TemplateRecipientTabs Resource

The TemplateRecipientTabs resource provides methods that let you add, update, and delete tabs from an envelope. Tabs are associated with a specific recipient in an envelope and are only used by the recipient types In Person Signers and Signers.

Tab Types

Docusign supports a wide range of tab types for input and display of specific types of information. See EnvelopeRecipientTabs Resource for the complete list.

Using Custom Tabs in Envelopes and Templates

Custom Tabs can be added to envelopes and templates by setting the customTabId property when creating an envelope or template recipient or when adding a new tab for an existing recipient. The custom tab must be added as the correct tab type. For example if the custom tab type is text, it cannot be used as a number tab.

When the customTabId property is set, the new tab inherits all the custom tab properties. Required information that is not included in the custom tab, such as document ID and page ID, must be included when adding the tab. If the custom tab does not have anchor settings, the X and Y positions must be included.

After the tab is created, it is treated as any other tab for updating or deleting.

Anchoring Tabs

The tab anchoring option allows you to send documents for signature that do not have a fixed layout or format. In these documents you might not know the absolute location of the tabs when you design your API client application because the tabs must move with text. As an alternative to sending X and Y coordinates for tabs, the Docusign Service can derive an anchor location for the tab by correlating anchor information to data within the document.

When the Docusign Service receives a request that contains tabs with anchor information, it searches the document for instances of the anchorString property. When found, it places a tab of the specified type for the designated recipient. Tab positions are established by setting offsets for the tab.

When you apply tabs to the document, Docusign does not remove or replace the text in the anchorString property. You can hide codified anchors by using the same font color as the background of the document. So the anchor can be used by Docusign processes and it will not be visible on the document.

To use an anchoring option:

Identify the location in the document by text string. You can use a pre-existing text string or add a new one. For best performance Docusign recommends using single word anchor strings when possible, especially when there are a large number of pages in the envelope. For example, you might want to add a Sign Here tab to the “Borrower’s Signature” lines in a document, but that phrase might occur in places in the document where you don’t want to tab to appear. In this case, you could add the text “BorrowerSignHere” in white font color (so that isn’t visible in the document) to all the places you want Sign Here tabs to appear and use “BorrowerSignHere” as the anchor string.
Reference the anchor through the anchorString property of the tab.
Determine the offset from the anchor string location to where the tab should be placed.

Setting a positive value in the anchorXOffset property moves the tab right on the page and positive values in the anchorYoffset prove moves the tab down the page. The anchorUnits property specifies the units used for the offsets. For Sign Here and Initial Here tabs the bottom-left of the anchor string is equivalent to position (0,0), and the bottom-left of the tab graphic is placed relative to that. For all other tabs the bottom-left of the anchor string is equivalent to position (0,0), and the top-left of the tab graphic is placed relative to that. Docusign does not currently provide tools to derive the offset values. Determination of the proper offset will likely require some trial-and-error.

Rules for working with anchor tags

When anchor tabs are used, all documents in the envelope are searched for the anchorString property.

You set the text of the anchor string in the anchorString property. Docusign tabs are created for each instance of the anchorString property within the document, so special care must be taken to establish unique anchor strings that do not result in unintentional tabs.
You cannot use the same anchored tab for different recipients for the same document.
The Docusign system cannot search for text that is embedded in an image when checking for anchor strings.
X or Y offsets supplied for a tab apply to all instances of the tab in the document. To use different offsets at different locations in the document for the same recipient, create multiple, unique anchor tabs.
If the Y offset value of an anchor string would force a tab outside of the page boundaries, the tag is placed at the page boundary. If the X offset value places a tab outside of the page boundaries, the error message Invalid_User_Offset is sent. The error message includes the X offset that resulted in the error.
The system does not support an anchor string embedded in the form of a PDF X-object in the document.
The system does not re-flow the text that surrounds the anchor tabs. It is the responsibility of the document author to provide sufficient white space to contain the potential width of the ultimate tab value.

Tips and Tricks

The following are tips for effective use of anchor tags:

In order to avoid unintentional conflicts between text contained in an anchorString property and the text that naturally exists in documents, establish a codified syntax for the anchor string text that is unlikely to appear elsewhere in a document.
Develop an extensible and consistent syntax that can be used across multiple document types.
Especially for documents that have variable numbers of tabs or signers, author the source document to include hidden anchor tabs for all potential signers/permutations. Then, control the tabs that are actually placed by including/excluding the anchor tabs in the request. This approach allows a single document to be used for all use cases instead of maintaining separate documents for each scenario.

Automatically Populating Tabs

If you want similar tab types to automatically populate with the same data, you must follow these guidelines:

Each tabLabel entry must have the characters \\* in front of the label. If you omit the \\* prefix, only the first occurrence of the tab is populated.

When automatically populating tabs, the tabLabel must not contain any spaces. In the JSON example below, the Text tabs properties StudentLastName and StudentFirstName will be auto-populated as specified (“Doe” and “John”) each place they appear throughout the envelope.

"tabs": {
  "textTabs": [
  {
    "tabLabel": "\\*StudentLastName",
    "value": "Doe"
  },
  {
    "tabLabel": "\\*StudentFirstName",
    "value": "John"
  }]
}

Note that \\* matches anything. If you were to add another tab with the tabLabel set to \\*Name to the example above, it would end up matching the other two labels as well. This pattern is not a regex expression, and Docusign uses it as a wildcard to populate identical values in tabs.
Each occurrence of the tab must have identical properties.

For example, suppose there are two Text tabs in a document, each with tabLabel set to Name. If one tab has the bold property set to true, and the other has the bold property set to false, only the first one will be populated. In order to automatically populate both occurrences of the Name Text tabs, the bold property must be set to the same value for both tabs.

Methods supported

Method	Description
create	POST `/restapi/v2.1/accounts/{accountId}/templates/{templateId}/recipients/{recipientId}/tabs` Adds tabs for a recipient.
delete	DEL `/restapi/v2.1/accounts/{accountId}/templates/{templateId}/recipients/{recipientId}/tabs` Deletes the tabs associated with a recipient in a template.
list	GET `/restapi/v2.1/accounts/{accountId}/templates/{templateId}/recipients/{recipientId}/tabs` Gets the tabs information for a signer or sign-in-person recipient in a template.
update	PUT `/restapi/v2.1/accounts/{accountId}/templates/{templateId}/recipients/{recipientId}/tabs` Updates the tabs for a recipient.

TemplateRecipientTabs properties

Property	Type	Description
`approveTabs`	array	A list of Approve tabs. An Approve tab enables the recipient to approve documents without placing a signature or initials on the document. If the recipient clicks the tab during the signing process, the recipient is considered to have signed the document. No information is shown on the document of the approval, but it is recorded as a signature in the envelope history. The value of an approve tab can’t be set.
`checkboxTabs`	array	A list of Checkbox tabs. A Checkbox tab enables the recipient to select a yes/no (on/off) option. This value can be set.
`commentThreadTabs`	array	An array of tabs that represents a collection of comments in a comment thread. For example, if a recipient has questions about the content of a document, they can add a comment to the document and control who else can see the comment. This value can’t be set.
`commissionCountyTabs`	array	A list of Commission County tabs. A Commission County tab displays the county of a notary’s commission. This tab can only be assigned to a remote notary recipient using Docusign Notary. The tab’s value can be edited by the recipient.
`commissionExpirationTabs`	array	A list of Commission Expiration tabs. A Commission Expiration tab displays the expiration date of a notary’s commission. This tab can only be assigned to a remote notary recipient using Docusign Notary. The tab’s value can be edited by the recipient.
`commissionNumberTabs`	array	A list of Commission Number tabs. A Commission Number tab displays a notary’s commission number. This tab can only be assigned to a remote notary recipient using Docusign Notary. The tab’s value can be edited by the recipient.
`commissionStateTabs`	array	A list of Commission State tabs. A Commission County tab displays the state in which a notary’s commission was granted. This tab can only be assigned to a remote notary recipient using Docusign Notary. The tab’s value can be edited by the recipient.
`companyTabs`	array	A list of Company tabs. A Company tab displays a field for the name of the recipient’s company. This value can’t be set.
`dateSignedTabs`	array	A list of Date Signed tabs. A Date Signed tab displays the date that the recipient signed the document. This value can’t be set.
`dateTabs`	array	A list of Date tabs. A Date tab enables the recipient to enter a date. This value can’t be set. The tooltip for this tab recommends the date format MM/DD/YYYY, but several other date formats are also accepted. The system retains the format that the recipient enters. Note: If you need to enforce a specific date format, Docusign recommends that you use a Text tab with a validation pattern and validation message.
`declineTabs`	array	A list of Decline tabs. A Decline tab enables the recipient to decline the envelope. If the recipient clicks the tab during the signing process, the envelope is voided. The value of this tab can’t be set.
`drawTabs`	array	A list of Draw Tabs. A Draw Tab allows the recipient to add a free-form drawing to the document.
`emailAddressTabs`	array	A list of Email Address tabs. An Email Address tab displays the recipient’s email as entered in the recipient information. This value can’t be set.
`emailTabs`	array	A list of Email tabs. An Email tab enables the recipient to enter an email address. This is a one-line field that checks that a valid email address is entered. It uses the same parameters as a Text tab, with the validation message and pattern set for email information. This value can be set. When getting information that includes this tab type, the original value of the tab when the associated envelope was sent is included in the response.
`envelopeIdTabs`	array	A list of Envelope ID tabs. An Envelope ID tab displays the envelope ID. Recipients cannot enter or change the information in this tab. This value can’t be set.
`firstNameTabs`	array	A list of First Name tabs. A First Name tab displays the recipient’s first name. The system automatically populates this field by splitting the name in the recipient information on spaces. This value can’t be set.
`formulaTabs`	array	A list of Formula tabs. The value of a Formula tab is calculated from the values of other number or date tabs in the document. When the recipient completes the underlying fields, the Formula tab calculates and displays the result. This value can be set. The `formula` property of the tab contains the references to the underlying tabs. To learn more about formulas, see Calculated Fields. If a Formula tab contains a `paymentDetails` property, the tab is considered a payment item. To learn more about payments, see Requesting Payments Along with Signatures.
`fullNameTabs`	array	A list of Full Name tabs. A Full Name tab displays the recipient’s full name. This value can’t be set.
`initialHereTabs`	array	A list of Initial Here tabs. This type of tab enables the recipient to initial the document. May be optional. This value can’t be set.
`lastNameTabs`	array	A list of Last Name tabs. A Last Name tab displays the recipient’s last name. The system automatically populates this field by splitting the name in the recipient information on spaces. This value can’t be set.
`listTabs`	array	An array of List tabs. A List tab enables the recipient to choose from a list of options. You specify the options in the `listItems` property. This value can’t be set. Find descriptions of all tab types in the EnvelopeRecipientTabs Resource.
`notarizeTabs`	array	A list of Notarize tabs. A Notarize tab alerts notary recipients that they must take action on the page. This value can be set. Note: Only one notarize tab can appear on a page.
`notarySealTabs`	array	A list of Notary Seal tabs. A Notary Seal tab enables the recipient to notarize a document. This tab can only be assigned to a remote notary recipient using Docusign Notary.
`noteTabs`	array	A list of Note tabs. A Note tab displays additional information to the recipient in the form of a note. This value can be set.
`numberTabs`	array	A list of Number tabs. Number tabs validate that the entered value is a number. They do not support advanced validation or display options. To learn more about the different forms of number tabs, see Number fields in the Concepts guide. For specific information about number tabs see Features of numberTabs.
`numericalTabs`	array	A list of numerical tabs. Numerical tabs provide robust display and validation features, including formatting for different regions and currencies, and minimum and maximum value validation. To learn more about the different forms of number tabs, see Number fields in the Concepts guide. For specific information about numerical tabs see Features of numericalTabs.
`phoneNumberTabs`	array	A list of Phone Number tabs. A Phone Number tab enables a recipient to enter a phone number. Note: This tab can only be assigned to a remote notary recipient using Docusign Notary.
`polyLineOverlayTabs`	array	This type of tab enables the recipient to strike through document text. This value can’t be set.
`prefillTabs`	prefillTabs	Prefill tabs are tabs that the sender can fill in before the envelope is sent. They are sometimes called sender tags or pre-fill fields. Pre-Fill Your Own Document Fields describes how prefill tabs work in the web application. Customize your envelopes with pre-fill fields shows how to use prefill tabs in your application using the eSignature SDKs.
`radioGroupTabs`	array	A list of Radio Group tabs. A Radio Group tab places a group of radio buttons on a document. The `radios` property is used to add and place the radio buttons associated with the group. Only one radio button can be selected in a group. This value can be set.
`signerAttachmentTabs`	array	A list of Signer Attachment tabs. This type of tab enables the recipient to attach supporting documents to an envelope. This value can’t be set.
`signHereTabs`	array	A list of Sign Here tabs. This type of tab enables the recipient to sign a document. May be optional. This value can’t be set.
`smartSectionTabs`	array	A list of Smart Section tabs. Smart Section tabs enhance responsive signing on mobile devices by enabling collapsible sections, page breaks, custom formatting options, and other advanced functionality. Note: Smart Sections are a premium feature. Responsive signing must also be enabled for your account.
`ssnTabs`	array	A list of SSN tabs. An SSN tab contains a one-line field that enables the recipient to enter a Social Security Number (SSN) with or without dashes. It uses the same parameters as a Text tab, with the validation message and pattern set for SSN information. This value can be set.
`tabGroups`	array	An array of `tabGroup` items. To associate a tab with a tab group, add the tab group’s `groupLabel` to the tab’s `tabGroupLabels` array.
`textTabs`	array	A list of Text tabs. A text tab enables the recipient to enter free text. This value can be set. Find descriptions of all tab types in the EnvelopeRecipientTabs Resource.
`titleTabs`	array	A list of Title tabs. A Title tab displays the recipient’s title. This value can’t be set.
`viewTabs`	array	A list of View tabs. A View tab is used with an Approve tab to handle supplemental documents. This value can be set.
`zipTabs`	array	A list of Zip tabs. A Zip tab enables the recipient to enter a ZIP code. The ZIP code can be five digits or nine digits ( in ZIP+4 format), and can be entered with or without dashes. It uses the same parameters as a Text tab, with the validation message and pattern set for ZIP code information. This value can be set.