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👋 Hey developers! Have questions about embedding Docusign into your app? We’re giving you the chance to ask your questions async-style in this AMA thread, open now through July 31. When you comment with a question, you’ll be automatically entered into a sweepstakes to choose a $100 gift 🎁 

Whether you’re getting started or looking to fine-tune your implementation, this is your opportunity to get answers directly from Paige Rossi, Lead Developer Advocate on the Docusign Developer Content team.

 

🔧 Topic for this AMA: Embedding Docusign eSignature into your app

A clunky signing experience—like redirecting users to their inbox—can hurt completion rates.

With embedded signing and sending, you can keep everything in-app and streamline the user experience. The right API implementation can boost completion rates and improve UX.

If you’ve been wondering how to create a smooth, in-app signing experience, this AMA is for you.

🧠 Ask Paige about:

  • How to embed Docusign eSignature into your apps using the eSignature REST API

  • The difference between embedded signing and embedded sending

  • When and how to use focused view to embed Docusign without redirecting to a separate URL

  • Customization tips that make embedded sending feel native

💬 How to participate:

  • Drop your questions below through July 31

  • Paige will reply directly in the thread and tag ​@paige.rossi 

  • No question is too small—this is a space to learn!

  • 🎁 Bonus! Comment in the AMA thread and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing to win a $100 Loop & Tie gift. If you’re selected, you get to choose from a curated collection of gifts—think alpaca throw blankets, premium coffee bundles, and more—then have it shipped straight to your door. (The terms & conditions can be viewed here.) Note: To be eligible, your reply must be relevant to the AMA topic. Off-topic questions may be moved by moderators and may not qualify as entries.

💡Not sure what to ask? Try asking: 

  1. What’s the difference between embedded signing and embedded sending?

  2. How do I decide when to use embedded signing vs remote signing?

  3. How can I embed the Docusign experience without redirecting to a new URL?

  4. How can I make the signing experience match my app’s branding?

  5. Why should I use embedded signing instead of simply embedding the envelope in an iframe?

📌 Reminder:
This AMA is for general questions about Docusign’s APIs and implementation best practices. For account-specific issues, reach out to Support. For feature requests, drop them in the Ideas section.

Let’s build better signing experiences—ask away 👇

👋 Hi everyone! 

I’m really looking forward to answering your questions and chatting with you all about embedded sending and signing this month! 

Here are a few resources on the topic to get the wheels turning:

Hi Paige,

 

I wanted to check if it's possible to enable embedded signing for signers within a Signing Group, particularly when we are adding the Signing Group through the API. Specifically, can we:

  • Assign a clientUserId to the Signing Group recipient?

  • Retrieve a recipient view URL for any signer in that group to initiate embedded signing?

Hello ​@paige.rossi 

Let’s take the real-life example: loan approval that requires a client to sign first, followed by an internal manager.

Question: How do I handle scenarios where multiple parties need to sign a document in a specific order “sequential routing”? And will it be coming under the “User advance recipient routing” of conditional recipient? 
 

👪 DocuSign Community Leaderboard Top 5 contributor
💹 Ranked #3 in the Reply Royalty category in DocuSign Community Wrapped 2024
🤝Let’s LinkedIn and roll: Pawan Gangwani - EY | LinkedIn

Hi Paige,

 

I wanted to check if it's possible to enable embedded signing for signers within a Signing Group, particularly when we are adding the Signing Group through the API. Specifically, can we:

  • Assign a clientUserId to the Signing Group recipient?

  • Retrieve a recipient view URL for any signer in that group to initiate embedded signing?

​@Maneesha  Unfortunately you aren’t able to use embedded signing with a signing group, because with embedded signing, your app is responsible for authenticating the signers and you need to know who the signer is before they can sign. If you want to send the envelope to a signing group, you’ll need to use remote signing.

Hello ​@paige.rossi 

Let’s take the real-life example: loan approval that requires a client to sign first, followed by an internal manager.

Question: How do I handle scenarios where multiple parties need to sign a document in a specific order “sequential routing”? And will it be coming under the “User advance recipient routing” of conditional recipient? 
 

👪 DocuSign Community Leaderboard Top 5 contributor
💹 Ranked #3 in the Reply Royalty category in DocuSign Community Wrapped 2024
🤝Let’s LinkedIn and roll: Pawan Gangwani - EY | LinkedIn

​@Pawan Gangwani This how-to guide provides some example code for how to set up conditional recipients with Advanced Recipient Routing. If you want these recipients to be embedded, you’ll need to specify the clientUserId on the recipient, then call the EnvelopeViews: createRecipient endpoint for each signer to generate their signing URL. 

Why should I use embedded signing instead of simply embedding the envelope in an iframe?
Also, are any different configurations to set the iframe behaviour? We are having some scrollbar issues on prod, but not in testing and we have no clue why. 

Why should I use embedded signing instead of simply embedding the envelope in an iframe?
Also, are any different configurations to set the iframe behaviour? We are having some scrollbar issues on prod, but not in testing and we have no clue why. 

​@MoisesW In general we don’t recommend using iframes because of potential security issues and because it can add unneeded complexity when troubleshooting issues in your signing workflows. This blog post gets into more details on the potential issues that can come up with iframes. 

If you do want to have the signing experience embedded on your page rather than redirecting your users to the signing link, you can do that with Docusign JS and focused view. Docusign JS also includes some StyleObject properties that you can use to control the look of the embedded display. It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on with your scrollbar issue but it may have to do with some of the weirdness that can be caused by iframes described in that blog post I shared. Using the styles in Docusign JS might be a place to start.

Hi @paige.rossi

Are there only case specific situations which we should embed in app VS url link VS on docusign site?  I am curious, for I run into security issues with a couple of documents (specifically, onboarding new employees - i.e. W -9, consultants' documentation & agreements, etc) that I need signatures for for my company. Another example is when I would like extra security protocol (i.e. work agreements) and can't seem to enable it on my additional current signing platform. So many options now-a-days, which are good, however as an owner we seek the simplist option - With the thought to also be able to automate in to current workflows within my company. BUT be able to keep and/ or implement security protocols/ features- ALL with EASE & SIMPLICITY! Thank you!

Why should I use embedded signing instead of simply embedding the envelope in an iframe?
Also, are any different configurations to set the iframe behaviour? We are having some scrollbar issues on prod, but not in testing and we have no clue why. 

​@MoisesW In general we don’t recommend using iframes because of potential security issues and because it can add unneeded complexity when troubleshooting issues in your signing workflows. This blog post gets into more details on the potential issues that can come up with iframes. 

If you do want to have the signing experience embedded on your page rather than redirecting your users to the signing link, you can do that with Docusign JS and focused view. Docusign JS also includes some StyleObject properties that you can use to control the look of the embedded display. It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on with your scrollbar issue but it may have to do with some of the weirdness that can be caused by iframes described in that blog post I shared. Using the styles in Docusign JS might be a place to start.

Working on it, thanks.

Question about the frameAncestors property, it is possible to use wild cards? I ask because we have some temporary environments for testing and would help to have the recipient URL created to R*.mydomain.com] instead of mfirst.mydomain.com, second.mydomain.com, dude.mydomain.com, ...]

Are there only case specific situations which we should embed in app VS url link VS on docusign site?  I am curious, for I run into security issues with a couple of documents (specifically, onboarding new employees - i.e. W -9, consultants' documentation & agreements, etc) that I need signatures for for my company. Another example is when I would like extra security protocol (i.e. work agreements) and can't seem to enable it on my additional current signing platform. So many options now-a-days, which are good, however as an owner we seek the simplist option - With the thought to also be able to automate in to current workflows within my company. BUT be able to keep and/ or implement security protocols/ features- ALL with EASE & SIMPLICITY! Thank you!

 

​@Jezika1369 The main consideration for when to use each option is the end-user experience that you want your users to have. Depending on the workflows you want to build the signatures into, you may choose a different option. For example, if you don’t expect users to come to your app or site at all, you might prefer remote signing. 

If you can share specific security protocols or error messages you’re seeing, I can look into any additional considerations that might be relevant. There are certain features that aren’t available with focused view including identity verification and some kinds of standards-based signatures so those would also  be considerations when deciding between traditional embedded signing and focused view.

Question about the frameAncestors property, it is possible to use wild cards? I ask because we have some temporary environments for testing and would help to have the recipient URL created to o*.mydomain.com] instead of ffirst.mydomain.com, second.mydomain.com, dude.mydomain.com, ...]

 

​@MoisesW Unfortunately we don't support wildcards in that property right now due to strict requirements from some customers around CSP. I’ve made our development team aware of this question though so they can note this feedback.

Hi @pagie.rossi,


We have a use case where senior management users prefer not to leave the source system for signing documents. To accommodate this, we’ve implemented an embedded signing button.

However, as soon as we add the clientUserId parameter to enable embedded signing, the recipient is treated as a captive recipient. This causes a problem: even though the user has an active DocuSign account—with their signature styles and stamps already uploaded—the embedded signing experience does not link to their DocuSign account or retrieve their saved configurations.

Is there any way to associate a captive (embedded) recipient with a DocuSign user account so they can still use their saved signature, initials, and stamp settings during embedded signing?

We have a use case where senior management users prefer not to leave the source system for signing documents. To accommodate this, we’ve implemented an embedded signing button.

However, as soon as we add the clientUserId parameter to enable embedded signing, the recipient is treated as a captive recipient. This causes a problem: even though the user has an active DocuSign account—with their signature styles and stamps already uploaded—the embedded signing experience does not link to their DocuSign account or retrieve their saved configurations.

Is there any way to associate a captive (embedded) recipient with a DocuSign user account so they can still use their saved signature, initials, and stamp settings during embedded signing?

 

​@Maneesha Unfortunately no, captive recipients are not able to be associated with a Docusign account during signing. If it’s more important for the signer to be able to use their stored signatures, remote signing may be the better option.

That’s a wrap! 🎉

Thanks to everyone who participated in our async AMA on customizing the embedded signing and sending experience with Docusign APIs. We loved seeing your questions and hope Paige’s answers helped you get one step closer to building a smoother signing experience in your app.

🔒 This thread is now closed to new comments, but you can still read through the Q&A anytime.

🎁 If you dropped a question in the thread, you’re automatically entered into the drawing for a $100 Loop & Tie gift—we’ll contact the winner shortly.

Thanks again for being part of the Docusign Community! 

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