User Guide
A guide for using eSignAnyWhere
In the Advanced User Guide you find the manual for the additional eSignAnyWhere features (e.g. OAuth2, Customization, …).
Page Content
Basic Concepts
Organisation, User, Roles and Teams
An eSignAnyWhere Organisation (initial account) can exists of:
- Organisation: The user who creates an account will also create the organisation. The organisation exists of one to many users (e.g. similar to a company).
- User: A user is always part of an organisation. You can add users to your organisation.
- User-Role: The user-role defines the rights in the system. Moreover an option “is user manager” enables the user the team-organisation rights.
- Teams (optional): Teams are (virtual) groups of a subset of users in your organisation. You can define an hierarchy to enable a team manager to access the documents of his team members
Workflows
With eSignAnyWhere you are creating envelopes, which contain one to many documents and are sent to your recipients for signing. So you can design your own workflows from basic to complex.
A simple workflow is if you just want to sign a document with one signer, but you are not limited. You can add additional signers or recipients who receive a copy of the documents.
So you can use eSignAnyWhere for simple signing tasks and for complex tasks e.g. signing a project order, which has to be signed by some managers.
Sample Workflow 1:
Sample Workflow 2:
Registration and Login
The Login page is self-explanatory. Just enter your user credentials to log in. Moreover you have the link for the registration page to create an account. On-Premise with LDAP you can use the Single-Sign-On feature, so you don’t have to authenticate again.
User Interface
The user interface after you logged in is quite simple. You can find:
- Menu: on the left you find the menu
- new Document: create a new document
- Documents: your sent documents
- Templates: your templates
- Settings: change your account or organisation settings
- Quickstart: in the middle you find the quickstart buttons
- Send New Document: create new document
- Sign Document: upload and directly sign a document
- Use Template: use a template
- Continue Draft: finish a draft
- Dashboard: provides you information about your envelopes
- Help: at the top right you find a questionmark to enable the help
- Account-Action: also at the top right you find the account menu for account settings, issue reporting, Microsoft Office Plugin and log of
Compact View
You can easily get a compact view if you want to have more space for designing documents. Just click on the arrow symbol in the menu bar at the top.
Create Envelope
There are many ways how to create an envelope. You start with the menu New Document, the Quickstart at the starting page or select a template or a file from the clipboard.
To send an envelope you have to go through three steps:
- Create Envelope
- Designer
- Send Envelope
You can save the envelope as Draft or Template.
(1) Create Envelope
First you have to define:
- Envelope: Name of the envelope and if you want to prevent the envelope sharing in your team
- Document: The documents in the envelope
- Recipients: Define the workflow
- Process: define which recipient recieves the document in which step
- Authentication: define if the recipient has to authenticate
- Access Code: The recipient has to enter the code to open the envelope (pre-shared code)
- SMS Code: The recipient recieves and SMS with the one-time-password (OTP)
- Windows-Live Authentication
- Message: Define the message and subject for the envelope
(2) Designer
The Designer helps you to assign signature fields to the recpients and define the workflow tasks.
- Recipient: Select the recipient for assigning a signature field (or other element). Every recipient has its own color to help you selecting signature fields to the recipients.
- Tools: to create a signature field (if you have none in your document set) and other useful elements
- Document: To position the elements on the document(s)
If you have defined signature fields in the document and you have more than one recipient you can assign automatically all signature fields to one recipient. So you are asked if you want to assign them all to one recipient. You can also cancel it to manually assign them.
Define Signature of Recipient
By selecting a signature field you can define it’s setting. Following options are available:
- Recipient: which recipient has to sign the field
- Required: define if the recipient has to sign it or if the field is optional. If a signature field is required it is highlighted with a red border.
- Label: a label for the field
- Signature Type: you have to select at least one type. You can select more if you want to give the recipient the option of selecting a specific type. You can also define a preselect type (favorite, click on star-icon)
- Click to Sign: the recipient has just to click on the signature field to sign it
- Draw to Sign: the recipient can draw his signature (e.g. with finger on touch screen)
- Type to Sign: the recipient can type his name for signing
- Biometric Signature: this stores the biometric data of his recorded signature (x,y coordinates; pressure [if available] and time). For that signature type the recipient has to use the SIGNificant SignOnPhone App on his Smartphone or Tablet for recording. The Signature is asymmetrically encrypted and highly secure.
- withinField: the recorded signature must within the signature field
- onPage: the recorded signature must be on the page (can be written outside of the signature field)
- intersectsWithField: the recorded signature must be partly within the signature field (default)
- Local Certificate: the recipient can use a locally on his device installed certificate for signing.
- Digital Remote Signature: the recipient uses a remote certificate for signing
Multi-Signature
To increase the recipients user experience, you can use the multi-signature / batch signing. Therefore you have to select a first signature field and add select the “Multi-Signature” option. You can add more signature field to the multi-signature field. So a signer is optionally able to sign all fields at once!
Properties and Limitations:
- The signer is asked if he wants to sign all fields at once or each-per-each.
- Per envelope only one multi-signature-field can be defined (with one to many fields and even within different files)
- You see the multi-signature-type with the icon
- If you select a multi-signature field, it add it properties to the multi-signature-field (e.g. first field ist Click to Sign and second field will be added with Draw to Sign. So the multi-signature-field has two properties: Click to Sign and Draw to Sign). If you change the settings of a multi-signature field it is applied to all field of the multi-signature-set.
- You can use the multi-signature with limted signature types, because not all are able to be supported
- If you are using biometric signature as multi-signature, it is just able to use it on one physical document (e.g. contract.pdf in your envelope); because of legal aspects.
Form Fields
You can add PDF form fields simply by drag and drop and place it on the document.
The following form fields are available:
- Textfield
- allows the signer to fill in some text (e.g. telefon number)
- Signature (see above)
- Radiobuttion
- allows to create a group of field, where just one can be selected (e.g. Yes or No)
- Checkbox
- allows to check the box (checked or not checked)
- Listbox
- enables to select 0-many fields of the list
- Combobox
- enables to select one field of the list
- Signer Attachment
- allows the signer to attach a file
Some of the fields enables an advanced setting, where you can define additional settings (e.g. font family).
(3) Send Envelope
With the last step you get summary, document list and notification settings of the envelope.
- Summary
- Envelope Name
- Recipients and Tasks: by clicking on a recipient you see the message which will be sent to the recipient
- Documents: List of documents in the envelope
- Notification Settings
- Expiration Date of the envelope
- Automatic Reminders: configure reminders for the recipient if he has not fulfilled his tasks

Documents, Filter and Status
Documents shows you your documents and envelopes and their status. You can filter the list, export it as CSV and modifiy the envelopes.
Features
- Search: enter a text to search the envelopes
- Status: an icon shows the status of the envelope
- Draft
- Waiting for signing: if you have to sign it shows the action button “Sign”
- Expired
- Modifications
- Remind: Send manually reminder to recipient
- Continue: continue a draft
- Restart: restart an envelope
- Export as CSV: export current list of envelopes
- Sort by: recent activity or envelope name
- Filter: click on a filter from the menu to apply it to current list
Document Status Icons
![]() |
Envelope is finished |
![]() |
Envelope is canceled by one of the recipients |
![]() |
Envelope is rejected by one of the recipients |
![]() |
Envelope is a Draft |
![]() |
Waiting for signing |
![]() |
Waiting for acknowlegde |
![]() |
Envelope is expired |
Note: If you select an envelope you can select all available actions from the top bar (Remind, Restart, Cancel, Delete). The action-button in the list of envelopes shows the typical required action.
Modify Envelopes
To modify an envelope just click on it to load the document details page. On this page you can see the defined workflow with recipients, the document(s) and basic information about the envelope (e.g. start and expiration date).
Document Detail Page with highlighted envelope and recipients area.
Edit Recipient
To edit a recipient just click on “edit” to change user details (First Name, Last Name, Email), set the personal message or change authentication method.
By clicking on “Clipboard” the link for the recipient is shown. So you can send the document link through another channel (e.g. Skype).
You can just change details of recipients, who did not yet fulfilled their assigned task. Finished recipients are shown via icon in the Document detail view.
Document Preview
By clicking on one page of the document you get a preview of the page.
Filter Document
If you click on “Documents” no filter are applied. You can add filter by selecting them from the menu and set a text filter.
- Status
- Drafts, Completed, Active (Action Required, Waiting for Others, Expiring Soon), Rejected, Canceled and Expired
- Sent
- By Me
- Signed
- By Me
- Sender Date
- Since last 30 Days, 6 Months, Year and Custom Date
- Text
- Filter by a Text you have entered
To remove a filter just click on the “x” in the applied filter list. You also can reset all filter.
Download as CSV
You can also download a CSV (Comma-separated values) files. So you can open them in e.g. Microsoft Excel.
The CSV contains:
- ID of the envelope
- Name
- State
- Sender
- Sending Date
- Expiration Date
- Subject
- Document(s) as CSV
- Recipient(s) as CSV
Templates
Templates can be used for recurring document or workflows. You can prepare them and directly use them from the template page. When you use or edit the template the procedure is similar to create envelope, except the prepared configuration is used.
Features:
- Use: directly use the envelope
- Details: show details about template
- Edit: modify template
- recipients
- settings
- documents: you can replace documents. The signaturefields are kept, except they can not be applied (e.g. page in new document doesn’t exist any more). If a recipient is replaced his/her fields get unassigned, except there is only one recipient.

Clipboard
The Clipboard contains documents you may use later. The Clipboard is filled by the Microsoft Office Plugin.
Settings
In the settings you can define your user settings and if you are PowerUser also the settings of the organisation. In settings you are also able to define teams (virtual groups of your organisation who can access and share their documents).
Account
Here you find your personal account settings.
- Personal Settings
- Picture, Name, Job Title and Phone number
- User Token for using with the Microsoft Office Plugin
- General Settings
- Language, Country, Timezone
- Personal Subject and Message
- Password
- Change your password
- Signature Image
- You can upload a picture of your signature (e.g. written on white paper) and upload it to select it for your click-to-sign signatures. You can crop and set background (transparency).
Signature Image
You can upload a picture of your signature (e.g. written on write paper and take a picture). This signature can be modified (cropped, set background level and roatate). If you are logged into eSAW and sign documents you can select your signature picture for Click-to-Sign signatures.
Notifications
In this section you can define sender and recipient notifications.
- Sender Notifications: when recipient has finished, recipient has declined, document delivery failure and recipient viewed a document
- Recipient Notifications: notify me about new documents
Address Book
Here you can manage your personal address book. You can add new contacts manually or import them via CSV. Moreover you can filter the list (see highlighted filter in screenshot) and easily modify or remove a contact.
Apply a Filter for an attribute:
Add new contact manually:
Organisation
Here you can change your organisation settings.
- Organisation Details
- Picture, Organsation Name, Application Key (used for API access), Contact URL and Support URL
- Licensing Information
- Default Callback URL
- If you set a callback, every finished or changed envelope will cause a request on your defined URL. With this URL you can add your own service for e.g. performing an automatic archiving via eSAW API. If the URL is empty not callback is fired on finish or change of the enelope.
- Backup: download all finished envelopes
- Recipient Settings
- Default Signature Settings
- Default Reminder Settings
- Retention Period
Users
In this section you can manage the users of your organisation. You can add new users and manage the user rights.
After you added a new user, the user gets an email with a link and has to activate his profile and set up his password.
Userrights
- Position
- Power User: can send envelopes
- Registered Signer: can sign documents and see his signed documents and tasks
- None: just can be used with “Is User Manager”, is a organisation manager without right to send or documents
- Is User Manager is able to change organisation settings, manage user and can define teams
isDeveloper allows the user to download the envelope XML of his/her envelopes. This makes it easier for developer to use eSAW UI as a workflow designer.
Warning: Is User Manager can also delete the organisation account! Similar to system administrator accounts!
Add new User:
Team
In this section you are defining your teams. A team is a virtual organisation, in which the team-manager (root) has access to all envelopes of the team. With the enabled sharing feature all team members can access the envelopes and/or templates of the team. People with the “isUserManager” setting can edit teams.
Add new Team Dialoag
By drag and drop move a new member to your selected team. You have to select which user should be added to the team.
Removing a teammember is simple. Just move over it and a delete icon appears.
In the team-settings you can define if envelopes and/or templates are shared.
Localization
In this section you are managing languages for your organisation. The active languages you can select for the notifications. We do not offer all translations, so for non-supported languages you can define your individual texts in the “Email Templates” section of the settings.
Email Template
In this section you can set your email templates. You can change the layout, texts, logo, etc. to adopt it to your needs. With the keywords you can add dynamically information (e.g. recipients name, message, etc.). See Advanced User Guide for more Information.
Signature Disclosure
If you want to use a common signature disclosure, you can enable it here. Just activate it by clicking on the checkbox and enter your individual signature disclosure. You can define different texts for each language and add the name of the recipient by using {{name}}
.
Errors
In case of errors they are listed in this section of the settings.
Documents
This section will show you how you can use documents with eSAW. eSAW will work with PDF documents. To generate PDF documents you can use Microsoft Office, Open Office or most of the typical document suites. If your document suite does not export PDF documents you can install a PDF printer on your computer. Instead of printing a document it will be exported as PDF file. There are many different printers available (open source to commercial).
Placeholder for Signaturefields
To place signatures fields via workstep configuration can be a little bit “overhead” in some simple cases. Therefore we offer you the possibility to place signature fields directly in the document via placeholder. These placeholder are called SigStrings (SignatureStrings).
Example of a SigString, which is places as text directly in the document:
`sig,fd=Confirm the General Terms`
If you place this string as normal text in your document, eSAW will replace it with a default signature field. The parameter fd=Confirm the General Terms
is the field description. We recommend to place the SigString with the paper color (typically white) in the document, so the string itself is “invisible”.
Following Parameter are supported:
req | 0: disabled, default / 1: enabled |
fna | name of the signature field |
fd | field description, gets displayed during signing in WSI |
sigType | signature type, supported: BiometricSignature, Picture (Click2Sign, Type2Sign, Draw2Sign) |
Example 1: Simplest SigString, just a optional signature field
`sig`
Example 2: SigString, required with description, name and as biometric signature
`sig,req=1,fd=myFd,fna=myFna,sigType=BiometricSignature`
Example 3: SigString, not required as Picture (Click2Sign, Draw2Sign, Type2Sign)
`sig,req=0,sigType=Picture`
As position for a signature field, the lower left beginning of the sig-string will be taken. In case the string part of a word, the beginning of the word will be the position.
When you are getting the AdHoc configuration, you can modify the signature field via the XML configuration.
You can try the useage of SigString easily via Web-UI, because they are not only supported via API.
Communication with Recipients
In the emails sent to recipients: Text Markers
These markers can be used for adding dynamic information to the emails being sent to an envelope recipient or for notifications for the user. For more information see the Advanced User Guide.
- #ExpirationDate#: expiration date of the envelope
- #EnvelopeName#: name of the envelope
- #UserFirstName#: first name of the sender
- #UserLastName#: last name of the sender
- #PersonalMessage#: personal message for the recipient (if there is a message configured for the step)
- #RecipientEmail#: email address of the recipient
- #RecipientFirstName#: first name of the recipient
- #RecipientLastName#: last name of the recipient
- and many more (see Advanced User Guide)
Microsoft Office Plugins
You find the Microsoft Office Plugin for download in the top right account menu. Just download the plugin and install it. The plugin directly uploads the document in the clipboard of your eSignAnyWhere account.
After the installation, you can use in Microsoft Office the eSignAnywhere Plugin, but first you have to configure it with your user token. The user token can be found in your Settings/Account page.