Adobe Sign for SharePoint Online - User Guide

The Adobe Sign integration for Microsoft® SharePoint provides a solution for creating, sending, tracking, and managing electronic signatures.

Adobe Sign integration for Microsoft® SharePoint is developed as an add-in application for SharePoint that can be used to:

• Send an agreement from any SharePoint document library, or list, for signature.
• Send documents to a single recipient or group of recipients from a document library or custom SharePoint lists.
• Map data from SharePoint lists and from a document library into documents through merge mapping when the documents get sent for signature.
• Map data from form fields of the signed agreement into textual columns of SharePoint lists and as a document library through data mapping. When the document is signed its status is automatically updated. 
• Archive all signed agreements within SharePoint.
• Add the Adobe Sign manage page as a SharePoint web part, which can be used by SharePoint users for tracking and updating Agreements.

See Adobe Acrobat Sign for Microsoft® SharePoint installation guide.

Supported browsers

• Edge - current version
• Chrome - current version
• Firefox - current version
• Safari - current version

Edge browsers

For SharePoint add-ins to work, some configuration of trusted sites in Microsoft® Edge is required.  Internet explorer 11 and older aren’t supported.

Also, Microsoft® Edge users must 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 the edge browser and then press Windows® + S on the keyboard.
2. In the Search fields, type Internet Options.
3. From the Internet Options menu, select the Security tab.
4. Select the Trusted Sites icon.
5. Select Sites.
6. Enter one of the URLs above and then select Add.
7. Repeat step 6 for each URL.
8. Once done, close the Internet Options menu.

Access 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.

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 regularly 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.

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 shouldn’t 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 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.

Send 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.

Sending from the ribbon / menu

Sending from the ribbon is the method to use if you must attach multiple SharePoint documents:

1. Select one or more documents 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 that 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 that you want.

2. Click Adobe Sign on the ribbon or menu.

3. Select Send for Signature from the drop-down list

Send from Lists via right click context menu

1. Right-click the list record that you want

2. Select Send for Signature from the menu.

The classic menu structure is slightly different:

1. Right-click the list record that 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 SharePoint enabled, you’ll bypass the SharePoint file attachment window, and move directly to the agreement page for configuration.  In this case, you’ll 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 must 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 must 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 don’t 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 versus Approving the document.

○ Certified Recipients – Certified recipients can have no (zero) form fields assigned to them. During their "signature" process, they’re 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’s 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 upper-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 alphanumeric 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 user interface.

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.

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’ve configured your personal template, these fields are auto-populated with the values you’ve 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.

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 doesn’t 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 must 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’s 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 that you can use to build complex forms if you like.

Track your agreements

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 don’t 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 the agreement status icon in the ribbon from the home page, SharePoint returns all documents initiated by that user within the whole site collection.

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:

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 can’t 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 more options to modify the Agreement properties.

Manage page structure

The Manage page has many 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:

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/Bulk send):

View & Sign - Only available for agreements that are Waiting for you

Open Agreement/Template/Web Form/Bulk send - 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/Bulk send - 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 - Send in Bulk only. This option produces a summary of the Send in Bulk 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.

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’re 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 use 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 and 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. 

Also, templates can be created that will update the content of Lists from the field content captured on a signed agreement.