Contents

• Introduction
• Best Practices
• Sample SubmitDocument Calls with Text Tags 
  • API Snippet: Signatures and Dates
  • API Snippet: Initials
  • API Snippet: Text, Checkboxes and Notary Seals

Introduction

SIGNiX supports the use of text tags in PDF documents to place actual PDF fields (tasks) on a document for users to sign / fill, etc. The text tag becomes the anchor for a new coordinate system based on a similar coordinate system to other e-signature platforms. We start our offset system with the lower left corner of the text becoming the 0,0 of the x,y offset system, and positive values moving to the right and down of that initial point. We then define height and width. All coordinates are based on 1/72 inch points.

Any text may be called out as a text tag. The type (<Type>) of tag being placed must be identified, as well as the anchor text (<AnchorText>) being referenced, the coordinates (as diagrammed above), whether the field is required or optional (<IsRequired>), and an internal ‘name’ (<TagName>) for the field that can be referenced elsewhere in the SubmitDocument call.

...

<TextTagField>                          Occurs once only

<Type>TextField</Type>

<AnchorText>paper form</AnchorText>

<AnchorXOffset>0</AnchorXOffset>

<AnchorYOffset>22</AnchorYOffset>

<Width>120</Width>

<Height>20</Height>

<IsRequired>yes</IsRequired>

<TagName>EditableField1</TagName>

    </TextTagField>

...

[

[Back to top]

Best Practices

• The coordinate system is pretty much the same as platforms such as DocuSign, so those coordinates should be able to be re-used, even though the API structure of course is different.

• Please use unique, explicit tags for each field / task to be implemented. Do not use standard text in a document (i.e. sentence structure.)

• When implementing, it may be best to define a ‘standard’ for how large signatures will be, initials, date fields, etc and explain that to the users who will be adding tags to the documents. That way, it need not be a back-and-forth testing process to get the tags just right.

Sample SubmitDoc Requests with Text Tags

<TextTagField> parameters are added in the <Form> section after the <MimeType> element and prior to <Length> and <Data> elements. They replace the normal SubmitDoc elements for fields, etc.

<Form>

     <RefID>SamplesConsentForm</RefID>

     <Desc>E-Signature Consent Form and Privacy Policy</Desc>

     <FileName>ConsentFormAndPrivacyPolicy.pdf</FileName>

     <MimeType>application/pdf</MimeType>

     <TextTagField> ... </TextTagField>

     <Length>165238</Length>

     <Data>...</Data>

...

</Form>

Sample Submit Document Calls for Testing

NOTE: Please replace the password and email addresses in your usage.

  -  Sample Submit Document with Text Tags

  -  Sample Submit Document - Multi-Party Text Tags

  -  Sample Submit Document - Multi-Document Text Tags

API Snippet - Signature and Date

Date Field

Note that the date field must be defined first as a TextTagField and then called out in the Signature Tag afterwards. All elements are required.

• Type: “DateSigned” (unique to date fields)

• Anchor text = Specific words / characters we’re looking for to place the field

• AnchorX and Y Offsets = In 1/72 in, per coordinate system described above.

• Width and Height = In 1/72 in, per coordinate system described above.

• IsRequired: Mandatory or not?

• Tag Name = Name that gets leveraged later either for a date field or for reference and linking to a specific signature/party. Must be unique as a date field attached to a signature.

Signature Field

All elements are required unless otherwise stated.

• MemberInfoNumber: which party is this assigned to

• Anchor text: Specific words / characters we’re looking for to place the field

• AnchorX and Y Offsets: In 1/72 in, per coordinate system described above.

• Width and Height: In 1/72 in, per coordinate system described above.

• IsRequired: Mandatory or not?

• DateSignedTagName: Optional. If you want the date field for this signature to be populated automatically by SIGNiX, place the TagName in this parameter. NOTE: (as specified above) the date field must already be a declared tag.

• DateSignedFormat: Optional. Same as normal date field

• NotarySealTagName: Optional. TagName of notary seal associated with this signature - see below.

• EditableFieldTagName: Optional. TagNames of other fields which this party will need to complete and are tied to this signature. Effectively the cover element from the normal Submit Document.

API Snippet: Initial Only

All elements are required unless otherwise stated.

• MemberInfoNumber: which party is this assigned to

• Type: Note that this is specific to initials only. If you want to use initials, you need to add ‘initial’ in this parameter.

• Anchor text: Specific words / characters we’re looking for to place the field

• AnchorX and Y Offsets: In 1/72 in, per coordinate system described above.

• Width and Height: In 1/72 in, per coordinate system described above.

• IsRequired: Mandatory or not?

• DateSignedTagName: Optional. If you want the date field for this signature to be populated automatically by SIGNiX, place the TagName in this parameter. Note (as above) that the date field must already be a decalred tag.

• DateSignedFormat: Optional. Same as normal date field

• EditableFieldTagName: Optional. TagNames of other fields which this party will need to complete and are tied to this signature.

...

<TextTagSignature>
                <MemberInfoNumber>1</MemberInfoNumber>
                <Type>initial</Type>
                <AnchorText>against</AnchorText>
                <AnchorXOffset>10</AnchorXOffset>
                <AnchorYOffset>32</AnchorYOffset>
                <Width>35</Width>
                <Height>30</Height>
                <IsRequired>yes</IsRequired>
</TextTagSignature>

...

API Snippet: Text, Checkbox and Notary Seal Tags

All elements are required.

• Type: Possible values…(note capitalization)

  • DateSigned (explained above)

  • TextField

  • checkbox

  • NotarySeal

• Anchor text = Specific words / characters we’re looking for to place the field

• AnchorX and Y Offsets = In 1/72 in, per coordinate system described above.

• Width and Height = In 1/72 in, per coordinate system described above.

• IsRequired: Mandatory or not?

• Tag Name = Name that gets leveraged later either for a date field or for reference and linking to a specific signature/party. Should be unique unless value is being used elsewhere in document.

Text Fields

Checkbox Field

Notary Stamp

[Back to top]