What Is an Elastic Template DocuSign? Quick Guide

Elastic templates in DocuSign streamline the process of obtaining consent for agreements in embedded scenarios. Unlike standard templates, elastic templates wrap your document in a configurable iframe that can be seamlessly integrated into your websites and apps. This guide will walk you through the ins and outs of creating, customizing, and integrating elastic templates, empowering you to efficiently manage agreements with multiple users.

Whether you prefer the classic manual approach or want to explore the possibilities of automating repetitive tasks with AI agents, this comprehensive guide has you covered. Get ready to revolutionize your agreement workflows and take your DocuSign skills to the next level!

Overview of DocuSign Elastic Templates

DocuSign elastic templates are a special type of template that simplify obtaining consent for agreements in embedded scenarios. They wrap your document in a configurable iframe that you can embed in your websites and apps, displaying as a modal or inline as part of your page.

Elastic templates can record agreements from multiple users, with each new user acceptance stored with the template object. This makes them a versatile tool for streamlining the agreement process.

1. Defining DocuSign Elastic Templates and Their Purpose

An elastic template in DocuSign is an iframe that displays your terms to customers for review and acceptance. Its purpose is to simplify getting consent to your agreements when embedding the signing process in your own digital properties.

For example, a SaaS company could use an elastic template to present their terms of service and record user acceptance each time a new customer signs up, without the friction of redirecting them to a separate signing page.

2. How Elastic Templates Differ from Standard DocuSign Templates

While standard DocuSign templates are standalone objects used to generate individual signing envelopes, elastic templates are designed specifically for embedded scenarios and can record multiple independent acceptances.

This allows you to use a single elastic template across your site or app to capture consent from an unlimited number of users, rather than setting up a new envelope for each signer.

3. Key Features and Benefits of Using Elastic Templates

Elastic templates offer several key features and benefits:

• Embeddable as a modal or inline element for a seamless user experience
• Ability to record multiple independent user agreements from a single template
• Automatic versioning to prompt users to re-accept updated terms
• Fully configurable appearance and behavior via the iframe

These features combine to create a flexible, low-friction way to record user consent at scale.

4. Common Use Cases for Elastic Templates

Common use cases for elastic templates include:

• Presenting terms of service or privacy policies for acceptance on user signup
• Capturing consent to recurring agreements like monthly subscriptions
• Allowing users to easily review and re-accept updated terms when policies change

Any scenario where you need to frequently capture acceptance to a standard set of terms is a good candidate for elastic templates.

Elastic templates offer a powerful way to streamline agreement capture within your own digital experiences. In the next section, we'll dive into the specifics of creating and managing elastic templates in DocuSign. Using AI email management tools can further enhance your workflow efficiency.

Creating and Managing Elastic Templates in DocuSign

Creating and managing elastic templates in DocuSign involves a series of steps to set up the template, customize its fields and appearance, control versioning, and activate it for use. By following these steps, you can create reusable templates that simplify the agreement process for your users.

1. Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Elastic Templates

To create a new elastic template in DocuSign:

1. Log in to your DocuSign developer account and navigate to the Templates section.
2. Click the "New" button and select "Elastic Template".
3. Upload the PDF or other supported file type that will serve as the base document.
4. Add fields to the document as needed, such as signature, date, and text boxes.

Once you've created the template, you can customize it further as described in the following sections.

2. Adding and Customizing Fields

Elastic templates support a variety of field types, including signatures, initials, dates, text, and checkboxes. To add a field:

1. Open your template in the DocuSign template editor.
2. Drag the desired field type from the toolbar onto the document.
3. Resize and position the field as needed.
4. Configure the field's properties, such as whether it's required or optional.

You can also create custom fields to capture specialized data from your users. For more advanced data management, you can connect Google Sheets to store and analyze the information.

Bardeen makes it easy to automate repetitive tasks. Integrate Google Sheets to automatically manage data from DocuSign.

3. Version Control for Elastic Templates

DocuSign allows you to create multiple versions of an elastic template, which is useful when you need to update your terms or other content. Each version is tracked separately, allowing you to manage and deploy updates in a controlled manner.

To create a new version, open the template's details page and click "New Version". Make your changes in the template editor, then activate the new version when ready, as described below.

4. Testing and Activating Templates

Before deploying a new elastic template or version, it's important to thoroughly test it to ensure the signing experience works as expected. You can create test links that allow you to walk through the signing process and check for any issues.

Once you're satisfied with your template, activate it in the DocuSign admin panel to make it available for use. You can now embed it in your website or app, as covered in the next section.

With these steps, you can create and manage elastic templates that are ready to streamline your agreement flows. Next, we'll look at how to customize the appearance and behavior of your templates for a seamless user experience.

Customizing the Appearance and Behavior of Elastic Templates

Customizing the appearance and behavior of elastic templates in DocuSign allows you to tailor the signing experience to match your brand and application. By defining styles for elements like colors, fonts, buttons, and scrolling behavior, you can create a seamless and professional look for your agreements.

1. Customizing Colors, Fonts, and Visual Elements

DocuSign provides a style attribute in elastic template definitions where you can specify custom styles for various elements. This includes setting colors, fonts, button appearance, and more. Most properties within the style attribute correspond directly to CSS style properties, accepting the same inputs and behaving similarly.

For example, to set the font family and color of the agreement statement, you could define the following within the style attribute:

style: { agreementStatement: { fontFamily: 'Arial, sans-serif', color: '#333' } }

By customizing these visual elements, you can ensure your elastic templates align with your brand guidelines and provide a polished user experience.

2. Examples of Custom Styles for Template Elements

Here are a few examples of custom styles you can apply to different elastic template elements:

• agreeButton: Set the background color, border radius, font size, and padding to create a prominent and clickable button.
• documentLink: Customize the color, font weight, and text decoration of the link to the full agreement document.
• container: Adjust the background color, border width, and border radius of the container holding the elastic template content.

Experiment with different style combinations to find the perfect look for your elastic templates. Tools like these can also be used to connect Google Docs and other applications.

3. Controlling Document Display and Scrolling

DocuSign offers options to control how the elastic template document is displayed within your application. By setting the scrollControl attribute, you can choose between the following behaviors:

• browser: Allows signers to scroll through the document content within the web page, giving you more control over the layout.
• fill_parent: Enables the iframe to automatically adjust its height to fill the parent element, useful for responsive designs.

If not specified, the scrollControl defaults to a fixed 400px document height. Consider the best option for your application's design and user experience.

4. Defining Separate Style Sets for Field States

You can define separate style sets for different states of elastic template fields, such as the agreeButton. The available states include:

• disabled: Styles applied when the button is disabled.
• hover: Styles applied when the cursor hovers over the button.
• focus: Styles applied when the button is focused.

By specifying styles for each state, you can provide visual feedback to users and create a more interactive experience. For example:

style: { agreeButton: { ':disabled': { cursor: 'not-allowed', opacity: '.5' }, ':hover': { backgroundColor: '#ff0000' } } }

Customizing the appearance and behavior of elastic templates in DocuSign allows you to create a branded and seamless signing experience for your users. By leveraging the style attribute and its various properties, you can fine-tune the look and feel of your agreements to match your application perfectly. In the next section, we'll explore how to integrate these customized elastic templates into your websites and apps for a fully streamlined workflow. You can also learn more about data enrichment to enhance your document management processes.

Integrating Elastic Templates into Applications and Websites

Integrating DocuSign elastic templates into your applications and websites allows you to embed the signing experience directly into your own user interface. By generating signing URLs and handling callbacks, you can create a seamless workflow that keeps users within your application throughout the entire process. The Click API provides programmatic access to manage elastic templates and retrieve signed responses.

1. Embedding Elastic Templates into Websites and Apps

DocuSign offers several options for embedding elastic templates into your websites and web applications. You can choose to display the template as a modal window or inline as part of your page layout. This flexibility allows you to maintain control over the user experience and branding.

To embed an elastic template, you'll need to generate a unique signing URL for each signer. This URL will load the template within an iframe on your page, allowing users to review and sign the agreement without leaving your application.

2. Generating Signing URLs and Integrating into Workflows

To generate a signing URL for an elastic template, you'll make a request to the Click API's /v1/accounts/{accountId}/clickwraps/{clickwrapId}/signers endpoint. This request includes the signer's email address and any other necessary information.

Once you have the signing URL, you can integrate it into your application's workflow. For example, you might send the URL via email to the signer or present it as a button within your user interface. When the user clicks the link or button, they'll be directed to the elastic template to review and sign.

3. Managing Elastic Templates with the Click API

The DocuSign Click API provides a set of endpoints for programmatically managing elastic templates. With the API, you can create new templates, update existing ones, and retrieve information about templates and their signed agreements.

Some key endpoints include:

• POST /v1/accounts/{accountId}/clickwraps: Create a new elastic template
• PUT /v1/accounts/{accountId}/clickwraps/{clickwrapId}: Update an existing template
• GET /v1/accounts/{accountId}/clickwraps/{clickwrapId}: Retrieve details about a template

By leveraging the Click API, you can automate the management of your elastic templates and integrate them seamlessly into your application's backend processes. For additional workflow automation, consider integrating Google Drive with your apps.

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4. Handling Signing Callbacks and Retrieving Responses

When a user signs an elastic template, DocuSign can send a callback notification to a specified URL. This callback includes information about the signed agreement, such as the signer's details and the timestamp of the signature.

To handle these callbacks, you'll need to set up an endpoint in your application to receive the notifications. You can then parse the callback data and update your application's database or trigger any necessary actions based on the signing event.

Additionally, you can retrieve the signed agreement data directly from DocuSign using the Click API's GET /v1/accounts/{accountId}/clickwraps/{clickwrapId}/agreements endpoint. This allows you to store a copy of the signed agreement for your records or display it to the user within your application.

Integrating DocuSign elastic templates into your applications and websites enables you to create a seamless and efficient signing experience for your users. By embedding templates, generating signing URLs, and handling callbacks, you can streamline the agreement process and keep users engaged within your application. Thank you for sticking with us through this guide! If you made it this far, you're well on your way to becoming an elastic template pro. For more information on improving your sales processes, check out sales demo best practices.

Conclusions

Understanding what an elastic template is in DocuSign is crucial for efficiently managing and automating agreement processes. In this guide, you discovered:

• The definition, purpose, and benefits of DocuSign elastic templates
• How to create, manage, and customize elastic templates
• Integrating elastic templates into applications and websites

Don't miss out on the power of DocuSign elastic templates. Become an expert today, or risk falling behind in streamlining your agreement workflows!