Understand signed files and generated PDFs¶
Applying your saved signature prepares a new PDF. The business action that requested it must then save that file to the intended record and complete its own work. These stages can finish at different times, so a signed-looking preview is not enough to confirm the final result.
For the intended screen sequence, use Sign the record document assigned to you. That guide follows the inspected Final Screens and explains readiness, placement, submission and recovery. The frontend still contains sample signing states; connected delivery remains under review. This page explains the shared document behavior behind that journey and the separate background PDF-generation capability.
What signature placement does¶
The supported task opens the current main PDF for the assigned signer. The shared signing service checks the viewer, workspace, temporary access, signing permission and version supplied by that session. It obtains the current user's enrolled signature image and draws it inside the chosen page area. A read-only viewer, another person's session or an ordinary uploaded signature file does not grant signing authority.
Review the whole document before applying your signature. Choose the correct page, keep the block inside its edges and ensure it does not cover important text. If the source document changes, return through the task and review the current version. Continuing from an old preview can be rejected.
The optional reason and date labels are printed with the signature image. The reason accepts up to 120 characters and the date label up to 40. Use clear, short text that remains readable inside the block. The date is text you supply; the placement service does not turn it into a verified timestamp. This capability places an image in the PDF and does not itself issue a certificate-based digital signature.
Distinguish the results¶
| Result | What it establishes | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| The signing viewer opened | A temporary session was issued for the selected document and signer | Read the document and confirm it is the intended version |
| Signature placement succeeded | A new signed PDF was prepared and a local signing outcome was saved | Follow the original task's submission and saved operation result |
| The record accepted the signed file | The source accepted the document change | Confirm the resulting record version and the task result |
| The signing task completed | The workflow processed its matching result | Check whether other steps in the wider process remain |
The prepared file has a temporary handoff lifetime, normally 24 hours from creation. That is separate from the shorter viewing session. A prepared file is not a permanent attachment merely because it can be handed to the source. Once the source takes ownership, its own retention and completion rules apply; see File handoff and recovery.
Managers and executives should use the saved record and task outcomes when following work. A local signing event or a count of successful placements does not establish that the record was updated, the whole workflow ended or the intended recipient received a copy.
Recover a failed or uncertain signing attempt¶
If the service reports that the document changed, reopen the task's supported signing flow and review the latest PDF. If your signature is unavailable, resolve your own enrolled signature through the profile flow before trying again. A temporary service or storage error can also prevent preparation; it does not prove that the source document is missing.
After a timeout or lost response, inspect the existing operation and record before starting another attempt. The file may have reached storage even when later saving or response delivery failed. Closing the viewer or seeing it expire does not undo submitted work. Follow the task guide's distinct instructions for a rejected operation and an operation needing support attention.
Give support the task and record references, visible result, approximate time and the stage that failed. Keep temporary access links, handoff credentials, document contents and signature image files out of ordinary messages. Support must reconcile the original operation; having a support role does not make someone the assigned signer.
PDFs created by background business actions¶
Some business actions ask the shared document service to generate a PDF from a title, body and accompanying details. The source action decides the content, who may request it and what the resulting document represents. This is a background capability, with no separate general-purpose PDF editor documented here.
The current renderer creates A4 pages with a repeated title, up to five nonempty detail lines, wrapped body text and page numbers. It draws each page as an image inside the PDF. Searchable/selectable text and an accessible text layer are not supplied by this renderer; readers who need another usable format should obtain it from the source owner.
Long titles, long detail lines or a single very long word can extend beyond the intended area. The source owner should check the resulting document for readable content, complete meaning, correct page order and missing details. Details beyond the five rendered lines are not evidence that those facts appeared in the PDF. Do not rely on a successful generation result as a visual-quality check.
A saved generated file is still distinct from the source's completed business action. Repeating the same internal creation request can return the earlier file; changing the supplied content does not guarantee that such a retry replaces it. Corrections must go through the source's supported document-change process so the resulting file and business record remain aligned.
Generated PDFs and signature placement use different paths. A generated document is not signed simply because it is stored by the same shared service. Storage success does not establish publication, delivery, approval or reader access. Follow the source-specific Records, workflow or correspondence guidance for those outcomes.
The shared implementation and selected tests have been inspected. Full source-call coverage, generated-document quality, connected recovery and reader acceptance remain open; this local draft does not claim those checks have passed.