Signer Roles enables users to make the tagging order explicit. Tagging order is the order in which the signer tags of the recipient will appear on the document to be signed by the signers. The users can select the recipient role name while adding a recipient. This feature is helpful when you have added recipients in a random order but you want to change the tagging order. You can change the routing order in Routing Order column. However, to change the tagging order, you must select the Role Name accordingly.

For example, you add three users - Sam Cooper, Mike Hanks, and Rex Klenney - in the same order as mentioned. Now, you want the signing tag of Rex Klenney to be on top of all signers, Sam Cooper's tag to be second, and Mike Hanks as the third. For Rex Klenney, select Signer 1; for Sam Cooper, select Signer 2; and for Mike Hanks, select Signer 3. Now, in the document to be signed, the tags will be in the order as Rex Klenney, Sam Cooper, and Mike Hanks.

With Signer Roles, you can skip the signing tags as well. This feature can be utilized when you have a standard document with the standard number of tags and you want to skip a signer. For example, there are three departments and you have a standard document and signer tags - one for each department - HR, Finance, and Legal. For that document, you want signatures from HR and Legal only, you can skip Signer 2 (Finance).

To utilize explicit tagging order, you must enable Recipient Roles Enabled checkbox in System Properties. You can configure the Recipient Role Names and add new Recipient Role Names as well.

In implicit tagging order, the row that the recipient shows up on the Add Recipient user interface defines the tagging order - the recipient at row 1 will sign at the first signing tag, recipient at row 2 will sign at the second signing tag, and so on. Users can, however, move the recipients up and down using the arrows on the Add Recipient user interface, and thus re-arrange the tagging order.

For example, you add three users - Sam Cooper, Mike Hanks, and Rex Klenney - in the same order as mentioned. Now, you want the signing tag of Rex Klenney to be on top of all signers, Sam Cooper's tag to be second, and Mike Hanks as the third. Now, using the order buttons, you can position Rex Klenney as first, Sam Cooper as second, and Mike Hanks as the third. Now, in the document to be signed, the tags will be in the order as Rex Klenney, Sam Cooper, and Mike Hanks.

To utilize implicit tagging order, you must disable Recipient Roles Enabled checkbox in System Properties.

  • If you have added multiple recipients with the same signer role, and you have enabled Free Form Signing in DocuSign System Properties, then the first user can sign on the tag and others will use free form signing.
  • If free form signing is not enabled, and recipients have the same role, an exception message is displayed.

You must test the Get/Set Custom tab/tag values feature and ensure that custom class logic works as per your use case with Recipient Roles enabled and make changes to Get/Set classes if needed.

Scenario Implicit Tagging OrderExplicit Tagging Order
Recipient Roles Enabled custom settingDisabled Enabled
Visibility of Order buttonsOrder buttons are visibleOrder buttons are not visible
Visibility of Routing Order columnRouting Order Column is visibleRouting Order Column is visible
Visibility of Role Name columnSigner Roles column is not visibleSigner Roles column is visible
Tagging order of recipientsTagging order of recipients can be re-arranged using the order buttons Tagging order of recipients can be re-arranged using the Signer Roles column

To enable recipient role names

  1. Go to Setup > Build > Develop > Custom Settings and click Manage for DocuSign System Properties.
  2. Click Edit for System Properties.
  3. Select Recipient Role Names Enabled check box.
  4. Click Save.

To add a recipient role name

  1. Go to Setup > Build > Create > Objects and select DocuSign Recipients.
  2. Under Custom Fields & Relationships, select Role Name. 
  3. Under Picklist Values, click New.
  4. Enter the Values as Signer 1, Signer 2, Signer 3, and Signer 4 of recipient role name. You can add the values as per your business case.
  5. Select the Record Types for which you want to enables these values.
  6. Click Save.