eSignatures

Electronic signatures have become standard in modern business applications. Many organizations begin with Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions but eventually encounter challenges related to cost, customization, data ownership, compliance requirements, and integration flexibility.

This is exactly why we developed SignFabric.

SignFabric is an open-source, enterprise-ready e-signature platform developed using TX Text Control. It provides a comprehensive foundation for preparing documents, managing signature workflows, handling user management, validating documents, and securely signing PDFs. Unlike hosted SaaS offerings, SignFabric runs in your environment, giving you full control over your data, infrastructure, and workflows.

This article walks you through the initial steps of setting up SignFabric and creating your first signature envelope.

Clone the Repository The complete source code is available on GitHub:

https://github.com/TextControl/SignFabric

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/TextControl/SignFabric.git Alternatively, you can download the ZIP archive from GitHub and extract it locally.

SignFabric is an ASP.NET Core Razor Pages application that uses TX Text Control for document editing, form fields, viewing documents, generating PDFs, and managing signature workflows.

Open the Solution in Visual Studio Open the solution file in Visual Studio 2022 or later.

When opening the project for the first time:

Restore all NuGet packages Build the solution Verify that your TX Text Control packages are properly licensed Run the application SignFabric is designed as a complete application rather than a code sample. It includes authentication, user management, document workflows, templates, envelope management, notifications, and validation capabilities out of the box.

Configure appsettings.json Before running SignFabric in a production environment, review the application settings.

The most important initial configuration is the administrator account.

Configure the administrator email address in the application settings. This account becomes the primary administrative user that can manage users, certificates, and system-wide settings.

Typical areas to review include:

Administrator email address Database paths SMTP configuration To change the administrator email address, update the BootstrapAdmin setting in appsettings.json :

"BootstrapAdmin": { "Email": "youradmin@email.com" }, Configure SMTP for Email Notifications Email notifications are a core part of the signing workflow.

SignFabric sends emails for:

User invitations Signature requests Signing reminders Workflow notifications To enable email notifications, configure the SMTP settings in appsettings.json . Provide the SMTP server address, port, and credentials for an email account that can send emails on behalf of your organization. The password will be stored securely and used for authentication when sending emails.

"Credentials": { "EMail": { "Username": "", "Password": "", "From": "", "Bcc": "", "Server": "", "Port": 587, "PasswordProtected": true } }, Start the Application Run the application using Visual Studio. The first time you run it, it will create the necessary database and seed the administrator account when you register the administrator email address.

After registering the administrator email, you can log in with that email address. A two-factor authentication code will be sent to the email address for verification.

Explore the Dashboard After logging in, you will see the SignFabric admin dashboard. This is the central hub for managing users, documents, templates, envelopes, and system settings.

A warning message will appear indicating that no signing certificate is configured. To upload a signing certificate, navigate to the "Certificate Management" section in the dashboard and follow the instructions to add a new certificate.

You can either upload a .pfx file containing the certificate and private key or use Azure Key Vault to manage your certificates. In this tutorial, we will focus on uploading a .pfx file.

Upload PFX Provide a name for the certificate Upload the .pfx file Enter the password for the .pfx file Click Upload Certificate

After uploading the certificate, it will be available for use in signature workflows. You can manage multiple certificates and activate the desired one for signing documents.

Invite Your First User To invite a new user to SignFabric, navigate to the "User Management" section in the dashboard and click on Create Account . Users can create envelope workflows and are not necessarily the signees themselves. Users can be assigned different roles and permissions based on their responsibilities.

Enter the email address and name of the new user, select the appropriate role, and click Create Account to send an invitation.

In the user overview, you can see all registered users, their roles, and their activity status. You can also manage user permissions and disable or delete user accounts as needed.

Create Your First Signature Envelope With your administrator account set up and a signing certificate uploaded, you can now create your first signature envelope. An envelope is a container for documents that need to be signed and the associated workflow.

After uploading the document, you can add recipients who need to sign the document. You can add as many recipients as needed for this workflow.

When all recipients are added, SignFabric will analyze the document and check whether all required signature boxes are correctly placed and ready for signing. If not, it will open a document editor to allow you to make the necessary adjustments.

The editor also allows you to add form fields, such as text fields, checkboxes, and dropdowns, to the document. This is useful for collecting additional information from the signees during the signing process.

Send the Envelope for Signing Once the document is ready and all recipients are added, you can send the envelope for signing. SignFabric will handle the workflow, sending email notifications to the recipients with instructions on how to sign the document.

In the Signatures section of the dashboard, you can track the status of all envelopes, see who has signed, and manage any pending signatures. If you click on an envelope, you can see detailed information about the document, the recipients, and the signing status.

User Experience for Signees Recipients will receive an email with a link to sign the document. When they click the link, they will be taken to a secure signing page where they can review the document and apply their signature.

After clicking on the link, the recipient will see the document in a viewer with the option to apply their signature. They can also fill out any form fields that were added to the document.

Finally, the signed document will be submitted back to SignFabric, and the workflow will be completed. The signed document will be stored securely, and you can download it from the dashboard at any time.

Envelope Audit Trail SignFabric maintains a detailed audit trail for each envelope, recording all actions taken during the signing process. This includes when the envelope was created, when it was sent for signing, when each recipient signed, and any other relevant events. The audit trail is accessible from the envelope details page in the dashboard.

Your Foundation for Enterprise E-Signatures SignFabric is much more than just a sample of document signing.

It is a complete, enterprise-ready application that combines document preparation, workflow management, user administration, electronic signatures, PDF validation, and digital signing into one platform. Built on ASP.NET Core and powered by TX Text Control, SignFabric provides a flexible foundation that organizations can deploy on-premises, in private cloud environments, or in hybrid infrastructures, all while maintaining full ownership of their data and workflows.

Whether you are replacing expensive SaaS subscriptions, developing industry-specific signing solutions, or integrating e-signatures into existing business applications, SignFabric provides the necessary source code and architectural foundation to begin immediately.

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