Templates & validity

Some documents go out again and again. A template saves the setup so a new request takes a few clicks, and every finished document carries an audit trail that proves what was signed. Build the template once, generate requests from it one at a time or in a batch, and keep the signed PDF and its trail as your record.

Reusable templates

Build a template for a document you send often, such as a contract or an NDA. Set up the file, place the signature and field boxes, and assign each box to a signer role once, then save it as a template.

Next time, start from the template. The boxes and roles are already in place, so you add the signers and send. This keeps every copy of the document consistent.

A template role can resolve its signer for you. Point it at a specific person, or have it derive the signer from the record the request is linked to, such as the contact on an order. Generate one request from the template, or generate a batch across a set of records at once; each request links back to the record it came from.

Send signers a final copy

Turn on Send signers a copy of the final signed document in Settings, and every signer receives the completed PDF once the document is signed. Leave it off, and the signed file stays in the workspace for you to share.

Validity and the audit trail

As each person signs, their entries are written into the PDF. Every signature also extends a chained integrity hash across the document, so any later alteration is detectable. This is what makes the finished file tamper-evident.

Alongside it, an audit log records every step: each view, each sign, and each cancel, with a timestamp and the actor's IP address. Only a workspace administrator can change it. The signed PDF plus this audit trail is the record you keep, and it's what you produce if anyone questions how the signature happened.

Related

• Signatures overview
• Request a signature
• Store finished documents in Documents.
• Clients can view their signed documents in the client portal.