What QC Digital Signature Does and How the Signing Workflow Fits Together

QC Digital Signature is a self-hosted Joomla electronic-signature workflow. Registered senders prepare reusable PDF Templates, create signing Requests, invite signers with secure no-login links, and retain completed PDFs and audit evidence inside the Joomla installation.

The most important distinction is between a reusable Template and a specific Request: Templates are preparation tools for future work, while a sent Request preserves the exact transaction and evidence for that signing event.

The Main QCDS Objects

  • Workspace: the authenticated frontend area where authorized Joomla users manage QCDS work.
  • Contacts: reusable signer identities and delivery details.
  • Templates: reusable PDF documents with fields, assignments, and published versions.
  • Requests: transaction-specific signing jobs created from a Template or other supported request flow.
  • Signer links: secure links that let invited participants sign without creating a Joomla account.
  • Completed artifacts: the finalized PDF and supporting audit/evidence records retained after completion.

How the Signing Workflow Fits Together

  1. An authorized sender opens the QCDS frontend workspace.
  2. The sender creates or selects Contacts as needed.
  3. The sender uploads a PDF and prepares a reusable Template, placing and assigning the fields that signers must complete.
  4. The Template is validated and published so it can be used for a signing transaction.
  5. The sender creates a Request, selects the participants, reviews request timing and message details, and sends it.
  6. QCDS creates participant-specific secure signing access and sends the invitation through Joomla mail.
  7. Each signer opens the secure link, completes the fields assigned to that signer, and submits the signing action. Identity Verification can be required for workflows that use that feature.
  8. QCDS tracks delivery and signing state while the Request is active. Reminder and other due work can be handled by the QCDS task system.
  9. When the required signing work is complete, QCDS produces the completed document/evidence state and makes the completed result available to the sender and appropriate participants.

Template vs. Request: the Boundary That Matters

A Template is reusable preparation. It can receive later edits and new published versions for future work. A sent Request is historical transaction evidence. QCDS preserves the document/version and participant context used for that Request instead of silently rewriting an already-sent transaction when the reusable Template changes later.

That distinction is why you should correct future setup in the Template, but troubleshoot an already-sent signing transaction from the Request itself.

What the Signer Sees

The signer does not need Joomla frontend access. The invitation carries a secure signer-specific route. The signer completes only the fields and actions available to that participant, and QCDS records the resulting request/signing history.

If a Request requires provider-backed Identity Verification, that check is part of the signer flow before signing is allowed. Otherwise, the normal signing path remains self-contained inside QCDS.

What Happens After Completion

Completion is more than changing a status label. QCDS retains the finalized document together with the evidence needed to understand who participated, what happened, and when. Completed work can be downloaded and, where supported by the current Request state, resent without recreating the signing transaction.

A Safe Way to Learn QCDS

Before inviting a real signer, create one controlled test Contact, prepare a small PDF Template, send the Request to an address you control, complete the signer flow, and verify the completed PDF and Request history. That one test exercises the same major boundaries you will rely on in production.

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.