Box Sign metadata

Box Sign automatically saves the key details of each signature request as Box Metadata on the resulting signed files. This rich metadata (such as recipients, the request status, and when it was completed) is applied to the signature request PDFs, so you can search for signed documents and use that metadata to automate workflows in Box Automate. Box captures this information in a single, standard global metadata template labeled “Box Sign”. Box creates and maintains this template for your enterprise. The template can’t be accessed from the Admin Console and is not editable through the web app or Preview. Box Sign metadata cannot be used to create metadata views in Box Apps.

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Availability

• Box Sign metadata is available on Business Plus, Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, and Enterprise Advanced plans.
• The feature is on by default. Admins can turn it off for the whole organization. For more information, see Disabling Box Sign metadata.

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What Box Sign captures

Box records details about the signature request itself and about each recipient. The template stores details for up to five individual recipients, plus a field that lists all recipients.

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Request details

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Recipient details

Box captures the following fields for each recipient, for up to five recipients (Recipient 1 through Recipient 5). Only recipients with the Signer, Approver, or In-Person role get their own numbered slot. Box lists Get a Copy recipients in the All recipients field instead. Box determines the recipient’s full name from the value of the Name field on the request. If the request uses separate First name and Last name fields, Box combines them. If the Name field is not available, for managed users, Box uses the name from their Box profile. Otherwise, the Recipient full name is empty.

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When metadata is captured and updated

Box applies the Box Sign template to the files when the signature request is sent, and keeps the metadata updated in real time throughout the signing process.

• On send. When a signature request is sent, Box records the request details for each recipient, such as email, full name, status, and role.
• On every status change. Each time the request status or a recipient’s status changes, Box updates the metadata so it always reflects the latest updates. For example, as soon as the first of three recipients signs, Box updates that recipient’s status and the request’s last activity date.
• After a revision. If a signature request is revised, Box updates the metadata to match. If you remove a recipient during a revision, Box clears that recipient’s fields.

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Which files get metadata

Box applies the Box Sign metadata to:

• Every file within the signature request.
• Any files that recipients attach to the request.

Box does not apply metadata to the signing log. Box applies metadata only to the sender’s copy of the signature request files in the designated save location folder.

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Supported request types

Box captures metadata for the following request types:

• Standard signature requests
• 21 CFR Part 11 requests
• Batch send requests
• Ready-sign links
• API requests, including the Box Automate Sign outcome

Box does not capture metadata when the sender is the only recipient or in Sign Myself requests.

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How recipients map to fields

Box assigns each tracked recipient to a numbered slot (Recipient 1 through Recipient 5). How recipients map to these slots depends on your signing order setting:

• If the signing order is toggled on: Recipients are numbered in their signing order. Recipient 1 is the first to sign, Recipient 2 is the second, and so on. If two recipients share the same signing order, their numbering stays consistent across every request from that template.
• If the signing order is toggled off: Recipients are numbered to match the order in which they are listed within the signature request. If the request was created from a template, this is the order in which the sender added the recipients to the template. This order stays consistent across every request initiated from the same template.

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Recipient groups and forwarding

When initiating requests using recipient groups, Box handles the group’s metadata as follows:

• The recipient email field lists all group members’ email addresses, separated by commas, until someone from the group executes the request. Once a member signs, Box replaces the list with the email address of the person who actually signed.
• The recipient status reflects the status of the recipient group.
• The recipient’s full name stays empty until a member of the group completes the request.

If a recipient reassigns their signing responsibility to someone else, Box captures the metadata of the recipient who actually completed the request in the recipient email field, and sets the recipient’s status to Reassigned. The All recipients field lists both the original recipient and the recipient the request was forwarded to.

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Viewing metadata

To view a file’s Box Sign metadata:

1. Open the signed document in Box Preview.
2. In the preview window’s right sidebar, select Metadata.

Box displays the Box Sign template along with any other metadata templates applied. The Box Sign template can’t be modified, and you can’t edit metadata field values from the Box Preview window. Box Sign metadata is read-only when accessed through Box Preview in the Box web app. Metadata values can still be modified through the Box Metadata API.

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Using metadata

Because signature request details are stored as standard Box Metadata, you can use them across Box:

• Search: Box Sign metadata values are indexed by Box search, so you can find signed documents by signer, request ID, completion date, and so on.
• Box Automate: The Box Sign template is available in Box Automate. Use metadata values to trigger workflows. For example, you can dynamically rename signed files with the signer’s name and completion date, or route completed requests to the right folder or team.
• Box Metadata API: You can search Box Sign metadata values through the Metadata API for custom integrations.

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Disabling Box Sign metadata

Box Sign metadata is on by default. Admins can turn it off for the entire organization from the Admin Console. When it’s off, Box doesn’t apply Box Sign metadata to new signature requests. For detailed instructions, see Configuring Box Sign enablement settings.