DocForms

DocForms is a PDF form-filling experience built into AlphaTrust® e-Sign that presents participants with an interactive version of the PDF document before they complete a task. The PDF is rendered as an image with interactive form fields overlaid on top, so participants feel as though they are filling out the actual document itself.

DocForms is one of two data collection methods supported during the signing workflow — the other being Web Forms, which renders a mobile-friendly HTML form independent of the document's visual layout. Use DocForms when the goal is a familiar, document-centric experience; use Web Forms when mobile usability and flexible validation are the priority.

Enabling DocForms on a Task

DocForms is enabled by setting the PdfFormFillingEnabled property to true on a TaskInsertModel. When enabled, the DocForms UI will be presented to the participant before the task it is attached to is completed.

{
    "Tasks": [
        {
            "Type": "Signature",
            "PdfFormFillingEnabled": true
           ...
        }
    ]
}

task = new TaskInsertModel()
       {
           Type = TaskInsertModel.TypeEnum.Signature,
           PdfFormFillingEnabled = true,
           ...
       }

PdfFormFillingEnabled can technically be set on any task type, and the DocForms UI will be shown before that specific task. However, requiring a participant to fill out forms multiple times across tasks on the same document is a rare scenario and should only be done when there is a clear reason for it.

Using with No Action Required

When a participant's sole purpose is to fill out form fields — without signing or initialing — use the NoActionRequired task type with PdfFormFillingEnabled set to true. This sends the participant through the DocForms UI without presenting any signature prompt.

task = new TaskInsertModel()
       {
           Type = TaskInsertModel.TypeEnum.NoActionRequired,
           PdfFormFillingEnabled = true
       }

PDF Field Naming

For DocForms to populate the PDF correctly, the interactive form field names defined in the PDF must be present in the document. The values entered by the participant in the DocForms UI are written back to the PDF using those field names as the mapping key.

Required field validation is inherited directly from the rules defined inside the PDF itself. If a field is marked as required in the PDF, it will be enforced in the DocForms UI automatically — no additional configuration is needed.

Role Locking Fields

By default, all interactive form fields in a PDF are accessible to any participant. To restrict a field so that only a participant assigned to a specific role can fill it out, append the _es_:<RoleName> suffix to the field name in the PDF.

Suffix format:

<FieldName>_es_:<RoleName>

Examples — for a participant role named Customer:

Fields without the _es_: suffix remain open and can be filled out by any participant in the transaction.

Comparison with Web Forms

Both DocForms and Web Forms allow participants to enter data during the signing process. The right choice depends on your use case: