DocuWare Signature Service
The interface for connecting to an external signature service provider such as Validated ID is the DocuWare Signature Service - a web service that is integrated into workflow activities. Documents in a DocuWare workflow can be transferred to an external signature service provider, who verifies the identity of the signer and returns the signed document with the signature certificate to DocuWare.
The DocuWare Signature Service only supports PDFs – the document is converted as needed. Annotations from the DocuWare document will not be included in the PDF that will be signed. The signed version of the document can either replace the original document or be clipped to the original document. In addition, an index field is updated with a specific value. This value can be a trigger condition for another workflow, for example.
The technical prerequisite for the DocuWare Signature Service is that DocuWare Workflow Engine must have access to the web service and the DocuWare platform must be accessible from the web service. With DocuWare Cloud, this is always the case; with an on-premises system the server and firewall may need to be configured accordingly.
The configuration options for the electronic signature, such as the placement of the signature in the document or the integration of multiple signers, are described in the chapter Service methods and parameter.
Validated ID and DocuWare have worked to ensure that your documents will remain secure during the signing process. Both DocuWare Cloud and Validated ID require that any on premises DocuWare installation be configured to use SSL. The documents are secure in an encrypted channel during transit between DocuWare and the signature provider.
Configure DocuWare to sign documents with Validated ID
To use the DocuWare Signature Service with Validated ID, you sign a service contract with Validated ID. More information on licensing can be found in the White Paper Electronic Signatures.
Register organization
The first step in using the electronic signature service is registering your DocuWare organization with the DocuWare Signature Service. This is necessary so that the DocuWare Signature Service can access the DocuWare organization and perform the DocuWare operations as downloading and updating documents and updating index data. Because the DocuWare Signature Service is a hosted service only, any organization using it must be accessible via the internet.
Go here to register with the DocuWare Signature Service
To register with the Signature Service credentials for the customers’ DocuWare organization are required. The DocuWare user and password are used for all DocuWare actions and will need permissions to the file cabinet used. Additionally, a valid email address must be provided where a token will be sent to and the Validated ID subscription name and password has to be entered.
Validated ID offers two options for registering a customer organization: The Demo Subscription can be requested by DocuWare partners, for example, for the customer's evaluation phase. To sign documents in a production environment, the Production Subscription is required. If all information is correct, the registration will be completed and an email with the token issued for their organization will be sent.
Authorized DocuWare Partners (ADPs) can use a demo subscription for presentation. Go here to register a demo organization (for authorized users only).
Add Signature Service as web service
Before configuring your workflow you need to add the service to the available web services in the DocuWare Configuration:
https://signature.docuware.cloud/ViDSignatureService.svc
When creating the web service connection, use the option SOAP for the type of web service without authentication.
Overview signature workflow
The following procedure describes how the document in a workflow is sent to Validated ID for signing and retrieved back:
Trigger condition happens on a document. Workflow is started for the document.
Workflow uses a web service activity to submit the document information.
DocuWare Signature Service fetches the document from DocuWare. As the signature can only be applied to PDF files, other file formats are converted to PDF.
DocuWare Signature Services sends the document to the Validated ID web application.
Depending on the Validated ID signature type (remote, centralized, biometric) the user
a) Validated ID sends an email to the user and the user opens the link from the email (remote).
b) the user logs into Validated ID portal (centralized).
c) the mobile device is notified and the document is displayed (biometric).
The user reviews the document and signs it (or rejects it) by
a) entering a TAN sent to her mobile phone (remote).
b) entering a PIN (centralized) .
c) signing on the mobile device with a pen (biometric).
Validated ID adds the signature to the document and places a visual representation on the document.
Validated ID informs the DocuWare Signature Service about the signed or rejected document.
Signature Service retrieves the document from Validated ID and stores it in DocuWare. The signed version of the document can either replace the original document or be clipped to the original document. In addition, some index fields are updated.
Configure the signature workflow
One of the important aspects of creating the electronic signature workflow is being able to place the image of the signature in an appropriate place on the document.
This signature image can be placed on the document in one of two ways:
If the document is a consistent structure, i.e. always 3 pages and the signature should be placed always at the bottom of the third page, then specify in the parameters of the web service the page number and the X, Y coordinates of the signature (the web service uses millimeters), see also chapter Service methodes.
If the document is variable in structure, i.e. a contract with an unknown number of pages, the signature can move accordingly to a certain piece of text which is defined with the parameter “AnchorText”. The service looks for the matching phrase and can place the signature relative to that text. The signature shown above was placed by finding “Customer signature” and then placing the image below that phrase. It may take some trial and error to find the right anchor text and relative location.
Add workflow activities
The specifics of your workflow will depend on the needs of the use case. However, a basic recommendation is shown below. Applying a signature to a workflow document requires two workflow activities – Assign data and Web service.
An additional Wait for event makes it possible to pause the workflow until the document is signed.
See further information how to configure a DocuWare workflow.
Assign data activity. First step is applying a workflow activity of the type Assign data. The purpose of this step is to create global variables for all the parameters and then assign pieces of data to them for use in calling the web service. It’s best practice to name the global variables the same as the parameter they are intended to represent.
Here is an example. For details and parameters see next chapter.
Web Service. In a Web Service activity, you first select the web service from a list of web services you have set up in the Add DocuWare signature service as web service. If you don’t see the signature service, configure it there and return to this step.
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On the tab Request click on Find methods and select the proper method. Now, in the parameters, you select the global variables you created for each parameter.
You may also choose to use the result parameters on the tab Data Assign. These can be set to global variables and used to decide the next step in your workflow. For example, if the “Success” result of the web service (found in the success Boolean) is false, you may want to take a different path than if the result is true.
Parameter name | Workflow variable type | Description | Values |
|---|---|---|---|
Message (string) | Text | If the web service call was not successful, the message contains the information on why the call was not successful.. | |
Success (boolean) | Text | If the web service was called successfully, the value is “true”. |
|
Enveloped (string) | Text | This is the unique ID, that Validated ID has assigned to the document. |
Optional: Wait for event. The signature service returns directly after the web service call is successful. It’s important in this case to include a Wait Activity in your workflow. This will allow the workflow to wait for the document to be signed by the signer(s). Without a wait condition, the workflow for the document may conclude before the document is signed.
The most common wait condition is to wait for the value of the index field selected for “StatusFieldName” to change. Then, if the value in the field is now the “SuccessStatusValue”, the workflow can proceed with the newly signed document. If the value of the field is now the “FailureStatusValue” the workflow can proceed and handle the case that the signer has declined to sign the document.
What happens after the document is signed or rejected?
After the document is signed or rejected, Validated ID notifies the DocuWare Signature Service..
If the document is signed, DocuWare Signature Service downloads the document from Validated ID. The parameter “PostSigningAction” determines how the document is handled – clip it before or after the original document or replace it with the new file. DocuWare Signature Service sets the field specified by StatusFieldName with the SuccessStatusValue. The workflow can use this status to continue. .
If the document is rejected, DocuWare Signature Service sets the value of the field specified by StatusFieldName to the FailedStatusValue. The workflow can use this status to continue.
The signature service then removes the document from Validated ID.