All DocuSign Workflow Steps ++

Anthony S. Protho
24 min readJan 25

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POST NOTE: The year got really busy and it’s harder to write than people may think. So sorry this post is about 6 months late but here it is. The test that inspired this article has since changed to be more related to subcontract experience.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

There is no rhyme or reason, as one of the most prominent documentation management software has little to no documentation. Because of this lackluster, I went ahead and attempted to give a brief explanation of all 64 steps as of 2022 to help myself and others understand the purpose of the steps and how to use them. Feel free to correct me, I’m hoping for it, and it will help make this document stronger for others. This will also help those of you who are studying for the DocuSign CLM Implementation Accreditation Exam.

Try “CTRL + F” to search for what you need!

NOTE: You will be assumed to have basic knowledge of DocuSign CLM, eSignature, API, and Salesforce. If you need a refresher, here’s a full explanation of the Capstone Project. https://youtu.be/HV5kWXwej6E

Salesforce Pre-Requests:

As of 2022’s exam and release notes, it shows that Salesforce has been considered the most significant use case of Docusign implementations. So to truly understand DocuSign apps, we must also understand some things about Salesforce.

Photo by Logan Easterling on Unsplash

Salesforce Integrations: You will need to download and sync DocuSign App Launcher to your Salesforce demo account. Setting up under a developer account allows you to keep this sandbox indefinitely.

Account Object: Clients are defined as an account object, to which we plan to provide services. These are all individual objects, however, Salesforce likes to sync these in a way that is more uniform and alike to a folder structure. Such as Account/Client/Opportunity/Products.

Opportunity Object: Representative of a Selling Opportunity, each of these objects is contained within an account object. This is our most used object and will be synchronized with many other objects such as the Contacts Object, which allows us to create a drop-down containing all the contacts in DocuSign using the Dropdown by Salesforce object option.

Quote Object: You must download the Quote Object and sync it to your Opportunity object. These are Sales Quotes and are meant to keep track of sales quotes shown to the client before sending out a contract. These contain their statuses such as Draft, In Review, or Approved.

Quote Line Item: Like the Quote, the Quote Line must be downloaded and enabled in your Salesforce. These represent Quantity and Revenue in association with a product and Sales Quote.

Products: Products should be added to your opportunity to determine a Selling Opportunity with the client, and this will be used in DocuSign’s Document Generation Form to be viewed on a table.

Stage Name: Like a status update on a workflow or document, this is used to update users where in the process our Opportunity Is in. This contains a dropdown of items and should match these values.

Picklist: Static data, users can select from in a down drop.

Multiselect Picklist: Allows for more than one selection of Static data users can select from in a picklist.

DocuSign Workflow Steps

Some of these categories overlap, but it is just used for organizing.
P.S. There is a link I found after making this. It’s a little annoying how hard it was to find any information on DocuSign, but you can look at the official website’s definitions here.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Data Collection

Get Tracked Content Step

Description: Collects the tracked content within a template.docx. Check out the XML section for the tags you must include.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Compare Tracked Content Step

Description: Compares the tracked content with older versions of the Template.docx.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Merge Tracked Content Step

Description: Merges new content into Tracked Content merge tags within a template.docx
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Save new document as?, Tracked Content Unique Name (aka Track Name)]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Review Data Step

Description: Used by Admin-level permission users to assign up to 50 attributes to a CLM User or Task Group.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Data to be Reviewed, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Data Reconciliation Step

Description: Compares tracked content between Salesforce and CLM Documents, assigning a task to a user if there is a mismatch in data.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Assignee(s), Tracked Names (Aka Unique Names), Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Document Editing

Document Generation Step

Description: Generates a Document using a Document Generation Form, and fills the form with defined values.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document Generation Configuration name, Document Generation Configuration Template Name, Select Input Value(s)]
Exit Links:
[Success, Conditional Success, Failure]

Create or Upload Doc Step

Description: Links user to a Document Generation form, to create a new Document within the workflow. Usually used in workflows that require two documents in a single workflow.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Assignee(s), Name, Document Template Name, Source, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Action Canceled, Action Completed, Failure]

Edit Document Step

Description: Assigns a user to edit the document, via downloading and checking in the document before moving on to the next step.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Action Completed, Action Rejected, Failure]

Copy or Move Document Step

Description: Creates a Copy, or Moves the selected document into a designated folder within CLM.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Destination Folder]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Rename Document Step

Description: Renames a Document… I don’t know what else to say lol.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document to Rename, New Document Name]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Update Document Keywords Step

Description: Defines Attribute Group Fields, and their values on a specified document.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Document Attribute(s) Attribute]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Update Document Metadata Step

Description: Defines Attribute Group Fields, and their values on a specified document.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Document Attribute(s) Attribute]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Watermark Document Step

Description: Creates a Watermark (Overlaying text) on a Document, usually used for Drafts, Classified information, or Copywritten material.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Folder, Name, Watermark Text]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Append Text Document Step

Description: Appends Text to a document, which can either be refreshed or assigned to a different Document Variable.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Text, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Write Text Document Step

Description: Creates a .txt file with the specified text, in a designated folder.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Text, Document Name, Destination Folder]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Evaluate Document Text Step

Description: Checks within a document for certain text, or phrases, and results match if it’s found. This can be used for routing Contracts based on the text that’s inside of them.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Search Text]
Exit Links:
[Match, No Match, Failure]

Check Out Document Step

Description: Checks Out (locks) a Document from being edited.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Checkout user]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Check Out Document Cancellation Step

Description: Cancels a checked-out document, unlocking it without uploading a new version.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document checkout cancellation, Cancellation user]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Check-In Document step

Description: Checks In a new version of a Document.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Checked Out Document, Document to Check In, Check in user]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Find Document Step

Description: Locates a document within CLM. Usually used to refresh a document’s updates within a workflow.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Get Path Step

Description: Returns a Documents Path. Usually used with Document Variables that have been misplaced, or to use the path to route other Documents.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Find Documents by Folder Step

Description: Locates documents within a designated folder. Usually used to iterate or make bulk actions to a group of Documents within a workflow.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Folder, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Match, No Match, Failure]

Find Documents by Metadata Step

Description: Locates documents by Attributes, it does say “New Variable Value”, however, this is actually used to locate Attributes based on their values.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Attribute, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Match, No Match, Failure]

Find Attachments Step

Description: Returns Attachments of a Document, which can be found in the Documents Information tab, above “Related Documents”.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document(s), Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Has Attachments, No Attachments]

Choose Documents

Description: Assigns a user to select documents, which can be guided with suggested documents and starting them in the correct folder.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Failure, ActionCompleted, ActionRejected]

Compare Document Versions Step

Description: Creates a document to be used for comparison based on a previous version of the selected document.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Compare Current Document Version With, Save New document as]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out, Compare Timeout, No Version]

Compare Documents Step

Description: Compares two separate Documents, creating a redline for the documents as a new document or a new version.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Original Document, Revised Document, Save new document as?]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out, Compare Timeout]

XML Merge Document Step

Description: Creates a new document by merging an XML object with Merge Tags within a Template.docx file.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document Name, Variable, Document, Folder, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Combine Documents Step

Description: Using a text variable with a list of Document IDs (“09fds|fasd8|<%#Agreement.ID%>”), this step combines .docx files together.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document Name, Document, Folder, Output combined documents as…]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Split Document Step

Description: Splits a document, keeping the specified pages in a document variable.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Folder, Select the split method, Page(s), Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Schedule Document Reminder Step

Description: Sends a reminder email with a specified document, on a scheduled date.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Reminder Name, Reminder Date, Reminder Hour, From, To, Subject]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Duplicate Reminder]

Delete Document Reminder Step

Description: Removes/ Cancels a scheduled reminder email using the specified Reminder name on a Document.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Reminder Name, Reminder Date, Reminder Hour, From, To, Subject]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Duplicate Reminder]

Add Documents to Watch List

Description: Adds selected document(s) to a User’s or Users’ Watchlist, which is a widget found on the CLM Dashboard.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document(s), User(s)]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Remove Documents from Watchlist

Description: Removed selected document(s) to a User’s or Users’ Watchlist, which is a widget found on the CLM Dashboard.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document(s), User(s)]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Folder Editing

Create Folder Step

Description: Creates a folder within CLM.
Required Fields: [Step Name, New Folder Name, Parent Folder]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Description: Creates a folder within a Salesforce Object.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Salesforce Account id, Salesforce Account Name]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Copy or Move Folder Step

Description: Similar to the Copy or Move Document Step, Copies or Moves a Folder into a designated folder.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Folder, Destination Folder]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Update Folder Description Step

Description: Similar to the Update Document Keywords Step, updates the description of the Folder.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Folder(s), Folder Description]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Update Folder Metadata Step

Description: Similar to the Update Document Metadata Step, updates the Attributes connected to a selected folder.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Folder, Attribute]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Find Folder Step

Description: Similar to the Find Document Step, Locates a Folder and saves it to a folder variable in CLM.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Folder, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Find EOS Parent Folder Step

Description: Finds the parent folder of a selected Document or folder, and returns a folder variable.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Select a document or folder?, Document]
Exit Links:
[Found, Not Found]

Find or Create EOS Parent Folder Step

Description: Finds or Creates a Parent folder of a selected folder within Salesforce.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Folder Id, Type, Folder Name, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

But what does EOS stand for? No clue! But here are some possible answers:
1. Electro-Optical System
2. End of Sale
3. End of Show
4. Entrepreneurial Operating System
5. End of Service
6. Errily oversized statue
7. It doesn’t stand for anything, it’s just the name of an Ancient Greek Goddess
Submit your guess in the comments!

Forms Editing

Extract PDF Fields

Description: Collects data/ fields from a PDF form into an XML object.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Edit Form Step

Description: Assigns a user the task of completing an eForm. It’s called edit eForm since these fields can be pre-populated.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Action Completed, Failure]

Full Page Edit Form Step

Description: Assigns a user the task of completing an eForm in full screen. I recommend this view since the preview of the last step isn’t very good and seems to want to give users a preview of the template they are working on.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Action Completed, Failure]

Fill Form Step

Description: I assume this was for the same purpose as the edit form, maybe they wanted it to auto-fill, but I couldn’t get it to work.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Action Completed, Failure]

Full Page Fill Form

Description: I assume this was for the same purpose as the edit form, maybe they wanted it to auto-fill, but I couldn’t get it to work.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Action Completed, Failure]

Interwebs

Create Link Step

Description: Creates a link within DocuSign CLM for Bookmarking purposes.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Folder Destination, Link Name, Link URL]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Get Next Autonumber Value Step

Description: Globally Increments a number within your CLM environment, which can be used for creating unique Document IDs.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

HTTP Client Step

Description: Tests an API endpoint, and returns its response, and status code. You may require the Invoke Web Service step depending on your API.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Protocol Version, Method, Endpoint URL, Output Variables for Response and Status Code]
Exit Links:
[Success, Response Failure, Failure]

Invoke Web Service Step

Description: Tests an API link, taking a REST API link or a WSDL link from a SOAP API (You can do this by grabbing the soap API link and adding “?WSDL” at the end), as XML. This will show you the methods available to you and must be filled with variables using the gear symbol within the Web Services field. Reminder, that this must be called before the HTTP Client step.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Web Service]
Exit Links:
[Success, Webservice Execution Failed, Failure, Timed Out]

Wait for Signal Step

Description: Awaits any signal to continue the workflow.
Required Fields: [Step Name]
Exit Links:
[Success, Timeout, Failure]

Other Salesforce Objects

Create New Salesforce Object Step

Description: Creates a new salesforce Object within Salesforce.
Required Fields: [Step Name]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Add Salesforce Activity History Step

Description: Creates a new item in the task history of a Salesforce Object within Salesforce. This is used so that you can track the history of changes made to an Object, in the Objects History.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Salesforce Object Id]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Routing

Approve Step

Description: Sends a Document to a CLM user for Approval.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Approved, Rejected, Cancel, Failure]

Choice Step

Description: Assigns a user the choice between custom options. Most typically linked with a Document Preview.
Required Fields:
[Step Name, Assignee(s), Options]
Exit Links:
[Options, Failure]

Routing Step

Description: CLM User selects a Routing option, this output should be saved in a variable and used in a Decision or Rule step later in the Workflow to Route the Document to the workflow path.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Rule Step

Description: Outputs boolean results based on set conditions.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Condition]
Exit Links:
[True, False, Failure]

Decision Step

Description: Outputs multiple results based on set conditions.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Condition]
Exit Links:
[Custom Options, Failure]

Sending Info

Email Step

Description: Sends an email to the assigned email address.
Required Fields: [Step Name, From, To, Subject, Body]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Email Document Step

Description: Sends a Document out to assigned users and/or assigned email addresses.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, From, To, Subject, Body]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Fax Document Step

Description: Sends a Document out to assigned users and/or Fax Numbers.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Fax Document and Wait Step

Description: Sends a Document out to assigned users and or Fax Numbers, then waits.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Send for External Review Step

Description: Sends a document out for a non-CLM user to approve or make changes to.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, From, To, Subject, Body]
Exit Links:
[Completed with Document, Completed without Document, Canceled -Invalid recipient, Canceled-Manual Override, Expired, Failure]

Review and Send for External Review Step

Description: Creates a task for a User (aka Sender) to review and make changes to the document before it sends it out for a non-CLM user to approve or make changes to.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Action Completed-External Review Rejected by Sender, Action Completed-External Review Sent by Sender, Action Canceled, Canceled, Failure]

Wait for External Review Step

Description: Awaits a response signal from the Document used to complete the non-CLM User review process.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document]
Exit Links:
[Completed with Document, Completed without Document, Canceled -Invalid recipient, Canceled-Manual Override, Expired, Failure]

Send for Signature Step

Description: Sends a Contract out for Signature to the Assigned User(s) or email addresses.
Required Fields: [Step Name, From, To, Document]
Exit Links:
[Signed, Updated, Canceled, Rejected, Failure, Timed Out]

Review and Send for Signature Step

Description: Creates a task for a User (aka Sender) to review and make changes to the contract before it sends it out for signature.
Required Fields: [Step Name, From, To, Document, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Action Completed-Rejected by Sender, Action Completed-Sent by Sender, Action Canceled, Failure]

Wait for Signature Step

Description: Awaits a response signal from the Sender and Contract used to complete the signature process.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Sender, Document]
Exit Links:
[Signed, Updated, Canceled, Rejected, Failure, Timed Out]

Cancel Electronic Signature Step

Description: Aborts the Signature process of a contract.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Add Salesforce Task Step

Description: Within Salesforce, assigned a task to an object (such as a client folder) with the task name, and its status.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Salesforce Object Id, Activity History Subject, Activity History Description]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

User Editing

Find User Step

Description: Locates a user within CLM to return an Actor Variable.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Search Criteria Field, Search Criteria Value, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Choose Users Step

Description: Assigns a user with the task of selecting other users within CLM, typically used to set a future task to another user.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Assignee(s)]
Exit Links:
[Action Completed, Action Rejected, Failure]

Resource Variable Step

Description: Compares data only available within an Actor Variable of a user within CLM.
Required Fields: [Step Name, User, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Action Executed, Not Enough Resources, Failure]

Update Security Step

Description: Applies the level of securities on a folder or document to a particular user or task group. I highly recommend only applying securities to parent folders and not individual documents.
Required Fields: [Step Name, User(s), Security]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Variable Editing

Update Variable Value Step

Description: Searched for a node within an XML object using XPath, setting it to a variable.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Variable, XPath, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Updated, Not Updated, Failure]

Evaluate on XPath Step

Description: Searched for a node within an XML object using XPath, setting it to a variable.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Variable, XPath, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Match, No Match, Failure]

For Loop Step

Description: Repeats steps up to the number of loops.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Variable, Number of Loops]
Exit Links:
[Step, Loop End, Failure]

For-Each Loop Step

Description: For each value in an object (Most typically each row in CSV) repeat these steps.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Variable, Number of Loops]
Exit Links:
[Step, Loop End, Failure]

Next Loop Step

Description: A placeholder step used in relation to the Loop steps.
Required Fields: []
Exit Links:
[Next Step, Failure]

Create Variable From CSV Step

Description: Sets a variable as a CSV document.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Upload XML, XPath, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Update Variable From CSV Step

Description: Updates variables using the CSV data. Using Field Name to define the column and search field value to define the row.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Upload CSV, Field Name, Search Field Value, Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Update Variable From XML Step

Description: Updates a Variable value via xPath in an XML Object.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Upload XML, XPath, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Convert Json to XML

Description: Converts XML to Json or Json to XML.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document, Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Excel ETL

Description: Takes in XLS Extract Transform Load data.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Document(s), Variable , Output Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Salesforce ETL

Description: Takes in Report information or XLS Extract Transform Load data from a Salesforce Object.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Salesforce Object Type, Salesforce Object Id, Variable]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Workflow Editing

Update Information Step

Description: Updates the Workflows Description, under Activity > Info.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Information]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Update Parent Variable Step

Description: Changes outside the workflow’s variable value that parents the current workflow. This is needed as parents will automatically update child workflow variables, but this won’t happen the other way around.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Variable]
Exit Links:
[Updated, Not Updated, Failure]

Update Salesforce Step

Description: Changes the Salesforce Description of the chosen search field.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Object Type, Search Field, Search Value]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure, Timed Out]

Set Workflow Process Name Step

Description: Updates the Workflows Description, under Activity > Info.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Information]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Workflow Step

Description: Starts a Subworkflow.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Workflow]
Exit Links:
[Success, Child Workflow Failure, Child Workflow Aborted, Failure]

MISC.

Search Step

Description: Acts as an Advanced Search within a workflow returning Documents and Folders in CLM
Required Fields: [Step Name]
Exit Links:
[Success, Failure]

Time Trigger Step

Description: Workflow Sleeps for a set amount of time. Requires an unselected or custom output to continue.
Required Fields: [Step Name]
Exit Links:
[Failure]

Logger Step

Description: Used to Log info, only visible within the workflow.
Required Fields: [Step Name, Message]
Exit Links:
[Failure]

More ++

Photo by Miguel Orós on Unsplash

Admin

Salesforce permissions: aka Federated Perminisions, are permissions sent via a link between software or websites.

Personas: Created in relation to Task groups, defines how a user sees navigations, actions, and other views. You can manage these settings on the navigation and actions page.

Permission Profiles: can be found under Delegated Permissions, and is used to create specialized permissions for specific groups of users.

You can assign both permission profiles (aka Delegated Permissions), and User Personas in the “Users” section under “User Management” in the Admin Tab.

Attributes

Dynamic Drop Down: file|stria LLC/Admin/CSV Mapping/map.xls

C#:

Only Vanilla C# expressions, with some CLM custom methods. You can find common expressions here.

Inside Update Variable Value:

Use XPath within an XML var <%#Params.gem[text() = “value”]%>

Grab a specific step’s output <%#^Choice Step 1Comments%>

Clause Library:

A folder within Admin that contains clauses. I don’t know why it’s called a clause library when it only contains term (.xsterm) files but whatever. These terms are used to make setting conditional information in Document generation easier.

You create a term in CLM under File -> Create -> New Term. Terms will have at least two options, and each option will have a:

  • Title: The short text that will appear in the dropdown option in your document generation form
  • Text box: Showing the content that will be presented within Template.docx
  • Notes: Showing as an information icon above the content to help users understand the options use case.

Forms:

eForms: Customizable form to collect information, this information can start a workflow or generate a text document with the information.

DocGen Form: Used in DocGen Configurations (which are either accessed via the DocuSign Actions Drop-Down or Salesforce Custom Buttons) is a data collection form.

DocGen From Library: a collection of fields for reuse in other DocGen Forms.

Power Forms: Utilizes eSignature Templates to send envelope-based forms to users. These are similar to google forms but created in a more eSigning configuration.

Templates:

Templates.DOCX: Word documents that contain template data, XML tags, and eSignature custom variables to generate contracts.

XML tags include:

XML Match

<# <Conditional Select=”//xpath” Match=”This”/> #>

Content goes between conditional, and it’s end tag when xml variable matches the defined value.
<# <EndConditional /> #>

XML Does Not Match

<# <Conditional Select=”//xpath” NotMatch=”Not This”/> #>

Content goes here when xml value does not match the defined value.
<# <EndConditional /> #>

XML Exists

<# <Conditional test=”//xpath[Does=”Exists”]” /> #>

This content will only show If the xml tag exists xml variable.
<# <EndConditional /> #>

End Conditionals must be on the same paragraph line, or on new lines from the initial Conditional tag. Be very careful to match all your XML tags because if the file is too complex or too nested, it will not display the error in the traditional yellow highlighter of doom.

XML Content

<# <Content Select=”//merge tag” optional=”true”/> #>

optional =”true” is used to determine if the information you are looking for is optional to be loaded into the template. The absence of this attribute, or the inclusion with the value of “false”, will result in the “yellow highlighter of doom” to show up, displaying an error for the missing data.

XML Track Content

<# <Content Select=”//merge tag” TrackName=”myUniqueName”/> #>

You use one of the Track Content steps with the document that has the TrackName Tag In It, and adjust or analys as needed. Using the Merge Tracked data step to upload any changes.

Tags are s{r} and datesigned{r} for Customer Signature and Date Signed Custom eSignature Variables. The {r} stands for the recipient and will take the recipient id as its value.

So to define the first signer there is going to be the custom variable tag within the word file, replacing the {r} with the id. Note that Count starts at 1, not 0.

/s1/

/datesigned2/

These are typically hidden from the user as white text.

Note: When it comes to editing your word file, make sure to turn off smart quotes, and remove any “Smart” features of word, such as headers, or indexes. This will break your template, and since the compiler isn’t the best, you may be left confused as to why your template is suddenly throwing an error. Another simple solution is if the Document is deprecated, copy all the text into a new blank document, and re-upload it.

Comparing Documents in CLM

To make this simpler we will refer to the “Origin” as the document you have selected, and the “Copy” as the document you chose to compare it with (using the “Compare With” button at the top of the preview of the document). I’m writing this section because I always forget and end up mixing them up.

Origin Doc we will compare with
Copies we’ll use to compare

When comparing documents in CLM, the Underlines words will be text that is unique to the Origin. For example, if the has the phrase “The fox” is within Copy 1, and the Origin contains “The brown fox” when comparing the preview will show “The brown fox”, indicating that brown is not in Copy 1.

Example of Copy 1 compared to Origin.

Strikethrough words show words that Copy 2 contains, but the Origin does not. So continuing the above example, if Copy 2 contains the phrase “The fox jumps.” and the Origin contains “The brown fox”, when comparing the preview will show “The brown fox ̵Ju̵m̵p̵s̵.̵”, indicating that “ Jumps.” is not in the Origin.

Example of Copy 2 compared to Origin

eSignature Templates

Templates in eSignature are used to create envelopes that can be sent for signature in bulk to users.

This Article took a long time to construct, so please show your support if you’d like to see more things like this. AND SHARE! The more people have access to information, the less lost we all are in the CLM Technician world. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Shoutouts to Stria LLC — A Bitwise Company, My peeps in the Cloud Solutions Department, and my sister Stephanie for helping me find this job in the first place. Please feel free to reach out to us at Stria.com for assistance with your CLM solutions, and let them know Ant sent ya 😉.

Outside Credits and Resources:

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Anthony S. Protho

I code to create. I code to be challenged. I code for Fun. Cloud Solutions Engineer