Overview
The Adobe Sign integration for Microsoft SharePoint provides an integrated solution for creating, sending, tracking, and managing electronic signatures.
This documentation has been developed for the Microsoft Online instance of SharePoint (generally referred to as “SharePoint” throughout this guide), and is intended as a guide to the use of the add-in from the end-user perspective. The installation guide can be found here.
This solution is developed as an add-in application for SharePoint and provides:
- Send an agreement from any SharePoint document library, or list, for signature
- Ability to send documents to a single recipient or group of recipients from a document library or custom SharePoint lists
- Map data from SharePoint lists as well as from a document library into documents through merge mapping when the documents get sent for signature
- Map data from form fields of signed agreement into textual columns of SharePoint lists as well as a document library through data mapping when the document has been signed and its status has been either automatically or manually refreshed through the Agreement Status page
- Archival of all signed agreements within SharePoint
- Ability to add the Adobe Sign Manage page as a SharePoint web part, which can be used by SharePoint users for tracking and updating Agreements
Supported browsers
- Edge - current version
- Chrome - current version
- Firefox - current version
- Safari - current version
Private/Incognito browser sessions are not supported.
Edge browsers
In order for SharePoint add-ins to work, some configuration of Trusted Sites in Microsoft Edge is required. Internet Explorer 11 and older are not supported.
Additionally, Microsoft Edge users need to explicitly edit their Trusted Sites settings to include the following URLs:
- https://*.microsoftonline.com
- https://*.sharepoint.com
- https://*.echosign.com
- https://*.adobesigncdn.com
- https://*.adobesign.com
To edit your Trusted Sites:
1. Open Edge
► Press Windows + S
2. Type Internet Options into the search field
3. The Internet Options menu opens. Select the Security tab
4. Click on the Trusted Sites icon
5. Click the Sites button
6. Enter one of the URLs above, and click Add
7. Repeat for each URL above
8. Close the Internet Options menu when done
Accessing the Adobe Sign features
Adobe Sign is an add-in application that is installed by your SharePoint Admin. As a User, you can see the Adobe Sign tab at the top of your SharePoint site.
Clicking the Adobe Sign tab exposes the ribbon with all the available Adobe Sign features.
The ribbon icons are inaccessible until you click within a Document or List web part, or select a document. Once you click into the web part, the ribbon icons become active.
In the modern user interface, the ribbon is replaced by a menu bar. All the same functionality is available through the menu bar:
The ribbon/menu consists of five icons:
- Send for Signature
- Agreement Status
- Library Template
- Manage Agreements
- Settings
Of these, the first four are the actions you might use on a regular basis for creating and sending agreements.
The last icon, Settings, is where you can define your personal Agreement template. Once defined, you won’t likely return to the page, unless you want to adjust the template. So, let’s start there.
Define your Personal Settings
Your personal settings allow you to define a default agreement name and message for all the agreements that you send from SharePoint using the Adobe Sign app.
To the right side of the Personal Settings page you can find the Learn and Support section containing direct links to topics of the user guide, as well as links to broader Adobe Sign content.
The Agreement Name field (255-character max) allows you to enter any string that identifies the agreement. This string populates in the Subject line of the recipients’ email (highlighted in yellow below), and also as the name value on the Manage page. Providing a unique and meaningful agreement name helps your recipients identify your email more readily, and can improve your ability to search for the agreement if needed
The Agreement Message is a plain text field where you can enter any instructions or comments that are warranted (highlighted in green below). The message appears on the Review and sign email sent to all recipients and should not be used like the personal notes you can attach for each recipient.
Custom Lists Document Templates
Just under the default agreement name and message fields are two settings that govern how documents can be attached when sending an agreement from a List.
The default behavior is to allow the sender to select a document from within SharePoint.
Two options are available for the user to alter the default experience:
► For custom lists, use a document template from outside of SharePoint – When enabled, the sender bypasses the option to attach a document from within SharePoint. Instead they are presented with the file attachment options as configured within the Adobe Sign system. This can include one or more of the following:
o Attach from the local system
o Attach from the Adobe Sign template library
► For custom lists, always use the designated document template – When enabled, SharePoint remembers the file that you attach, and automatically attaches that file on the next agreement that you create from a list, bypassing the file selection step. Great for when you use the same document multiple times.
Sending an Agreement
Starting the Agreement
Sending Agreements and getting signatures is what Adobe Sign is all about, and in the SharePoint environment there are four methods to begin that process:
- Sending from the ribbon or menu
- Sending via right-click
- Sending from Lists via the ribbon or menu
- Sending from Lists via right-click
All four of these options open the configuration page that allows you to define the Recipients, and the signature order if more than one signature is needed.
Documents sent from within SharePoint cannot exceed 10MB.
If you need to send a document over 10MB, you can upload that document to your Adobe Sign library (outside the SharePoint integration), and attach it from there.
Sending from the ribbon / menu
Sending from the ribbon is the method to use if you need to attach multiple SharePoint documents:
1. Select the document(s) to be sent by clicking the check to the left of the document name
2. Click the tab in the ribbon at the top of the page
3. Click the Send for Signature icon
○ All the selected documents are attached automatically
Send via right-click
Sending by right click lets you quickly send any document in a list of documents, but only attaches that one file to the Agreement:
1. Right Click the document you want to send for signature
2. Select Advanced from the pop-up menu
3. Select Send for Signature from the sub-menu
The classic menu structure is slightly different:
1. Right-click the list record you want
2. Select Advanced from the menu, and then Send for Signature from the sub-menu
Sending from Lists
Sending from a List can be accomplished using either the ribbon or the right-click context menu
Send from Lists via the ribbon or menu
1. Click the list record you want
2. Click Adobe Sign on the ribbon or menu
3. Select Send for Signature from the drop-down menu
Send from Lists via right click context menu
1. Right-click the list record you want
2. Select Send for Signature from the menu
The classic menu structure is slightly different:
1. Right-click the list record you want
2. Select Advanced from the menu, and then Send for Signature from the sub-menu
The page refreshes to the File selection view:
3. Select a file
4. Click Attach
If you have For custom lists, use a document template from outside of SharePoint enabled, you will bypass the SharePoint file attachment window, and move directly to the Agreement page for configuration. In this case, you will need to use the File Section to add the documents for signature.
There are two important features to remember:
► If you have For custom lists, always use the designated document template, the last file used for this list is automatically attached.
o If you need to attach a different file, you must disable For custom lists, always use the designated document template.
► The returned signed copy (and possibly Audit Trail) PDF is attached to the list item as an attachment, instead of being delivered to a new folder.
o If a Document Storage folder has been defined by the SharePoint Admin, the PDF is delivered to that folder instead.
Configure the Agreement
Once a new Agreement is open, you see the configuration page which can be viewed in four task-specific sections:
A. Recipients – The people interacting with the Agreement
B. Message – The name and global message for the Agreement
C. Options – Optional features related to the Agreement
D. Files – The actual documents/files that you need to be signed/approved
o Note that the Document you used to start the sending process is automatically attached to the Agreement.
Recipients Section
Each recipient is created with five elements:
A. Signing Index – This number indicates the relative position of the recipient in the signature cycle when a sequential workflow is selected.
B. Role – Defines how the recipient can interact with the document. Roles are enabled by the account administrator, so you may not see all options listed:
○ Signers (default)– Recipients that are expected to apply at least one signature
○ Approvers – Recipients that review and approve the document, but do not need to legally sign
○ Acceptors – Acceptors function mechanically the same as Approvers, with the primary difference being that the Audit Report identifies them as Accepting the agreement vs. Approving the document.
○ Certified Recipients – Certified Recipients can have no (zero) form fields assigned to them. During their "signature" process, they are asked to either delegate, decline or acknowledge the agreement.
○ Form Fillers - Designed specifically for customers that have a need to fill in form content during the signature process, but don't have the systems in place to programmatically build custom documents or push field content from a database to the form.
○ Delegators - The delegator role is designed for workflows that require a person to make the final judgment on who the correct next person is that should sign or approve the document. There is a Delegator version for each of the other roles.
C. Email address – Who is the recipient? This should be a personal email address
○ Add Me – The sender can insert themselves into the signature cycle by clicking the Add Me link at the top right of the Recipients section
○ Add Recipient Group – Sometimes, a recipient in the signature cycle can be one of several people. For example, if you need someone from the legal team to sign off, but it can be any one of five individuals. Recipient groups allow the Sender to list all five possible signers, but only require one of the five to apply a signature. (See recipient 3 in the image above)
D. Verification process – How should the recipient be vetted?
○ Email (default) – Authentication is based on access to the email box
○ Password – A sender generated alpha/numeric password that should be communicated to the recipient out of band
○ Social – Authenticate to a third-party social network like Facebook or LinkedIn
○ KBA (USA only) – Knowledge Based Authentication requires the recipient to enter their Social Security Number and then generates several non-trivial questions based on public databases
○ Phone – Requires the sender to supply the recipient’s phone number so an SMS code can be sent when their signature is needed
E. Private Message (optional) – The sender can supply individual instructions to each recipient which appear when the recipient is viewing the agreement. This option must be enabled by the Account Admin in the Adobe Sign UI.
The Show CC link just under the recipient list exposes a field where you can carbon copy (CC) any email address that you want to view the agreement, without them having interactive access.
To change the order of the recipients, you can click and drag the recipients to the correct stack order, and the index numbers adjust properly.
Just above the list of recipients is a switch that asks you select the basic signature order workflow:
○ When Complete in Order is enabled (as shown above), recipients are indexed and a sequential signing process is observed from one signing step to the next
○ When Complete in Any Order is enabled, recipients are not numbered, and parallel signing can take place.
Message Section
The Message section contains two fields that can dramatically improve your success, and if you have configured your personal template, these fields are auto-populated with the values you have defined.
The Agreement Name field allows you to enter any string that identifies the agreement.
The Agreement Message is a plain text field where you can enter any instructions or comments that are warranted.
These values can be edited until the agreement is sent.
Options Section
The Options section allows you to better control the document after it has been sent:
► Password Protect - Require recipients to enter a password to open and view the signed PDF file. This password is defined by the sender and would be communicated out of band. Adobe Sign does not record this password, so don’t forget it!
► Completion Deadline - Click into the Completion Date field to pop-up a calendar interface. Select the date on which the agreement expires and can no longer be completed. Document Expiration must be enabled by the account administrator before this feature is available.
► Set Reminder – Set the frequency (daily or weekly) of reminders to be sent until the agreement is completed. Only the current recipients are notified
►Signature Types – This option defines the expected signature process:
o Electronic - This option attempts to collect an electronic signature for all signers to the Agreement.
o Written – When you need to get a physical signature, this option prompts the signers to print the document, physically sign it, and then upload it back to the Adobe Sign system. (Instructions provided to signer when they open the agreement) The Written signature workflow must be enabled by the account administrator before it is available for use.
► Recipient’s Language - Select the language to be used in emails sent to recipients and during the signing experience.
o This setting also defines the visible Message Templates if your account is configured to use them.
Files Section
If your SharePoint account is configured to allow external documents, the File section is where you attach the documents to the transaction. If you started the process with a SharePoint document, that file should already be attached.
Adobe Sign combines all documents into one inclusive PDF for the signature process, and builds that PDF based on the order that the documents are listed. Documents can be rearranged by clicking and dragging one document to a new list location.
Files can be attached from either the Adobe Sign library, or uploaded from your local system using file search or drag and drop.
File types allowed are: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, PDF, JPG, GIF, TIF, PNG, BMP, TXT, RTF, HTML
Preview & Add Signature Fields
Just under the Files list you see the Preview & Add Signature Fields check box. This option allows you to open the documents that you upload and place form fields as needed on the document.
If you aren’t using designed templates, you should place at least the signature fields. There are many other fields you can use to build complex forms if you like.
If no signature fields are placed, Adobe Sign automatically adds a page to the Agreement, and places a signature block on that page for every signer.
Tracking your Agreements
- If the Agreement is completed (Signed or Approved), the name of the Agreement is link enabled, and shows the completed document when clicked.
- If the Agreement is in a terminal state (Signed, Cancelled / Declined, Expired) then the Refresh action is disabled
- If the Agreement is not in a terminal state, the Delete icon is disabled
Agreement Status
Once an Agreement is sent, tracking its progress is best done on the Agreement Status page, accessed through the Agreement Status icon on the Adobe Sign ribbon.
You can easily search for all the Agreements sent using a SharePoint document or list by:
1. Find and select the document/list item you want to search against
○ Multiple documents can be selected
2. Click the Agreement Status option (either in the ribbon or right-click context menu)
If you do not select specific documents or list items to search, SharePoint returns all agreements from all documents/items within the library or list that were initiated by the user.
If the user clicks on the Agreement Status icon in the ribbon from the Home page, SharePoint returns all documents initiated by that user within the whole site collection.
The Agreement Status page has a limit of 5000 records that can be returned to the page. If your search results exceed 5000 records, use the Manage Agreements option.
Filtering
To filter the agreements in your view, you can use the Search field in the upper-right corner of the page. This search field searches for any string stem in any of the fields, and returns all matches:
Refreshing the Agreement Status
The far-right column in the Agreement Status table is a “Refresh” action that actively queries Adobe Sign for an update to the agreement status.
SharePoint automatically updates all Agreements on a regular cycle. The Refresh action allows you to update an individual agreement outside of that cycle.
Deleting the Agreement Record
The last icon to the far right of the Agreement Status page is the Delete icon. This action deletes the Agreement record in SharePoint, but does not cancel or delete the Agreement in Adobe Sign. This action should be used with caution as it cannot be reversed.
Signed Documents
Depending on how your SharePoint Admin has configured the Signed Agreements storage, signed documents (and possibly Audit Trails) are pushed back into either:
► A Global folder – All completed documents are in this folder if configured this way
► A new “Signed Agreements” folder in the source library – If no Global folder is identified, a new folder called “Signed Agreements” is created in the Document library from which the Agreement was created/sent. All completed Agreements sent from the same library have the completed PDFs returned to the same Signed Agreements folder
► Attached to the List item – If you sent an agreement from a list item, the attachments are contained in the list
Managing Agreements
The Manage Agreements icon opens a different and more enabled view of the Agreements related to your user. Where the Agreement Status page shows a simple view of all Agreements with the option to update their status, the Manage Agreements view offers a deeper view into the Agreements, and additional options to modify the Agreement properties.
Manage page structure
The Manage page has a lot of embedded features to explore. For simplicity, it can be broken up into three functional areas:
A. Content and filters
B. Agreement list
C. Agreement tools
Content filters
The Manage page has four content/filter options:
Your agreements is the default data set for the content on your Manage page:
- When Your agreements is selected, the page content holds only the agreements you are explicitly involved in (as the sender, signer, CC'd party, or through an explicit agreement share)
- Accounts that configure content sharing between users see a drop-down arrow next to Your agreements which opens a menu displaying all the users and groups that have been shared to the user's account.
- Selecting any one user or group populates your Manage page with the data set that user or group is explicitly involved in
Only one user/group data set can be loaded into the Manage page at any given time.
Along the left rail you find a listing of agreement statuses, as well as three template types.
All of the content in your account can be sorted into one of these categories:
- In Progress - Agreements you are connected to that are still moving through the signature cycle
- Waiting for you - Agreements that are waiting for your action
- Completed - Agreements that successfully completed the signature cycle
- Canceled - Agreements that were abandoned. Abandoned agreements come from four sources:
- Sender cancels the agreement
- Recipient declines their action
- Recipient fails their authentication
- The system fails to process the agreement for some reason
- Expired - Agreements that aren't completed by the time their expiration timer terminates
- Draft - Agreements that are partly configured - haven't been sent yet
The template types are:
- Templates - These are the templates in the Document Library
- Web Forms - Web Forms are on-line forms that can be sent as URL links or embedded in web pages. As signers access the form, a child agreement spawns to capture just their signature on their own unique agreement. (eg: A registration form on a web page)
- Mega Sign - Mega Sign templates allow the sender to pair a document with a list of recipients. Each recipient gets their own unique copy of the agreement for them (and only them) to sign. (eg: Annual expense training)
When a search is performed, a new option appears at the top of the Status column: All
Selecting All displays all content in one table, disregarding the agreement Status.
Use text and/or a time frame to reduce the data set on the manage page.
Searching with text filters out agreements that dont match the string you search against in most of the meta data fields. Fields that are included in the search parameters include:
- Participant name
- Email address
- Participant Title
- Participant Company
- Agreement name
- Agreement Notes
- Agreement Message
- Recipient personal message
The filter icon opens the opens the option to filter the data set by selecting a date range:
- All dates
- Last 24 hours
- Last 7 days
- Last 30 days
- Last 12 months
- Custom date range
When a filter is selected, a tag is displayed next to the filter icon. Any one filter can be clicked to remove it after the data set has returned.
A quick note on how text searching works:
If you were searching for the string: "A simple fish"
- Quotes do not specify a literal string value
- Adobe Sign search tokenizes the string, using spaces as delimiters. The example string is broken into three tokens: A, simple, and fish
- Case distinction is removed from the tokens
- Search then tries to find a full-text match for any token in any of the queryable fields
- The returned data set is sorted by last modified date, with the most recent at the top
An additional option to Search hidden content is available by clicking the filter icon.
- When the Search hidden content selected, only hidden content is included in the returned data set
Agreement list
The agreement list displays the individual agreements that conform to the content you have selected, and reduced by the filters you have in place.
Each agreement displays:
Recipient - The current recipient (if the agreement is in process), or the first recipient (when the agreement is completed, canceled, or expired).
- The recipient Name is displayed when known. The email of the recipient is displayed when the Name is unknown
Sender - The sender of the agreement.
Title - The name of the agreement.
Status - The current status as the agreement as it relates to the signature cycle. (The below example is using the All option, so multiple statuses are displayed)
Modified - The last modified date for the agreement.
The default sorting order for content is the Last Modified date of the agreements.
However, any column header can be clicked to sort the data set by that value.
Agreement tools
The agreement tools are exposed by single clicking any one agreement or template:
The right rail pops open to expose the tools to access or manipulate the agreement (or library document/web form/mega sign):
View & Sign - Only available for agreements that are Waiting for you
Open Agreement/Template/Web Form/Mega Sign - Opens the object for a full view of the document.
- Agreements show the current state of the agreement, where ever it is in the signature cycle.
- Templates show the base documents use to build the template
Use Template - Templates (Library documents) only. This option starts a new agreement with the template already attached
Get Code - Web Forms only. This option opens a page where the user can copy the HTML or script code for the web form
Edit Template/Web Form - Allows the user to edit the template
Reminder - Allows the user to set a reminder for the current recipient
Cancel - Cancels the agreement
Download PDF - Downloads a PDF copy of the agreement in its current state.
- Parent templates will download a PDF copy of the original documents used to make the template
Download Audit Report - Downloads the audit report for the agreement
Download Form Field Data - Downloads a csv file of the field content for a completed agreement
- Parent template objects download a csv with the field level content for all child agreements that have been completed
Modify Agreement - Allows the user to edit the documents on an agreement, and/or the fields placed on the document.
- This option is only available until the first recipient takes their action.
Delete - Templates (library documents) only. Deletes the template from the system. This is an irrevocable action
Hide Agreement/Web Form/Mega Sign - Hides the object from the user's view. This action only removes the object from view, no other action is taken
Share - Allows the user to share the object explicitly with another user. This action cannot be undone
Notes - Allows the user to apply personal notes to the object
Download Individual Files - Allows the user to download the individual files is multiple files were used to build the agreement/template
View Activity Report - Mega Sign only. This option produces a summary of the Mega Sign progress, sectioning the list of recipients into categories that match the signature status of the agreement
Replace Current Recipient - Only available for agreements the user has sent. Allows the user to replace the current recipient for an agreement
Activity - A running list of events that have taken place in regard to the agreement. Starting with a Creation event, logging each recipient's activities, and closing with a complete/canceled/expired status
Quick links to common tasks
Below is a quick reference for the most common tasks you may need to use, followed by a high-level survey of the manage page itself and the feature landmarks.
Library (Document) Templates
The Library Templates icon on the Adobe Sign ribbon allows you to send a SharePoint document to the Adobe Sign Authoring environment where you can place form fields, and then save the field enabled form in your Adobe Sign library.
The original document in SharePoint is not be changed. The new document template exists only on the Adobe Sign side, and must be attached via the Document Library option in the Files section of the Agreement.
To create a document template:
1. Click on the document you want to build into a template
2. Click the Library Template icon on the ribbon (or right click and choose from the menu)
○ The Adobe Sign Authoring environment opens, showing you the full document
3. Place the fields needed on the document
○ If you are creating a template that needs input/signatures from two people, place all the fields for the first recipient. Then, change the Recipients field to Participant 2, and then place the fields for the second signer/approver.
Note: When creating a template through the Authoring environment, you can build the document for up to 99 recipients. To insert Participant 3+, click the Add New Participant option at the top of the participants list.
4. Once the template is complete, click the Save button in the lower-right corner.
○ This saves the template to the Adobe Sign library.
The Adobe Sign add-in includes two automation features that your SharePoint admin can configure. If the below functionality is valuable to your process, contact your SharePoint admin to discuss how best to utilize them.
Site wide document storage for signed agreements
Admins can configure one central folder where all signed agreements (and optionally the related Audit Trails) can be stored. This includes documents from Libraries as well as Lists.
If a central folder for signed documents is not defined, then all signed agreements will be returned to the document library from which they were sent.
A new folder will be created in the library called “Signed Agreements”.
For agreements sent from Lists, the signed Agreement PDFs (and potentially the Audit Trails) will be attached to the List item.
Field template merging
Adobe Sign supports the idea of creating documents with fields that can be populated by SharePoint Lists.
Additionally, templates can be created that will update the content of Lists from the field content captured on a signed agreement.
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