Signature and External Access to Documents
When a document is ready, it often needs to be shown or signed externally: by a client, a counterparty, or a partner. LadVen OS lets you send a document for signature and open secure external access right from its card - without emailing files around, and with tracking of who did what.
Basic signing methods are available without an external service, but submission is possible only in an active session with allowedActions.submit=true. A closed, completed, or declined session is status-only; there is no separate decline button. External setup is still needed for legally significant exchange through an EDO operator.
How to work with the document itself and its versions is covered in Documents. This page is about signature and external access.
What Works Immediately, and What Needs Setup
Built-in signing methods lead to a signed document without any external services. External EDO is a separate path that requires a connected operator.
A document you create in the portal from a file is managed entirely by the portal, so every built-in signing method applies to it without extra setup. Only external electronic document exchange (EDO) stands apart: it depends on a connected operator.
“Out of the box” means that the product path exists; submitting or signing still requires an active session with allowedActions.submit=true. Closed, completed, and declined sessions are status-only; Declined is a terminal backend state, not a separate decline button.
| Need | Setup | Who signs | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create a document from a file | Out of the box | - | Managed in the portal |
| Link it to a client | Out of the box | - | Connected to the CRM card |
| Publish for viewing | Out of the box | - | Visible by link and in the extranet |
| Publish for signing | Out of the box | - | Signing is enabled |
| Consent button | Out of the box | Client by link or in the extranet | Signed |
| Hand-drawn signature | Out of the box | Client by link or in the extranet | Signed |
| Upload a signed file | Out of the box | Client by link or in the extranet | Signed |
| Manager completion | Only when the document policy allows the action and the role is allowed | Manager, without client action | Depends on document policy |
| External EDO | Operator setup required | In the external service | Signing in the external system |
In short: you can sign a document with the portal's own tools right away. An external EDO operator is needed only where official, legally significant exchange is required.
Signature Request
Conceptual guidance, not a UI screenshot or state evidence.
From the document card, click Send for signature - the request form opens. In it you set:
- signing method - exactly how the signer will sign;
- signers - usually by email; the portal suggests contacts from the linked CRM card. In the client-extranet scenario the CRM client may be resolved automatically, so a separate email is not always required;
- signing deadline - an optional due date by which to sign;
- document version - which revision to send, with the current version selected by default.
From there the portal runs the process itself and shows the status for each signer.
Who can be assigned as a signer:
- a client through the extranet - a signer from the linked CRM card signs in the client portal;
- an external person via a public link - anyone who receives a personal link signs.
For each signer the portal tracks a status: sent, viewed, signed, declined, or expired. The whole request has a status too - for example partially signed when not everyone has signed yet, and completed when all signatures are collected. This shows who has already signed and who needs a nudge.
The request can also be draft, queued, canceled, or failed. A draft has not been sent; queued means it is waiting to be sent. Do not blindly repeat a canceled or failed request: check the reason, keep the audit trace, and create a new request only after fixing the cause.
Signing Methods
The diagram compares portal consent, hand-drawn signing, signed-file upload, and external electronic exchange.
LadVen OS supports several built-in signing methods. They are available without external services when the active session allows allowedActions.submit:
- Browser confirmation - the signer clicks "accept" on the document page. Suitable for consents, acknowledgements, and internal decisions.
- Hand-drawn signature - the signer draws a signature directly on the screen, with a mouse or a finger on a phone. Similar to signing on a courier's tablet.
- Uploading a signed file - the signer uploads a scan or a signed PDF. Suitable when the document is signed on paper and returned as a scan.
Separately, there is a path through an external signing service (EDO) - it is enabled by an administrator and is used for official document exchange through an operator (see below).
Choose the method by the document's requirements: browser confirmation is enough for internal approval; for legally significant documents, use the method accepted in your company, or external EDO.
Manager Completes Signing Manually
Conceptual guidance, not a UI screenshot or state evidence.
Signatures are not always collected online. A client may sign a document on paper at a meeting, send a scan by email, or sign in a third-party service. In those cases the card may expose complete signing manually - but only when the document policy and your role allow it. This is not a promise that every card has a separate upload field: if the action is unavailable, keep the external file under your company's supported process.
When the action is available and succeeds, the portal moves the document to the signed state and records the confirming file/event in history. Do not treat a scan alone as proof that the document is signed.
Personal Signer Links
Conceptual guidance, not a UI screenshot or state evidence.
Each signer receives their own personal link to the signing page. The link can be copied and sent to the signer in any convenient way. Through the link the person opens the document, reviews it, and signs with the chosen method - without logging in to the internal portal.
Do not forward a single link to several people: the link is tied to a specific signer, and it tracks exactly that person's action.
Publishing: External View and Signing
Conceptual guidance, not a UI screenshot or state evidence.
Besides a signature request, a document can be published - click Open access and issue an external link in one of the modes:
- open by link - the external participant views and downloads the document;
- external signing - the external participant completes signing.
These are separate flows: open by link grants viewing and downloading only; it does not turn into signing later. If the recipient must sign, choose external signing from the start so the signing action and status are attached to the correct flow.
Publishing has security parameters:
- how access is granted - by protected link or for a recipient by a specific email;
- expiry - the "expires" field; after this date the link stops working;
- open-count limit - access closes after a set number of requests.
Publishing can be closed ("Close access") at any moment - the link immediately stops opening the document. Revoke access when it is no longer needed or was granted by mistake.
External Electronic Exchange (EDO): Honest Limits
Conceptual guidance, not a UI screenshot or state evidence.
For official, legally binding exchange, LadVen OS can connect to an external EDO / e-invoicing operator. This is set up by an administrator, and which operators are available depends on your country and configuration - do not assume any specific service is connected until an administrator has set it up.
It helps to understand the limits:
- in-portal signing and external EDO are different things; EDO is not enabled by default and depends on a connected operator;
- the full EDO cycle - producing, sending, and signing legally significant documents through an operator - finishes in the operator's own system, while the portal keeps the document manageable: it shows status, links, and signed copies;
- the set of available operators depends on the country and the setup.
Built-in signing methods stay available at all times and do not require an EDO operator.
Good Practices
Conceptual guidance, not a UI screenshot or state evidence.
- Before sending for signature, check that the current version is open and the document belongs to the right client.
- Make sure the document has no internal comments or working notes before opening external access.
- Choose the signing method by document type: browser confirmation for consents, hand-drawn signing or external EDO for significant documents.
- If the signature has already been obtained outside the portal, record it - complete signing by uploading a scan.
- Send each signer their personal link, not a shared one.
- Set an expiry and close publishing when access is no longer needed.
Common Mistakes
Conceptual guidance, not a UI screenshot or state evidence.
- Sending an outdated version of a document for signature.
- Opening external access without removing internal comments.
- Forwarding a single link to several signers - tracking is lost.
- Not setting an expiry and not closing publishing - access stays open longer than needed.
- Treating external EDO as enabled by default, though it depends on a connected operator.
Related Sections
Conceptual guidance, not a UI screenshot or state evidence.