Management of communication templates

Description of the "Communication template management" screen

The screen consists of:

• 6 tabs that represent the states that a template can have, these states can be:
  
  • Active  :  It has been approved and is available for use.
  • Draft  : It is in the process of being developed, it has not been sent for approval. It is not available for use.
  • Pending  : It is in the process of being approved. It is not available for use.
  • Deactivated : It has been approved but has been disabled by the site administrator user. It is not available for use.
  • Rejected : It has not passed the approval process, in its detail the reasons are shown. Not available for use.
• Button to create new template
  • This button allows you to start the creation of a new template.Rejilla con las plantillas creadas.
  • This grid varies in columns depending on the active tab.
  • Draft: 
    • Type: Displays the type of communication associated with the template (can be Signature Request, Reminder Request, Final Notification or Progress Notification).
    • Identificador: Muestra el identificador único de la plantilla, en un sitio no puede haber dos identificadores iguales, se usa para hacer referencia a la plantilla desde el API.
    • Last modification: Displays the date and time of the last template update.
    • Edit: Allows you to edit the template.
    • Delete: Allows you to delete a template.

• • Pendings:
    
    • Type: Displays the type of communication associated with the template (can be Signature Request, Final Notification or Progress Notification).
    • Identifier: Shows the unique identifier of the template, in a site there cannot be two equal identifiers, it is used to make reference to the template from the API.
    • Approval request date: Shows the date and time the template was sent for approval.
    • View template: Access icon to view the template detail, the template cannot be modified.

• • Active :
    • Type: Displays the type of communication associated with the template (can be Signature Request, Final Notification or Progress Notification).
    • Identifier: Shows the unique identifier of the template, in a site there cannot be two equal identifiers, it is used to make reference to the template from the API.
    • Activation date: Shows the date and time when the template was approved.
    • View template: Access icon to view the template detail, the template cannot be modified.
    • Deactivate: Allows you to deactivate a certain template.

• • Deactivated:
    • Type: Displays the type of communication associated with the template (can be Signature Request, Final Notification or Progress Notification).
    • Identifier: Shows the unique identifier of the template, in a site there cannot be two equal identifiers, it is used to make reference to the template from the API.
    • Deactivation Date: Shows the date and time when the template was deactivated.
    • View template: Access icon to view the template detail, the template cannot be modified.
    • Activate: Allows to activate a certain template.
    • Delete: Allows the deletion of a template, two months after its deactivation.

• • Rejected:
    • Type: Displays the type of communication associated with the template (can be Signature Request, Final Notification or Progress Notification).
    • Identifier: Shows the unique identifier of the template, in a site there cannot be two equal identifiers, it is used to make reference to the template from the API.
    • Rejection date: Shows the date and time when the template was rejected.
    • Rejection date: Shows the date and time when the template was rejected.
    • Draft: Allows the deletion of a template, two months after its deactivation.

Create new template

Pressing the button a modal window opens, allowing the creation of a new template.

The modal screen consists of two tabs: detail and preview. 

• Detail: Tab where the template is configured, with the following data Template type, identifier, content and variables (system and user).
• Preview: Tab where the user checks if the configuration is correct, before sending the template for approval. It is necessary to save the template data before going to the preview tab.

• Template Type : This selection field allows the user to select the type of template, this type informs about the use that will be given to the email generated with the template. The types of templates that a user can select are the following:
  
  • SignatureRequest (SignatureRequest): For signature request emails sent to EviSign signers.
  • Final Notification (FInalNotification): For final notification emails sent to signatories of an EviSign.
  • Progress (Progress): For email communications that inform the signer and sender about the progress of an EviSign (Rejections, Signatures, Expirations).
  • SignatureReminder (SignatureReminder): For signature reminder emails.
  • Notification Template (NotificationTemplate): To customize EviNotice notification e-mails
• Template identifier: This field allows the user to set an identifier to the template, this identifier is necessary to inform to make use of the template, for a site there cannot be two equal identifiers.
• Template content: This field is where the user will create the communication template, this template will be defined with HTML, and may include Liquid programming language content.
• Variables: The content of templates can contain variables, which during output can be reported by assigning them a value. There are two types of variables
  
  • Environment variables: These are variables that are currently used by the environment to compose a template, these variables contain specific data of the issued evidence. See more details of this type of variables in the section "Template variables".
  • User variables: These variables are created by the user when creating the template. They are used within the template content to report data that system variables can report. 

Once the user has selected the type of template, entered an identifier, configured the content of the template with the appropriate variables, the result can be previewed by pressing the save button. .

In the preview screen, a Grid will appear, with the mandatory system variables for that type of template and the user variables that have been previously configured. Next to these variables a text box allows you to edit values to see how the result would look like when rendering the template. 

To view the template, the user must click on the preview button. . At this point the system will render the HTML of the content, replace the variables with the test values and display it on the screen.

At this point the user can decide whether to make any further modifications to the template or "Request Approval".  Pressing the button a validation process starts in which there will be an automatic validation and a manual validation.

• Automatic validation: The system checks that the content of the template is correctly configured, that the mandatory system variables have been used for that type of template, and that no non-allowed components are being used (see restricted components).
• Manual validation: Our support staff checks in an exhaustive way, supported by documentation, that the content of the template is in accordance with the type of template selected. Once the template has been checked and found to be correct, the support staff approves the template and it becomes active.

Delete template

A template can be deleted when it is in draft or deactivated status, in the case of deactivated status it can only be deleted when a period of two months has passed, as this is the maximum life time of an EviSign.

• Draft: A template can be deleted as long as it is in draft status. To do so, it can be deleted directly from the Grid by clicking on the icon of the template or by going to edit template  and pressing the delete button 

• Deactivated: A deactivated template can only be deleted when it has been deactivated for a period of two months. A template can be deleted from the Template Grid, by clicking on the icon or within the detail of the same , by pressing the button

State flow of a template

A linear diagram of the states through which a template can pass is shown below.

Best practice guide for creating a template

To create a new template and have it approved, the following aspects should be taken into account:

• Avoid excessive images:  Excessive use of images can affect the ability of the template to load in the email, which in turn can decrease the open rate. Therefore, it is recommended to have a limited number of images and keep their size under control. As for the request to convert images to "inline" in base64, this helps to reduce the overall size of the email, which makes it easier to load and render the email.

  • Convert 'inline' (base64) images to reduce rendering overhead.

    Ejemplo imagen base 64 inline

    <html>
      <body>
        <h1>Bienvenido</h1>
        <img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAADIA..." alt="imagen">
        <p>This is an example of an e-mail with an image.</p>
      </body>
    </html> 

  • Templates must not contain more than 3 images larger than 48x48 pixels.
  • templates must not contain more than 8 images smaller than 48x48 pixels (usually used for social network icons). 
  • The sum of images and content must not exceed a file size of 1MB.
• Restricted components: The following content cannot be used in templates to prevent mail managers from blocking emails on suspicion.
  
  • javascript
  • animated gifs (whenever possible)
  • <iframe>
  • embedded audio
  • embedded video
  • forms.

• Suspicious links: Suspicious links should not be used in the template.

• Appropriate text for the type of notification of the template:  It is important that the template text is clear, concise and appropriate for the type of template being created.  It should be easy to understand and not confusing to the recipient. Below are the different types of templates separated by product:
  • EviSign 
    • Signature Request/Signature Reminder:
      • The text should refer to the issuer's request for a signature.
      • It must contain the mandatory variables for this type of template. 
    • Final Notification: The text must be clear that it is a final notification of the signing process, where the guidelines for obtaining the Affidavits are given..
      • Text indicating that it is a final notification.
      • Steps for accessing generated evidence
      • Link to the evidence generated.
      • It must contain the mandatory variables for this type of template. 
    • Progress: Using Liquid programming code, this type of template can be used to communicate the following statuses (Rejected, Signed, and Expired)
      
      • Rejected: The text must be clear informing that there has been a rejection of the main document by one of the signatories. It must contain the mandatory variables for this type of template. 
      • Signed: The text must be clear informing that there has been an acceptance of the main document by one of the signatories. It must contain the mandatory variables for this type of template. 
      • Expired: The text must be clear informing that a signature process has expired without being signed. It must contain the mandatory variables for this type of template.
  • EviNotice
    • Notification Template:
      • Text stating that a notification has been sent and that the recipient can access it from a button or link.
      • It must contain the mandatory variables for this type of template. 

• Text that avoids being labeled as spam or suspected of phishing: To avoid being labeled as spam, it is important to use clear and simple language in the content of emails, and avoid excessive use of suspicious or sensationalist words. In addition, it is important not to use words that may trick recipients into opening the email, as this may be considered phishing or deceptive practices.

• The signature button (read document) must be visible to the signer: In the case of EviSign and the signature request template type, the signature process access button must be clearly visible to the recipient, so that they can easily identify how to proceed with the signature. The button must have a link that is set with system variables.

• The link to the signature process should appear: In the case of EviSign and the signature request template type, in addition to the signature button it is also mandatory that the access link to the signature process appears. This link is established by using system variables.

• GDPR policy text must appear:  This text should mention that Evicertia will act as Data Controller in direct communications to Notifyes and/or Signatories. The text should be something similar to the following:

  GDPR

  Evicertia is a service of EVICERTIA S.L. (NIF ESB86021839) that as a certification service provider, assumes the role of trusted third party, according to the requirements of the European and Latin American regulations in force regarding electronic commerce and signature.
  Evicertia is managed by certified auditors and experts in computer security, who protect it as independent witnesses of the communications and declarations of will that are made through it.
  Evicertia has been recognized as legally valid evidence by the Supreme Court of Spain (cassation order of 21/03/2013 no. 855/2010 of the 1st Chamber).
  EVICERTIA S.L. informs you that your personal data have been obtained through the issuer of this electronic communication/notification and will be processed for the sole purpose of making available to you the documents issued by the issuer for signature or notification, obtaining evidence of the process and keeping them for the contractual and legally established term. The recipient may exercise his rights by writing to support@evicertia.com, indicating in the reference "Data Protection". Additional information about your rights or the processing of your data is available at https://www.evicertia.com/en/privacy-policy. You can also contact the national authority if you consider that your rights have been violated. You can also obtain more information about the service on the website: www.evicertia.com.
  This message is addressed exclusively to the addressee and may contain confidential information and/or information subject to professional secrecy, the disclosure of which is not permitted by law.
  If you have received this message in error, or have any questions about the security of the process, please notify us immediately by email to our attention at support.evicertia.com or by email to support@evicertia.com.
    

  This text can be composed with the help of environment variables for links and e-mail addresses.

Variables in templates

The variables are divided into environment and user variables.

Environment variables:

These are variables that the application has configured and that obtain their value from sent evidence data or from global data that are shared by all the sites of the platform.

User variables:

They are variables that the user declares during the creation of the template. These variables can be used in the content of the template you are creating and when using the template via web service the variables and their value are reported.

These variables can only be created at template design time, when the template is in draft state. In the detail tab at the bottom there is initially a table of variables. Pressing the button  a row is added to the Grid allowing you to enter a user variable, to define a user variable you must configure:

• Variable : Variable name, to be used in the content and in the call to the Web Service.
• Value: A default value should be set, so that the site administrator user and the support team person can preview the result.Requerido: Este check indica si la variable debe ser informada siempre. 
  
  • True: Must be reported in each request
  • False: It is not mandatory to report on every request.

To delete a variable entered by mistake or for any other reason, click on the icon  that appears in the Grid line corresponding to the variable to be deleted.

 Once the variables have been declared, they can be used in the HTML content of the template. In order to distinguish user variables from system variables, the variable name must contain the preface variables and be between keys {{}}, e.g:

• We declare the variables PostalAddress, PostalCode and we want to make reference to them in the content, for this in the part of the content that interests to introduce the postal code we would write {{variables.PostalCode}}  and in the part where you want to enter the postal address type   {{variables.PostalAddress}}.

The following is a small example using system and user variables.

<html>
<head>
</head>
<p>Request for signature of <b>{{Issuer}}</b> , about <b>{{Subject}} </b></p>
<table><tr><td>Signer name: </td><td>{{Signer}}</td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td>Signer Address: </td><td><b>{{variables.PostalAddress}}</b> CP: {{variables.PostalCode}} </td></tr></table>
<a href="{{DeliveryURL}}" class="buttonread">Sign documentation</a>
</html>

Use of Liquid programming language in templates

An important part of template customization is that you can use Liquid programming language when defining the content of the template, this will allow the same template to be dynamic and change depending on the values of the variables.

To learn something about this programming language we recommend you to visit the following links.

• https://shopify.github.io/liquid/
• https://github.com/dotliquid/dotliquid/

Using templates from Web Service

Here is how to reference a template at the time of issuance. 

EviSign

For this product a number of different templates can be set per Signer/Reviewer. For this purpose the following parameters have been created in the EviSignSubmit API within the SigningParties object. 

• For the use of signature request type templates: 
  • SignatureRequestTemplate: Contains the identifier of the template to be used in the communication.
  • SignatureRequestTemplateValues: It contains an array of value keys, where the variables defined in the template content and the value it receives in the emission are reported. 
• For the use of signature reminder type templates:
  
  • SignatureReminderTemplate: Contains the identifier of the template to be used in the communication.
  • SignatureReminderTemplateValues:  It contains an array of value keys, where the variables defined in the template content and the value it receives in the emission are reported. 
• For the use of final notification type templates:
  
  • FinalNotificacionTemplate: Contains the identifier of the template to be used in the communication.
  • FinalNotificacionTemplateValues:  It contains an array of value keys, where the variables defined in the template content and the value it receives in the emission are reported. 
• For the use of progress type templates:
  • ProgressNotificationTemplate: Contains the identifier of the template to be used in the communication..
  • ProgressNotificationTemplateValues:  It contains an array of value keys, where the variables defined in the template content and the value it receives in the emission are reported. 

POST /api/EviSign/Submit HTTP/1.1
Host: app.ecertia.com
Authorization: Basic *******************
Content-Type: application/json

{
"subject":"EviSign Basic one signatory",
"issuer":"Demo evisign basic",
"signingParties":[
{
    "name":"Lara Lor Van",
    "legalName":"123456789A",
    "address":"recipient01@mailtest.es",
    "signingMethod":"EmailPIN",
    "SigningOrder": "1",
    "SignatureRequestTemplate":"Template01",
    "SignatureRequestTemplateValues" : [{"postalAddress":"C/ Luna 01 Tierra3 29334"},{"jobOffered":"Analista"}],
    "FinalNotificacionTemplate":"Template02",
    "FinalNotificacionTemplateValues" : [{"postalAddress":"C/ Luna 01 Tierra3 29334"},{"jobOffered":"Analista"}],
    "ProgressNotificationTemplate":"Template04",
    "ProgressNotificationTemplateValues" : [{"postalAddress":"C/ Luna 01 Tierra3”}],
 	"SignatureReminderTemplate":"Template02",
    "SignatureReminderTemplateValues" : [{"postalAddress":"C/ Luna 01 Tierra3 29334"},{"jobOffered":"Analista"}]
}]
"document":"{{documento principal en Base 64}}"} 

EviNotice

• For the use of a notification:
  • NotificationTemplate: Contains the identifier of the template to be used in the communication..
  • NotificationTemplateValues:  It contains an array of value keys, where the variables defined in the template content and the value it receives in the emission are reported. 

POST /api/v2/evinotice/submit HTTP/1.1
Host: app.ecertia.com
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Basic 
{
    "Body": "We inform you that your car insurance fee has increased by 5% for the reports sent during the year 2022",
    "Subject": "notification about your insurance car",
    "RecipientAddress": "recipient01@mailtest.com",
    "RecipientLegalName": "recipient name",
    "IssuerLegalName": "Company test Insurance",
    "CertificationLevel": "Advanced",
    "TimeToLive": 365,
    "HideBanners": false,
    "PushNotificationFilter": [
        "Processed",
        "Sent",
        "Dispatched",
        "Delivered",
        "Read",
        "Replied"
    ],
    "PushNotificationUrl": "https://en8ok0mpw5r43.x.pipedream.net/",
    "CommitmentChoice": "AcceptOrReject",
    "CommitmentCommentsAllowed": true,
    "DeliverySignMethod": "MobilePIN",
    "DeliverySignFixedMobile": "+3464555656",
    "Language": "en",
     "NotificationTemplate": "Template01:AsIt",
      "NotificationTemplateValues" : [{"recipientCountry":"Spain"}
}

Examples of templates

In this section, you can download sample templates for each of the types of templates named in this help.