Version 1.4 of AssureSign DocumentLAUNCH™ for Windows is being released the week of June 7. As we implement new customization options in the DocumentNOW® interfaces, we follow up by adding related functionality in our downloadable client applications to provide new, rich features.

For example, DocumentLAUNCH now supports the ability to pass in documents containing dynamically created JotBlocks (the interface for handling this was implemented in DocumentNOW in version 2.1.1 of the AssureSign application). Additionally, new features introduced in the online AssureSign application such as the ability to specify regular expression string validators on parameters (being released with version 2.1.2 of the AssureSign application) are now supported in DocumentLAUNCH. When you specify custom validation handlers and messages during the template creation process they will now be enforced and displayed within DocumentLAUNCH. Other performance enhancements and features based on customer requests have also been implemented.

Current users will be able to download the latest version when logged in to their AssureSign account, from the AssureSign Tools section of the help pages. Please contact your AssureSign account representative for a demonstration if you are interested in finding out how DocumentLAUNCH can get you up and running with integration from the desktop with minimal technical requirements.

As we looked for better ways to support the various integrators and developers coding against our software, the AssureSign engineering team realized one of the typical ways we ourselves approach obtaining technical support is through forums and web searches.  So we introduce the AssureSign technical forum, located at http://forum.assuresign.net.

If you are an active user of DocumentNOW® interfaces, DocumentTRAK™ notification services, AssureSign for Salesforce, or have technical questions regarding AssureSign, please visit http://forum.assuresign.net.  You will be required to register in order to use the application.  If you have any questions about the use of the site, please contact your AssureSign account representative.

The AssureSign support staff will also be occasionally posting information on the forum, including sandbox update notifications and release notifications.  We may also solicit user feedback on proposed features and development plans. And your answers to any technical questions posed by other registered users are encouraged and will also contribute to the value of this site.

AssureSign version 2.1.2 is being prepped for release to the developers' sandbox the week of May 10.  

A large number of under the hood enhancements are being implemented to improve document processing throughput, particularly when documents are streamed in via DocumentNOW® services.  The Text version of the SubmitWithFile interface has been enhanced to improve throughput, however all submission operations should experience performance gains on the sandbox.  Changes will be made in stages, whereby first software will be upgraded followed later by additions to our sandbox hardware environment to improve your experience there.

Most visible operation of the application remains unchanged with this release, however we will be adding in features to allow for improved disclosure and compliance for specific jurisdictions.  For example, in consultation with your legal staff and your AssureSign account manager, it will be possible to configure templates to display custom disclosures based on your needs, such as in the case of specific types of transactions or to meet certain countries' requirements.  We are also adding in some powerful new features for document submissions, including the ability to configure template parameter regular expression checking server side and to return parameter regular expressions to your front-end application.  

Sandbox client contacts will be receiving notification regarding the upgrade.  The application is currently being qualified for production release in QA with an expected release to production in early June.

Building on the latest features released in our core SaaS application version 2.1.1, the AssureSign for Salesforce application has been converted to access the faster and more feature-rich V2 DocumentNOW® interfaces.

One powerful addition made possible by this conversion is the ability to submit documents stored in Salesforce that contain dynamically created JotBlocks™ (AssureSign signature and data collection locations and attributes).  Customers using proprietary or third party document creation processes can leverage this new feature by inserting the well-defined dynamic JotBlock tags into their documents.

Additionally, we have made it easier to integrate AssureSign with your custom objects, through providing a more complete list of available custom object fields in the parameter tagging help section, exposing custom object fields for manual selection, and providing specific custom object field mapping examples in our online documentation.

Existing AssureSign for Salesforce users will receive a notification on their application indicating when the new version is available for download; we anticipate the general release to occur on Wednesday, March 24.  AssureSign sandbox users who access their sandbox accounts in a development version of Salesforce may access the tool starting today:  please contact support@assuresign.com for information about downloading the fully functional preview version of the tool for your development environment. 

New version provides seamless integration for dynamic document creation

AssureSign LLC, a leader in electronic signature technology, today announced the official release of the latest offering of its AssureSign product, AssureSign v2.1.1. With this new release, AssureSign delivers a higher degree of automation, enhanced document creation and dynamic template generation, producing the most cost-effective solution for AssureSign users.

AssureSign is a web-hosted service that facilitates the managed processing of documents in an all-digital, highly secure environment. Since its inception, AssureSign has had the ability to template the signature process using ‘JotBlocks’(AssureSign’s term for signature and data collection locations and attributes),  which has proven to be a powerful feature, opening the door to a limitless variety of uses of AssureSign’s DocumentNOW® integration interfaces.

While it has always been possible within AssureSign to dynamically create single use document patterns with distinct layouts, AssureSign v2.1.1 introduces a well-defined process that allows user to programmatically vary the signature areas in a way that best suits their existing processes.   Ultimately, this new release means AssureSign users will be able to further embed AssureSign electronic signatures into their existing web portal applications, CRM systems or any other back-office or desktop applications without having to manage an extensive library to templates and workflows.

AssureSign 2.1.1 is a result of client and partner suggestions and feedback. Requests included very low level programmatic control of the process, as well as simpler in-document tagging mechanism; and the ability to define information embedded within their streamed-in Word documents, as well as the ability to apply information to PDF documents using existing toolsets. The final solution provides all of these options and offers the flexibility to mix and match the features that suit each user’s needs.

“With the introduction of dynamic JotBlocks, AssureSign users have complete control over their document templates,” said David W. Brinkman, AssureSign’s Chief Executive Officer. “With dynamic JotBlocks, the process of integrating a new technology into an existing business process becomes seamless.”

The latest version of AssureSign, version 2.1.1, is currently being qualified and is being released for our integration clients to the development sandbox on January 20 with production release scheduled for mid-February 2010.

A key feature of this release is dynamically defined JotBlock signature locations.

Templating the signature process has proven to be a powerful feature, opening the door to a limitless variety of uses of our DocumentNOW integration interfaces.  And automation through integration produces the most cost effective solutions.  While it has always been possible within AssureSign to dynamically create single use document patterns with distinct layouts, we have developed a well-defined process that allows our customers to programmatically vary the signature areas in a way that best suits their existing processes.

Client suggestions and feedback played an important part in crafting this solution.  These also created an early puzzle that caused our engineers to approach the problem cautiously.  Some clients wanted very low level programmatic control of the process, others wanted a simpler in-document tagging mechanism; some clients needed to be able to define information embedded within their streamed-in Word documents, others wanted to apply information to their PDFs using existing toolsets.

Our final solution provides all of these options and offers the flexibility to mix and match the features that suit your needs.  You will be able to define JotBlocks:

• in the template creation process
• in a text tag within the document to be signed
• through XML
  

or combinations of

• tag + XML
• tag + template
• XML + template
• tag + XML + template

For example, in a simple case where all workflow rules are well established, such as there being only 1 signatory in a single signing step who will sign 1 specific signature block that may vary in its location due to variation in the agreements terms, then the JotBlock could be defined in advance on the template and an embedded tag in the streamed-in document could indicate merely the final signing location.

In the case that an entirely new signature area is to be defined that was not known when the template was created, this could be done with embedded text or through XML.  The XML could completely describe all attributes of the JotBlock, including height, width, x/y coordinates, signing order, signatory, special instructions, etc.  Or the XML could describe complex information but a text tag with the same name could intrinsically define the location of the signature.

We are excited about the possibilities these new features provide our customers.  Existing sandbox users will have early access to documentation and examples from within the sandbox environment in the DocumentNOW help section.  For more information about these and other features of the AssureSign application, please contact sign@assuresign.com.

The AssureSign integration development team has developed a model for integrating Microsoft Dynamics® CRM, Microsoft SharePoint and AssureSign.  As Microsoft Certified Partners,  AssureSign developed this model as a pattern for Microsoft integration developers working on extending Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Visual Studio Team System provides an easy entry point into starting to extend the Dynamics CRM platform, offering out of the box templates for creating Microsoft Dynamics plug-ins.  Extending the plug-in application to connect to AssureSign DocumentNOW® services is as simple as adding a DocumentNOW .NET service reference.  For an integration provider that already understands the Microsoft Dynamics CRM entity model,  the only thing to learn may be the DocumentNOW methods for mapping data to AssureSign Document Templates.

The AssureSign engineers started with a basic standalone Microsoft Dynamics CRM installation using SharePoint services for storing documents.  A simple plug in was created in Visual Studio to perform the operations of pulling a selected document out of SharePoint, and attaching it to be streamed in to the AssureSign DocumentNOW web services.  The metadata on a selected entity in Microsoft Dynamics CRM is queried and matched to AssureSign template parameters.  AssureSign DocumentTRAK™ services are used to push data back to Microsoft Dynamics CRM and trigger the application to pull the completed document back into SharePoint, while updating the Dynamics entity with standard AssureSign document history.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM end user experience is seamless.  In this model, a contract matching an AssureSign template is chosen to be sent out for signing.  All data from the contact entity is sent along with the document behind the scenes, and a signing invitation is sent to the signatory.  Upon signing, the DocumentTRAK™ services trigger updates to the document and the history displayed in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, where the user receives real-time information about the document status.

If you are a Microsoft integration provider, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer, or are evaluating AssureSign or Microsoft Dynamics CRM, please contact the AssureSign sales team at sign@assuresign.com for a demonstration of this application.

AssureSign, LLC is excited to introduce the newest option available to users to make it easier to send documents:  AssureSign DocumentLAUNCH™ for Windows. 

AssureSign DocumentLAUNCH for Windows provides a simple desktop alternative to sending documents from within the AssureSign site.  After the DocumentLAUNCH application is installed and the user’s account information is entered, an AssureSign user will be able to access their AssureSign templates from their desktop without logging in to the AssureSign site.

The DocumentLAUNCH application allows a user to stream in documents they have created that match an AssureSign template, or pass along data to be applied to a stored document template in AssureSign.  The application provides simple drag-and-drop capability for supported document types, and also installs a Windows context menu option for sending documents to AssureSign.

DocumentLAUNCH provides a simple desktop platform for interfacing with the AssureSign DocumentNOW® services, providing an option for organizations to quickly create desktop integration to AssureSign with little or no technical cost. 

Existing AssureSign users may download the Windows XP/Vista/Vista 64 installation – as well as generate a configuration file to simplify the setup process for their account – from the Help/Tools section of the AssureSign client website. If you have any questions, contact the Support Team at support@assuresign.com.

Not to sound cliché as this has certainly been used a lot this week, but AssureSign will take a ‘Giant Leap’ next week when the new AssureSign for Salesforce CRM 2.0 is released.  Since inception, the power of AssureSign has been recognized most when integrated with existing business processes.  AssureSign’s API capabilities via DocumentNOW® and DocumentTRAK™, allowing our ability to dynamically create documents for signature from ‘other systems’, has always been at the core of our customer implementations and has contributed to their success with AssureSign.  AssureSign was the first electronic signature solution to create documents dynamically using Salesforce data fields; the first to offer the ability to sign in-person from within Salesforce and the first to secure biometric signatures using a mouse.

So, what is the giant leap?  Well, we believe that AssureSign will be the first and only electronic signature AppExchange partner to have 100% ApexCode integration along with a VisualForce user interface.  AssureSign has completely redesigned its Salesforce Integration Tool by replacing custom S-Control code and integration with a 100% ApexCode.  This means a much cleaner, broader, deeper and tighter integration with Salesforce.  AssureSign customers have always enjoyed comprehensive integration, but here are some highlights that are new or improved:

• New look-and-feel leveraging VisualForce
• Dynamically create documents with fields from ANY Salesforce tab or custom object data
• New views and UI for in-person signing or counter-signing (also known as immediate presentment of documents)
• AssureSign-side Wizard for exporting completed documents back into Salesforce or other data stores
• Ability to initiate workflow upon receipt of document status change OR completed documents via AssureSign-side Wizard
• Easy to select data elements (fields from any tab or custom object data) for integration with dynamic document creation via AssureSign templates and workflows
• New views of document progress status and ability to create unique dashboards
• Easier Setup and ‘New Release Update’ reminders

Look for more information next week as AssureSign takes a ‘giant leap’ when AssureSign for Salesforce CRM 2.0 is officially released.

AssureSign Version 2.0.4 is currently being qualified for release in early July.  In regards to this release, we have already been sharing documentation with certain clients in regards to one of the most compelling components we have added lately to the application: the DocumentTRAK™ component.

From our first design of AssureSign, we have always had a rich event model that allowed email notifications to be triggered on any number of events.  In addition, for some clients we have built custom export components that send status updates and push down documents based on their unique needs.  A do-it-yourself model for wiring AssureSign events to custom web services has been a goal of our development team for quite a while.   

DocumentTRAK provides just such an environment.  In a nutshell, the DocumentTRAK wizard walks you through configuring  the AssureSign system to send data according to your schema, to your location, at a point in the signing process that you choose.  (If I was in marketing, that might have been written “Your Data.   Your Location.  Your Time.”).

For the techies among our clients who may wonder what this entails, setting up a notification endpoint can be as simple as pointing us to your service definition (got WSDL?), telling us which method to call, specifying security, and telling us where to populate the data.  After you have defined the notification simply edit a template workflow definition and assign the DocumentTRAK notification to an event.  Want to send the completed document along?  Embed it in a web service call or send it via SFTP; we have a wizard for that as well.

More information will be coming from our sales team as we prepare for the release.  Want more information now?  Contact moreinfo@assuresign.com for a more detailed description of the possibilities.