Make attachments compulsory

Introduction

SigningHub allows its users to make an attachment compulsory in cases where the document owner wants to make sure that the recipients add an attachment. A recipient will not be allowed to sign/review/edit/host In-person signatures without adding a compulsory attachment first. The document owner can specify a personal note (up to 500 characters) that will be used to inform the configured recipients, to add an attachment, upon their turn. Adding field attachments in a workflow is subject to recipient permissions, configurations of your user role and the configuration of your service plan. If you are willing to use this feature, contact your Enterprise Administrator.

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How it works?

1. The attachments feature must be configured into your service plan.

2. The attachment field must be allowed in the user's role settings.

3. Set the "Allow document attachments and merging" permission for the recipient while creating a document workflow.

4. Make attachment compulsory for the recipient.

5. The recipient will not be allowed to sign/review/edit/host In-person signatures without adding an attachment first.

6. The workflow will be completed once all recipients have finished their processes.

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Service Plan Configuration to Allow the Attachment Feature

To be able to make attachments compulsory in a workflow, the "Attachments" feature must be configured into the document owner's service plan. In case you are not being allowed attachments, ask your SigningHub Administrator to allow the "Attachments" feature against your service plan in the SigningHub Admin portal.

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Role Configuration to Allow the Attachment Field

In the case of an enterprise user, to allow the use of the attachment field, the "Attachments" form field must be allowed in the user's role under document settings.

1. This step does not apply to individual users.

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Set the "Allow Attachments and Merging" Permission

To require an attachment from specific recipients, the document owner will have to create a new workflow, add the recipients and under recipient permissions check the "Allow Attachments and Merging" check box, as follows:

1. Enable the "Allow document attachments and merging" toggle to enable this recipient/ placeholder to fully manage (download, add, and remove) document attachments.

1. If an Enterprise wants to allow attachments, by default, for every recipient in a new workflow of an enterprise user, then the SigningHub Administrator will have to configure "Allow Attachments and Merging" permission in Advanced Enterprise Settings as follows:

   1. Click 'Configurations' in the navigation panel.

   2. Click the "Advanced Settings" option from "Enterprise Configurations".

   3. Enable the "Allow document attachments and merging' toggle under "Permissions" in "Default Settings".

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Make Attachment Compulsory for the Recipient

To make attachments compulsory in a workflow, against specific recipients, the document owner will have to assign attachment fields to the recipients and make the following configurations:

1. Select the recipient from the information panel in the document viewer screen, for whom you want to add an attachment field.

2. Click the "Attachment" field option, and drop it on the document. You can drag and drop the field anywhere in the document by using your mouse.

   
3. Click on the attachment field, and click "Properties" to view and edit its details.

4. Select "Mandatory" as the validation for the field. A note field will appear for the document owner to specify a personal note (up to 500 characters) that will be used to intimate the configured recipients about the documents that the document owner requires to be attached.

   
5. Click on the 'Save' button.

Document owner will share the document after completing workflow preparation. The document will now be shared with the intended recipients. Only one document can be added against a single attachment field.

1. Only one document can be added against a single attachment field. If you require multiple attachments, assign multiple attachment fields to the recipient.

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Document Signing

When a recipient opens a document, via an email link or by logging in, for which an attachment is compulsory, the recipient will not be allowed to sign/review/edit/host In-person signatures without adding an attachment first. When the recipients will try signing/reviewing/editing/hosting In-person signatures, they will be prompted to add an attachment.

1. Click on the "Next" button to move to the compulsory attachment field.

   
2. Click on the attachment field being highlighted. Click the upload to open a dialogue and upload a file to be attached. A note from the document owner intimating about the required to be attachments, will be visible.

   
3. After adding an attachment, click on the signature field and then click "SIGN NOW", to sign the document and finish your turn.

The workflow will be complete when all the recipients will have finished their turn.

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View the Attachment as a Document Owner

The document owner can later view the required attachment for the workflow either:

1. In SigningHub:

   1. Navigate to the "Pages" tab in the information panel.

   2. From the list of documents, expand the document to which an attachment has been added.

   3. From the menu adjacent to the name of the attachment, click on the 'Download' option.

   4. The attachment file is downloaded to your local Downloads folder.

      
2. By downloading the document package:

   • Click on the 'Documents' option in the navigation panel.

   • From the document listing, locate and select the document.

   • Click the "Download" button from the information panel.

   • Open the downloaded PDF file using a PDF reader. Click on the attachments button from the toolbar as shown below, to see the attachments.

     

1. The attachment feature is only available for PDF documents and not for Word or XML documents.

2. If a compulsory attachment field has been assigned to a recipient:

   • You cannot sign/review/edit/host In-person signatures, without adding an attachment first.

   • You cannot sign the document via "Bulk Signing" without adding an attachment first.

3. In the following cases the user will not be able to add an attachment:

   • The permissions defined for the workflow do not allow the document to be modified after it has been certified.

   • Once the document has been signed.

   • The storage limit allowed within your enterprise has been reached.

   • The document upload size limit allowed within your enterprise has been reached.

4. ​​To ensure conforms to PDF/A compliance, as per standard:

   • Any type of attachment is not allowed in PDF/A-1 formats

   • Only PDF attachments are allowed in PDF/A-2 formats

   • All types of attachments are allowed in PDF/A-3 formats.

5. The workflow will not be shared if:

   • The document is already signed and a compulsory attachment field has been assigned to any recipient.

   • There is only one document in the workflow and it is PDF_A_1A or PDF_A_1B, and a compulsory attachment field has been assigned to a recipient.

   • In the case of a serial workflow, digital signatures as well as mandatory attachment fields have been assigned to multiple recipients.

6. Downloading attachments is now bound with downloading a document, which is subject to the following two configurations:

   • The "Allow Download" recipient permission is set against the workflow.

   • The "Allow workflow participants to download document only on workflow completion" in the document owner's Advanced Settings.