Mike Borozdin, manager of developer programs, will help you get started with the DocuSign API! Register for the upcoming Developer Workshop Webinars, to jumpstart your electronic signature integration:

• Thu, September 9 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (PT)
• Thu, September 23 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (PT)

Already familiar with DocuSign’s API? Register for the advanced webinar to learn to use DocuSign’s API from the Salesforce Platform:

• Wed, September 15: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (PT)

Before a webinar, you can register for the DocuSign free development account for access to the DocuSign Connect API 3.0 Developer Guide, Web Service Description file (WSDL) and samples in Java, .NET, Ruby and PHP.  You can set up samples on your servers, develop code and test drive our Web Service API.

Our Developers Center also provides a myriad of resources, including our DocuSign Forum, documentation, live samples and other tools. We also have code walkthroughs available on this blog as well:

• Create And Send Electronic Signature Envelope
• Anchor Tabs
• Retrieving Documents From DocuSign
• Embedded Signing
• The RequestStatus Methods

Simplified DocuSign API

With our Summer ‘10 Release, developing new applications or integrations to work with the DocuSign Platform has become even easier. A simplified HTTP header can now be implemented as an option to the SOAP header. Register for a webinar to learn more!

Cool Gadgets: Apple iPad, iPhone 4, Droid 2

While Apple’s iPad came out in the spring, the iPad continued the buzz this summer! With Designed for Mobile, you can use electronic signature from DocuSign on Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Mobile phones.

However, the iPad’s size and utility means that you can create envelopes on the iPad with templates enabled, or send for electronic signature with Freeform signing. Take a look at this blog post if you want to use DocuSign on your iPad!

A Feature Friday blog post also highlighted another way you can use DocuSign if you get an email attachment that needs electronic signatures, with Email to Electronic Signature. Of course, you can also use this feature on your desktop or laptop as well as your iPad!

Ensuring Your Electronic Signature Stands Up in Court

Ken Moyle, DocuSign’s Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, shared thoughts regarding issues your should consider so that your electronic signature will stand up in court.

When you do business electronically, you should anticipate the need to produce evidence that proves a given person signed a given electronic document on a given date. That means you should look at taking such steps as:

For the rest of Ken’s commentary, take a look at the blog post which also shares authentication and electronic signature process considerations to note when selecting a vendor.

Our real estate team is also excited to make a special offer to new subscribers – between now and Labor Day, get a $20 Visa® gift card when you sign up for a DocuSign prepaid annual plan! Members of NAR should sign up with their NRDS numbers to take advantage of their special pricing.

Enjoy the last days of summer!

We’re excited to announce the release of eDottedLine, a new DocuSign partner software application add-in from @Ware, Inc. that seamlessly extends DocuSign’s functionality within Microsoft® Outlook. eDottedLine integrates the DocuSign electronic signature service within Microsoft Outlook for a complete email document signing solution that complements any green initiative. This electronic signature application is available now and can be downloaded from @Ware.

Matthew J. Schiltz, vice president of strategic business development and alliances at DocuSign, provides his persective:

The release of @Ware’s eDottedLine further extends the capabilities of the DocuSign electronic signature platform within the Microsoft Office environment. This unique application makes it faster and easier to get documents signed online, further streamlining workflows and increasing efficiencies. DocuSign is partnering with more and more innovators like @Ware to develop and offer innovative applications that make it possible for organizations across all industries to operate more efficiently within the Windows eco-system.

@Ware eDottedLine At-a-Glance

eDottedLine, a software add-in that extends DocuSign’s electronic signature technology to Microsoft Outlook, increases productivity by bringing the convenience of DocuSign’s electronic signature process into Outlook. DocuSign’s collaborative model is integrated into this workflow, creating an intuitive and precise end-to-end experience. With eDottedLine, the electronic signature experience leverages key Outlook functionality and content:

• An easy-to-follow wizard guides the user through one of three possible DocuSign electronic signature processes: free form signing, browser-based tagging and full template support. All predefined template settings are back-filled into the Outlook e-mail message to create a complete record of each electronic signature transaction.
• Transaction receipts are created as Outlook Tasks with due dates set to the expiration dates of the corresponding DocuSign envelopes.
• By synchronizing Outlook Tasks, the completion status of each envelope is updated. For each completed transaction, a final PDF document copy is downloaded and archived automatically as a task attachment. These task receipts provide a dashboard view of the user’s electronic signature transactions and allow the user to benefit from Outlook notifications.
• Outlook Contacts can be synchronized within the DocuSign Address Book with just a single mouse-click. Specific Outlook Contact folders and/or Contact items can be included or excluded giving the user complete control and flexibility. Outlook recipients are mapped to DocuSign users and Outlook’s rich address resolution is extended to the DocuSign transaction.

@Ware’s plug-and-play architecture allows electronic signature transactions to be recorded within other third-party Web services. A broadcasting agent allows the same documents to be sent to many recipients with just a single email message, which includes distribution list support.

James Harvey, president and chief executive officer of @Ware, comments:

DocuSign has ascended rapidly as the global gold standard for electronic signature technology. Outlook has been the gold standard for desktop communication for the past 16 years. The synergistic benefits of bringing these two technologies together are self-evident and compelling. We are excited to be partnering with DocuSign and bringing this unique time-saving add-in to Microsoft Outlook users.

Pricing and Availability of Electronic Signature in Outlook

Just click to get more information on @Ware eDottedLine DocuSign Edition.

With cool new mobile devices available, including iPhone 4 and Droid 2, I wanted to share how we can experience fast, complete and trusted electronic signature while we’re on the go!

Right after Apple released the iPad, Doug Rybacki, director of product management for DocuSign, confirmed that DocuSign subscribers can create DocuSign envelopes on the iPad and it works well for templates and sending for eSignature with Freeform signing.

Templates

Using Templates: Templates help streamline the sending process when you frequently send documents that are the same or similar. You can apply one or more templates to an uploaded document.
Uploading from a Template: To upload a document directly from an existing template, click the Add new document from a template link, select the template and click OK.

Working with Templates: To apply a template to a document, click the Apply a Template to this document link, select the template and click OK.
To apply another template to a document, click the Apply another Template to this document link, select the template, type the page of the document the new template will start on and click OK.
To remove a template from a document, click the Remove Template link. For more information about templates, check out this how-to blog post on creating a template in DocuSign electronic signature.

Freeform Signing

If the Freeform Signing feature is used, the signer sees the following items in the upper left corner of the documents window. The signer drags the appropriate item from the Click & Drag box to the appropriate place n the document. The signer clicks the Complete Signing button near the upper right corner of the screen to complete Freeform signing. For more on Freeform signing, take a look at this how-to blog post, How-To Use Free Form Signing From DocuSign.

Email to Electronic Signature

With the Spring ’10 release, you got another option for using DocuSign on iPad – with Email to Envelope, you can send in email attachments to start a draft envelope by emailing the attachment to drafts@docusign.net

1. Forward an existing email or create a new email. Fill out the Subject with the subject you want to use for the DocuSign envelope, add a message, and attach the document(s) to be signed. Send the email to DocuSign at: drafts@docusign.net.
2. DocuSign takes your email and creates a draft envelope with all the attachments added as the documents for the envelope, the email subject you sent becomes the envelope Subject, and message is added as the envelope message.
3. After creating the draft envelope, DocuSign sends an email to you with a link to the draft envelope.

DocuSign will send you an email with a link to your envelope, where you can then send the document for signature with Freeform signing after you log into your console!

Of course, I’ve also heard of other ways people are using DocuSign on the iPad – what are your favorite hacks to share?

We’re excited to announce that our electronic signature service is now available within Real Estate Industry Solutions’ Form Simplicity web-based real estate forms service! With the DocuSign integration, Form Simplicity now provides end-to-end online real estate forms to expedite real estate transactions while eliminating the need for paper processes.

Developed by Real Estate Industry Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida REALTORS® and the largest trade organization in Florida with more than 115,000 members, Form Simplicity offers real estate professionals the ability to quickly create and organize forms for residential or commercial transactions. DocuSign’s advanced electronic signature functionality provides Form Simplicity users the ability to accelerate the real estate document signing process online and ensure deals close faster, while leveraging complete visibility into the document workflow.

In a competitive market, minutes can literally make the difference when closing a deal. With Form Simplicity, real estate professionals can more quickly prepare documents for client electronic signature anytime from anywhere. With a simple click of the mouse, real estate professionals can access DocuSign from within Form Simplicity. It takes just minutes for the user to tag any document with DocuSign’s familiar yellow Stick-eTabs®. Once the document tagging process is completed, the client receives an email notification, is authenticated and is quickly navigated through the electronic signature process. By extending the integration of DocuSign within Form Simplicity, real estate agents can further simplify the real estate contract signing process, save hours of time each week, eliminate signing errors and accelerate deal close rates.

Joe Ballarino, president and chief operating officer of Real Estate Industry Solutions, shares:

“Form Simplicity maximizes agent productivity and now with the addition of DocuSign, the standard in electronic signature, we anticipate the adoption rate will continue to increase rapidly. Now Form Simplicity users will have unparalleled convenience and ease of use to quickly send forms to clients for electronic signature with DocuSign.

Form Simplicity users can now join more than 30,000 real estate professionals eliminating paper and expediting real estate transactions with DocuSign. Rather than driving across town to get a signature or forcing clients to find a fax machine, real estate professionals use DocuSign to execute agreements with buyers and sellers electronically. With real estate forms signed in minutes, not days, DocuSign real estate professionals achieve higher sales, increase client satisfaction and maintain a competitive edge. Safe and secure, the DocuSign electronic signature process is also easy to use and legally compliant.

Dave Thorpe, market director at DocuSign,

Real Estate Industry Solutions and DocuSign provides real estate professionals with state of the art technology to better manage workflows, and close real estate transactions faster and easier. Real estate professionals can now leverage the power of DocuSign electronic signature services directly from within Form Simplicity anytime, anywhere for a rich, complete and convenient end-to-end forms management process. This partnership is another example of DocuSign’s leadership as the standard in electronic signature solutions for real estate professionals.

Take a look for more information about DocuSign and Real Estate Industry Solutions!

We’re excited to publish a newsletter featuring Gartner research about the benefits of electronic signature technology in the insurance industry. We’ll share this research through an online newsletter and webinar.

One of Gartner’s key findings is that the use of electronic signatures is an essential element when creating a true straight-through process for application procedure. Gartner also recommends relying on an electronic signature solution that is “hardware-independent.”

Research Title: Best Practices for Global Life and P&C Insurers in Selecting Electronic Signature Solutions by Steven Leigh and Juergen Weiss

Read: DocuSign Electronic Signature for Insurance Newsletter Featuring Gartner Research

Watch: Register for a DocuSign electronic signature for insurance webinar on September 22 at 10 a.m. PT, hosted by Steve Woodworth, insurance and wealth management market director at DocuSign.

Learn: Learn how to increase placement ratios and reduce sales cycle with electronic signature technology, and why electronic signatures are becoming indispensable for life and property and casualty (P&C) insurers to support their electronic distribution and service channel strategies. In this research, Gartner summarizes key considerations for a request for proposal (RFP) that insurers should be aware of.

Other Features: View demos and download white papers and other collateral that discuss the legality of an electronic signature and how the DocuSign electronic signature service can complete a transaction in minutes.

Figure 1. Points North Certified Payroll Reporting tool.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Points North, an innovative data integration solutions provider, to integrate our electronic signature service within the Points North Certified Payroll Reporting product. Certified Payroll Reporting streamlines the reporting process and enhances regulatory compliance for hundreds of contractors who are required to report prevailing wages under the Davis-Bacon Act. Now with the integration of DocuSign, users can quickly generate and electronically sign certified payroll reports. Since the Points North product launched in early June 2010, more than 500 reports have been electronically signed and filed to government authorities.

Amanda Allard-Korell, marketing manager at Points North, states:

DocuSign is the market leader and standard for electronic signature, so integration with the Points North Certified Payroll Reporting solution was a natural fit. DocuSign further enhances our solution by providing the capability to electronically sign weekly certified payroll reports. Users can quickly generate, sign and submit their reports with the peace of mind that all electronically signed reports are compliant.

Figure 2. Seamlessly access the DocuSign electronic signature service to sign and complete reporting in compliance with Davis-Bacon Act

Contractors performing work on government subsidized projects are required to submit accurate and timely prevailing wage reports. This complex task can take hours when tracking multiple projects and employees. The Points North Certified Payroll Reporting solution streamlines this process by using imported payroll data from leading payroll providers to generate reports. Automating the signing process with DocuSign completes the reporting process and enhances compliance by providing a legally binding document. By extending the power of electronic signature from DocuSign within the Points North Certified Payroll Reporting solution, contractors can further streamline their reporting process, reducing their reporting efforts by up to 75 percent.

Matt Schiltz, vice president of business development at DocuSign, shares:

DocuSign and Points North partnered to provide a state of the art solution to better manage federally mandated Davis-Bacon reporting. Points North users can now leverage the power of DocuSign electronic signature services directly with the Points North reporting solution for a rich, complete and convenient end-to-end electronic signature management process. This partnership with Points North is another example of DocuSign’s leadership as the standard in electronic signature services and demonstrates Points North innovation in delivering world class solutions.

You can drag signatures, initials and form fields to any location in the document to complete the signing.

Open the email sent to you from the DocuSign electronic signature service. Click the “Review” button to open your envelope.

Once you’ve opened your envelope, click the “I Agree” box for the consumer disclosure statement and the “I Adopt” box to adopt your electronic signature. Alternatively, you can modify your electronic signature prior to adopting it and clicking “continue”

Your document appears in the browser window. Your e-signature palette on the left – click to drag signatures, initials and form fields to any location in the document. In the example below, we selected and dragged the signature and date-signed form field to the document. You can reposition or remove any form field you have previously added before you complete your signing.

You can stay and review your document – click the “Complete Signing” button when you’re finished. The completed window appears and you can print or download a copy of your completed document and click “Done” to complete your free form signing experience!

Let’s take a look:

Overview

When planning your application integration with DocuSign, you should consider how you want to handle the signing process. DocuSign offers two methods of running a Signing Ceremony, known as Remote and Embedded Signing.

Remote signing is when DocuSign sends email invitations to the Recipients, and the Recipients click on a link in the email to go to the DocuSign site and sign the documents. DocuSign takes care of everything – sending emails to the Recipients, handling all of the possible actions that they can take during signing, providing access to the signed documents after the signing ceremony is complete. It’s very easy to use, and doesn’t require any setup so it’s a good choice if you need to get up and running quickly. Here’s how it might work in a sample application.

Let’s say that you have a web application that collects some information from your customer, and prepares an envelope with the documents that the customer needs to sign. You send the envelope, and then inform your customer that they will receive an email from DocuSign, and that they will need to click on the link in the email to start the signing process. Then, once the signing is complete, your application can be notified via a status callback from DocuSign, and you can then take additional steps as necessary.

For some applications this is the most desirable flow, but for others it isn’t. It splits the customer interaction into multiple processes – the customer interacts with your application, then they leave your application and interact with DocuSign, and then they (at some future point) interact with your application again. At any point the customer may abandon the transaction, or forget to complete it. Neither of these outcomes is desirable.

You can avoid these issues by using the Embedded Signing pattern. Embedded Signing allows you to host the signing process in your own application and manage the customer interactions directly. It allows you to put your own processes around the signing ceremony to accomplish complex workflows.

How Embedded Signing Works

Embedded Signing works by running a streamlined version of the DocuSign service inside of an iframe in your web application. Your application will make a request to DocuSign to start an Embedded Signing session for a particular Recipient, and DocuSign will provide you with a single use url (known as a RecipientToken) that can be used to start the session.

Your application will then set the iframe’s src attribute to this url, and the Embedded Signing session will start.
While the session is running, DocuSign will conduct the signing ceremony in the iframe. When the Recipient concludes the signing ceremony by signing the documents (or indicating that they do not wish to sign), DocuSign will redirect the iframe to an url, known as a ClientURL, designated by you. When your application detects that the ClientURL is requested, you can then continue with your application workflow.

The RecipientToken
Let’s look at the RecipientToken workflow in more detail.
First, you need to indicate which Recipients can use Embedded Signing when you send the Envelope. You do this by setting the CaptiveInfo object on the Recipient object. You can set the CaptiveInfo object on as many Recipients as you like, but you have to set it when you send the Envelope. The CaptiveInfo object has a single property named ClientUserId, and you must set this to some value that is unique on the Envelope. You can use something simple like “1” or “2”, or you can use some localID that is significant in your application – like a customerId. It just has to be unique on the envelope because this value will be used along with the Recipient’s Name and Email to request the RecipientToken. Remember that while the you can have multiple Recipients with the same Name and Email address (because the same person can act in multiple roles on a single envelope), they must all have different ClientUserIds.

Here’s an example of setting up a Recipient with the CaptiveInfo ClientUserId. In a real application this would have to be done on an Envelope of course – you can review the Create And Send Envelope walkthrough to see a complete Envelope setup.

//.NET
	Recipient recipient= new Recipient();
	recipient.Email = "test@docusign.com";
	recipient.UserName = "Test User";
	recipient.ID = "1";
	recipient.Type = RecipientTypeCode.Signer;
	recipient.RequireIDLookup = false;
	recipient.CaptiveInfo = new RecipientCaptiveInfo();
	recipient.CaptiveInfo.ClientUserId = "1";

//PHP
	$Recipient = new Recipient();
	$Recipient->Email = "test@docusign.com";
	$Recipient->UserName = "Test User";
	$Recipient->ID = "1";
	$Recipient->Type = "Signer";
	$Recipient->RequireIDLookup =false;
	$Recipient->CaptiveInfo->ClientUserId ="1";

Second, you have to get a RecipientToken for each Recipient that you want to have sign. When you get a Token, it is locked to the Recipient that you specify in the parameters. If you are having multiple Recipients sign, you will have request multiple RecipientTokens. Also note that the RecipientToken is a single use token. Once you use it, it is marked as used and if you try to reuse it, you will get an error. The RecipientToken also has a timeout (five minutes by default), so if you request a RecipientToken and try to use it ten minutes later, you will get an error.

The way to get a RecipientToken is the RequestRecipientToken API method. This method has a couple of parameters that we haven’t discussed yet, so let’s cover those and then we’ll show some code samples.

The Authentication Assertion
Part of Embedded Signing is allowing you to authenticate the Recipients who will be signing the documents. In exchange for DocuSign allowing you to do this, you have to supply DocuSign with a record referencing your authentication record, and the time, method, and domain of the authentication. The parameters are:

ClientURLs
ClientURLs are an array of urls that are used when the Signing Ceremony is completed. The Array is keyed by event codes, so you can specify different urls for different events. There are currently 10 different events, and this may increase in the future. The exhaustive list is always specified in the API Documentation, but here is the current list (August 2010):

Since there are different event codes, you can decide to use different pages on your site for each event, or you can use a single url with different parameters to indicate which event occurred. This latter method is usually employed just to reduce the amount of code that you maintain in your application.

ClientURLs and Security.
Although DocuSign is using these urls to signal your application, you should always confirm events by checking the status of the transaction whenever you receive one of these events. This is because a clever attacker could determine what your ClientURLs are and attempt to spoof your application by beginning a transaction and then manually requesting the SigningComplete ClientURL which would indicate that the signing is complete when it is not. Always confirm the transaction status when you get the Callback event.

The Code
Ok, let’s look at some sample code for this.

//.NET
	string EnvelopeId = "Your EnvelopeID Here";

	// All of these three values must match an existing Recipient on the specified Envelope
	string UserName = "Test User";
	string Email = "test@docusign.com";
	string ClientUserId = "1";

	RequestRecipientTokenAuthenticationAssertion assert = new RequestRecipientTokenAuthenticationAssertion();
	assert.AssertionID = "Your AssertionID Here";
	assert.AuthenticationInstant = DateTime.Now;
	assert.AuthenticationMethod = RequestRecipientTokenAuthenticationAssertionAuthenticationMethod.Password;
	assert.SecurityDomain = "YourApp.com";

	RequestRecipientTokenClientURLs clientURLs = new RequestRecipientTokenClientURLs();

	clientURLs.OnAccessCodeFailed = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnAccessCodeFailed";
	clientURLs.OnCancel = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnCancel";
	clientURLs.OnDecline = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnDecline";
	clientURLs.OnException = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnException";
	clientURLs.OnFaxPending = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnFaxPending";
	clientURLs.OnIdCheckFailed = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnIdCheckFailed";
	clientURLs.OnSessionTimeout = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnSessionTimeout";
	clientURLs.OnSigningComplete = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnSigningComplete";
	clientURLs.OnTTLExpired = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnTTLExpired";
	clientURLs.OnViewingComplete = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnViewingComplete";

	// assumes apiService = preconfigured api proxy
	string RecipientToken = apiService.RequestRecipientToken(EnvelopeId,ClientUserId,UserName,Email,assert,clientURLs);

	// now we would set the iframe src attribute location to RecipientToken.

// PHP
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams = new RequestRecipientToken();
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->EnvelopeID = "Your EnvelopeID Here" ;

	// All of these three values must match an existing Recipient on the specified Envelope
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->Username = "Test User";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->Email = "test@docusign.com";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientUserID = "1";
	//
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->AuthenticationAssertion->AssertionID = "Your AssertionID Here";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->AuthenticationAssertion->AuthenticationInstant = date("Y")."-".date("m")."-".date("d")."T00:00:00.00";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->AuthenticationAssertion->AuthenticationMethod = "Password";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->AuthenticationAssertion->SecurityDomain = "YourApp.com";

	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnAccessCodeFailed =  "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnAccessCodeFailed";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnCancel = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnCancel";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnDecline =  "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnDecline";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnException = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnException";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnFaxPending =  "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnFaxPending";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnIdCheckFailed =  "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnIdCheckFailed";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnSessionTimeout ="https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnSessionTimeout";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnSigningComplete =  "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnSigningComplete";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnTTLExpired = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnTTLExpired";
	$RequestRecipientTokenParams->ClientURLs->OnViewingComplete = "https://YourApp.com/DocuSignCallback.html?envelopeId=YourEnvelopeId&event=OnViewingComplete";

	// assumes $api = preconfigured api proxy
	$RequestRecipientTokenResponse = $api->RequestRecipientToken($RequestRecipientTokenParams);

	$RecipientToken = $RequestRecipientTokenResponse->RequestRecipientTokenResult;

	// now we would set the iframe src attribute location to $RecipientToken.

As you can see, the code is pretty straightforward. One thing to remember is that you have to use absolute, rather than relative, Urls for the ClientURLs. This is because the redirect will be evaluated against the iframe’s current url, rather than the url of your hosting page. It’s best to come up with some function to dynamically build the ClientURLs – for example, by inspecting the current hostname – rather than hardcoding them.

Now that we have the RecipientToken, we just set our iframe’s src attribute to this and let the session run. When the session is complete, the appropriate ClientURL will be loaded in the iframe. You will probably want to break out of the frame at this point – One pattern that you will see in the LoanCo and InsuranceCo samples is the use of a simple html page as the ClientURL, and then that page redirects the top frame to the appropriate page (signingreturn.php or signingreturn.aspx as appropriate) when it loads:

Then when the actual signingreturn page loads you can inspect the event and envelopeId parameters and check the status of the transaction.

That concludes our walkthrough. I highly recommend that you read the relevant sections of the official API Documentation as well – it covers all the details of the process and is the authoritative guide. And remember to check the DocuSign DevCenter if you have any questions or need additional resources.

Additional Resources

• RequestStatus code walkthrough
• Retrieving Documents code walkthrough
• DocuSign DevCenter
• Electronic Signature API Documentation

Want to use e-Sign on Your iPad?
Doug Rybacki, director of product management for DocuSign, confirmed that DocuSign subscribers can create DocuSign envelopes on the iPad and it works well for templates and sending for eSignature with Freeform signing. Stay tuned for more information about DocuSign’s upcoming DocuSign for iPad app and click the link above to learn how!

Of course, not everyone has an iPad or iPhone – we also offer the ability to use electronic signature on other mobile devices.

Want to use Electronic Signature on Your Mobile Device?
With “Designed for Mobile,” all DocuSign electronic signature service subscribers can access their DocuSign console from their iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Google Android devices, which earned us finalist status at the Stevie Awards.

FHA and Lender Acceptance of Electronic Signature
Earlier this spring, the FHA has issued a mortgagee letter, clarifying FHA acceptance of electronic signature. Ken Moyle’s blog post on this topic from 2009 continues to be popular, especially with answers to situations around lender acceptance, such as:

My mortgage broker says the lender won’t accept electronic signatures

A few lenders have some policies in place that restrict electronically signed documents, but not all documents in a mortgage application file are the same. There is a difference between a mortgage closing document (such as an electronic note) and a supporting document (such as a real estate contract, addendum or disclosure). Supporting documents represent contracts between consenting parties that have already been consummated and are not part of the closing process. It is unusual for a lender to interfere with a real estate transaction by asking for it to be re-executed. Ask the broker or lender to clarify their position and to make sure they have all the information they need to make that assertion.

If you are unable to get your lender to accept a DocuSigned contract as part of a mortgage application, please immediately send the lender name and contact info to legal@docusign.com.

Ensuring Your Electronic Signature Stands up in Court
Ken Moyle, DocuSign’s Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, has also shared his thoughts regarding issues your should consider so that your electronic signature will stand up in court.

When you do business electronically, you should anticipate the need to produce evidence that proves a given person signed a given electronic document on a given date. That means you should look at taking such steps as:

• Including authentication procedures to verify the identity of the signatory
• Maintaining evidence of the particular electronic document that was signed electronically
• Maintaining evidence of the electronic process that was followed in obtaining the electronic signature on the electronic document

For more information on any of these topics, click the links to read the complete posts. You can also sign up for a free electronic signature trial!