From the Trenches: Decoding signature adoption for embedded signers

Signature adoption enables Docusign signers to easily customize their signature style, manage their initials, and even update their name the first time they sign. Signers with active Docusign accounts can further customize their signatures, create new signatures, remove them, and select a default signature. 

Does signature adoption work the same way for embedded signers?

Embedded signers are a bit different: Embedded (or “captive”) signers can still adopt a signature when they sign for the first time. However, they can’t manage their saved signatures the way regular signers can, because they don’t have an account.

Wait, this cannot be: The embedded signer has an active account and I used the same email they use for their account.

This is a common question in support! Even if you used an already registered Docusign user email for an embedded signer, they’re considered “accountless” in that specific envelope. They’re unique to that envelope and aren’t linked to any existing Docusign account. When you create an embedded signer in your envelope, you specify an additional property called clientUserId, which can be any string value with a maximum length of 100. Docusign saves the embedded signer’s adopted signature using a combination of their name, email, and the clientUserId you assigned to them. If you use these same three values in a new envelope, Docusign will use the signature the signer has already adopted. As long as your integration continues to create embedded signers with the same combination of email, name, and clientUserId properties, they will use their already-adopted signatures.

How can I change my adopted signature as an embedded signer?

Since embedded signers are accountless, they don’t have a way to change their adopted signature themselves. Good news for Integrations: the integration provider can control this! The recommended way is for the integration to use a different clientUserId each time (such as a random GUID). This makes the embedded signer a new user, even with the same email and name, giving them the option to adopt a fresh signature every time.

Conclusion 

Even if they have their own Docusign accounts, embedded signers adopt signatures tied to the combined name, email, and a unique clientUserId assigned to them in the envelope definition. To enable them to adopt a new signature, integrators must generate a new clientUserId for each signing instance, essentially making the user a “new” signer.

Additional resources

• Embedded signing

• Embedding Docusign eSignature into your app

• Deep dive into the embedded signing recipient view