Send a Document for Electronic Signing

Render a signing document and create a REFRACT eSign session to collect legally binding electronic signatures from one or more signers via the centrally hosted signing portal.

This tutorial covers the end-to-end flow for collecting electronic signatures on a REFRACT PDF-generated document. Signers receive invitation emails and complete signing through the REFRACT eSign portal, hosted on the REFRACT PDF platform.

Products used: REFRACT eSign

What You'll Need

A REFRACT PDF licence with the REFRACT eSign feature gate enabled
A PDF template with signature_block nodes defined, one per signer role
Signer email addresses and role names that match the template's signature blocks

Signature blocks are layout elements

signature_block nodes in a template are layout placeholders that tell REFRACT PDF where to inject the seal image. They are not AcroForm fields. See the Field Manifest reference for details.

Step 1: Render the Document

Render the document using /api/render and retain the correlationId and pdfBlobPath from the response.

{
  "templateId": "vendor-contract",
  "correlationId": "ctr-2026-001",
  "documentId": "CTR-2026-001",
  "vendorName": "Contoso Supplies Ltd",
  "contractDate": "2026-05-30"
}

Step 2: Create a Signing Session

POST to /api/esign/session with the correlationId and one signer entry per slot. Each role must match a signature_block role defined in the PDF template.

POST /api/esign/session
Authorization: Bearer <Entra ID JWT>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "correlationId": "ctr-2026-001",
  "documentId": "CTR-2026-001",
  "docType": "vendor-contract",
  "signingMode": "sequential",
  "expiresInHours": 72,
  "signers": [
    {
      "slotIndex": 0,
      "role": "vendor",
      "email": "vendor@contoso.com",
      "namePrefill": "Vendor Contact"
    },
    {
      "slotIndex": 1,
      "role": "manager",
      "email": "manager@yourcompany.com"
    }
  ]
}

With sequential mode, the vendor receives their invitation first. The manager is notified only after the vendor completes their slot.

Signing portal and email delivery

Invitation emails are sent via Azure Communication Services on the REFRACT PDF platform. There is no email infrastructure to configure in your environment. The signing portal is centrally hosted; no portal deployment is required.

The response returns a groupId and a portalUrl per signer:

{
  "groupId": "grp-xxxx...",
  "slots": [
    { "slotIndex": 0, "role": "vendor", "state": "pending" },
    { "slotIndex": 1, "role": "manager", "state": "pending" }
  ]
}

Step 3: Monitor Signing Progress

Query the session state using the groupId:

GET /api/esign/session/{groupId}
Authorization: Bearer <Entra ID JWT>

The session moves through pending, in_progress, and sealing to complete as each signer submits their slot.

Step 4: Retrieve the Signed Document

When the session reaches complete, the sealed PDF and evidence certificate are stored in Azure Blob Storage. The evidence certificate contains per-signer records (name, hashed email, IP address, and timestamp), consent statement versions, and the SHA-256 hash of the original rendered PDF.

What Happens Next

The completed signing event is recorded in the REFRACT Lifecycle workspace under the document's correlationId. The Signing tab shows each signer's slot state, activation time, completion time, and consent records.

To automatically deliver the signed PDF to the signer or a third party after completion, use postSealActions with a REFRACT Delivery configuration when creating the session.

REFRACT eSign Reference

Full reference for signing modes, slot states, OTP configuration, consent model, and the evidence certificate.

REFRACT eSign Overview Field Manifest Reference