How QCDS Handles Unsent Request Work Without Stored Draft Requests

The current streamlined QCDS workflow does not keep a customer-visible library of unsent Request drafts. After you choose Use on a published Template, the unfinished Request exists only in the current browser page until you choose Send Now.

What Is Kept While You Prepare the Request

The transient Request editor keeps your current Title, expiration, message edits, field assignments, routing choices, Request Text values, and other preparation state in the active browser session. The builder status explicitly says that changes are kept in the browser until sent.

There is no normal Save button for this transient Request and no unsent draft entry is created in the Requests list.

What Happens If You Leave Before Sending

If the page has unsent changes, QCDS asks the browser to warn you before leaving. That warning is only a guardrail. Reloading, closing the tab, navigating away, a browser crash, or another interruption can discard the unsent Request preparation.

Do not treat the page-leave warning as autosave. If the Request matters, finish the preparation in one session or record the transaction-specific details somewhere appropriate before you begin.

What QCDS Does Persist Before Send Now

Reusable QCDS objects remain stored normally: published Templates, Contacts, workspace Settings, and personal Email Templates. What is not persisted as a normal object is the unfinished Request assembled from those reusable pieces.

Send Now Is the Persistence Boundary

When you choose Send Now, QCDS validates the browser snapshot, creates the server-side transaction state needed for the send, freezes the immutable Request, and queues invitation delivery under idempotency protection. The compatibility draft used internally during that atomic operation is retired after the real Request exists; it is not a customer-facing draft workflow.

If sending fails before an immutable Request is created, QCDS cleans up the temporary server-side draft where possible and returns the error to the browser. If an immutable Request was created but email delivery needs attention, QCDS preserves that Request and reports the delivery warning.

How to Avoid Losing Work

  • Start from a published Template that already contains the reusable document structure.
  • Have signer/contact information and request-specific wording ready before choosing Use.
  • Finish Request Details and Prepare & Send in the same browser session.
  • Run Check before Send Now so assignment or Request Text problems are caught before the final action.
  • After Send Now, verify the Request appears under Unsigned before closing the workflow.

Community Discussion

Want to compare workflows, share practical tips, or discuss how you use this QCDS feature? Visit the QC Digital Signature Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific issues, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.