, trigger workflows, etc.
  // ...

  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

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Monitoring & Management

Session Status

Status	Description
Pending	Created, waiting for signers
In Progress	At least one signer has started
Completed	All signers finished
Expired	Link expired before completion
Cancelled	Admin cancelled the session
Declined	A signer declined to sign

Available Actions

Resend Invitation

• Send another invitation email to a specific signer

• Useful if original email wasn't received

Cancel Session

• Stop the signing process

• Links become invalid

• Cannot cancel already-completed sessions

View Audit Trail

• See complete history of all actions

• Timestamps, IP addresses, browser info

• Exportable for compliance records

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Audit Trail

Every signing session maintains a detailed audit log tracking all events throughout the signing process, including session lifecycle, signer actions, and field submissions. Each event captures timestamp, IP address, browser/device information, and location data.

For detailed compliance information, see Compliance & Legal Validity

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Security Features

DocsAutomator eSign includes secure access tokens, time-limited signing links, rate limiting, document integrity hashing (SHA-256), and TLS encryption.

For detailed compliance information, see Compliance & Legal Validity

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Availability

DocsAutomator eSign is available as an add-on to paid DocsAutomator plans.

Plan	eSign Access
Free	Not available
Paid (without add-on)	Preview/Test mode only
Paid (with eSign add-on)	Full production access

Preview Mode: Test your eSign workflows with watermarked documents before going live.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many signers can I add to a document?

There is no limit. Add as many signers as needed by using incrementing field tags ({{esign.signature_1}}, {{esign.signature_2}}, etc.).

Can signers use mobile devices?

Yes. The signing portal is fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices, including touch-based signature capture.

What happens if a signer doesn't complete?

Unsigned sessions remain in "Pending" or "In Progress" status until the link expires. Enable automatic reminders to prompt signers to complete.

Can I cancel a signing request?

Yes. You can cancel any session that hasn't been completed. Once cancelled, signing links become invalid.

How long are signed documents stored?

Signed documents are stored indefinitely. When eSign is enabled, PDF expiration is automatically set to "never" to ensure legal validity.

Can signers download the document before signing?

Signers can view the full document in the signing portal but cannot download until all parties have signed.

What documents cannot be signed electronically?

DocsAutomator eSign provides Simple Electronic Signatures (SES) compliant with standard e-signature regulations. Some documents may require higher signature levels or wet ink signatures depending on your jurisdiction. We recommend consulting with a legal professional for your specific use case.

For detailed compliance information, see Compliance & Legal Validity