Completed vs Archived QCDS Requests

What completion means, what Archive changes organizationally, what it does not delete, and how evidence/artifacts/history remain preserved.

This guide applies to All plans; sender and follows the accepted QC Digital Signature 2.0.7 implementation. Where older walkthrough language differs from the current interface or source behavior, use the current QCDS state as the authority.

Before You Begin

  • Open Requests and work from the actual Request Details instead of recreating a transaction when one delivery address or reminder needs attention.
  • Separate document/signing status from email-delivery status. A valid signer link or Completed PDF can remain valid even when a particular email delivery failed.
  • Preserve the Request history when correcting addresses, retrying delivery, cancelling, or archiving.

Step-by-Step Workflow

  1. Open QCDS > Requests and locate the exact transaction.
  2. Open Request Details and inspect status, participant progress, Timeline, and delivery history.
  3. Use the narrow supported action described in this guide rather than recreating the whole Request.
  4. Confirm the new delivery/lifecycle event is recorded.
  5. Verify successful signer links, completed artifacts, and older history remain intact.

Completion means

After required signing is complete, QCDS finalizes the evidence-bearing artifact. The normal Completed PDF places the signed source pages first, adds attachment presentation pages when used, and appends the Audit Trail. When signer attachments exist, the downloadable Completed Package can also include the protected original attachment files. Completion recovery/regeneration uses stored evidence; signers do not re-sign merely because PDF finalization or delivery needs to be retried.

For Completed vs Archived QCDS Requests, verify this behavior using the actual object involved rather than a generic assumption. A global administrator setting, a sender-workspace preference, a reusable Template, and a sent Request have different ownership and history rules. QCDS is intentionally designed so changes for future work do not silently rewrite the evidence of an already-sent transaction.

Archive changes organizationally

After required signing is complete, QCDS finalizes the evidence-bearing artifact. The normal Completed PDF places the signed source pages first, adds attachment presentation pages when used, and appends the Audit Trail. When signer attachments exist, the downloadable Completed Package can also include the protected original attachment files. Completion recovery/regeneration uses stored evidence; signers do not re-sign merely because PDF finalization or delivery needs to be retried.

For Completed vs Archived QCDS Requests, verify this behavior using the actual object involved rather than a generic assumption. A global administrator setting, a sender-workspace preference, a reusable Template, and a sent Request have different ownership and history rules. QCDS is intentionally designed so changes for future work do not silently rewrite the evidence of an already-sent transaction.

It does not delete

After required signing is complete, QCDS finalizes the evidence-bearing artifact. The normal Completed PDF places the signed source pages first, adds attachment presentation pages when used, and appends the Audit Trail. When signer attachments exist, the downloadable Completed Package can also include the protected original attachment files. Completion recovery/regeneration uses stored evidence; signers do not re-sign merely because PDF finalization or delivery needs to be retried.

And how evidence/artifacts/history remain preserved

After required signing is complete, QCDS finalizes the evidence-bearing artifact. The normal Completed PDF places the signed source pages first, adds attachment presentation pages when used, and appends the Audit Trail. When signer attachments exist, the downloadable Completed Package can also include the protected original attachment files. Completion recovery/regeneration uses stored evidence; signers do not re-sign merely because PDF finalization or delivery needs to be retried.

How This Fits into the QCDS Workflow

Request management is designed to repair the narrow failed step while preserving successful signer links and historical evidence. Delivery errors, reminders, cancellation, completion, and archival are lifecycle actions on one transaction—not reasons to overwrite its record.

QCDS records lifecycle and delivery events so a repair can be visible rather than silently replacing what happened. That is especially important for address corrections, retries, cancellation, reminders, and completed-document resends.

Verify the Result

  • Request Details shows the expected lifecycle, participant, Timeline, and delivery state after the action.
  • The Completed PDF/Package opens, preserves the signed source and evidence, and the Audit Trail remains readable.
  • A direct follow-up test confirms the change affects future/current workflow behavior without rewriting historical sent Request evidence.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Cancelling/recreating an otherwise valid Request just to repair one failed email address.
  • Leaving transient unsent work and expecting it to appear later as a persistent draft Request.
  • Asking signers to sign again when only final PDF generation or completion delivery failed.
  • Replacing a prior valid artifact before a regeneration attempt has been verified.

Troubleshooting

  • If due work is late, confirm the canonical task is enabled and being triggered; a correctly defined task on a quiet Joomla site can still remain overdue without a reliable wake-up mechanism.
  • If the Request is partly successful, preserve it and repair the failed participant/delivery step. Successful links and recorded history should remain usable.

Operational Best Practice

Test meaningful changes with controlled data before relying on them in production. Keep QCDS, Joomla mail, Scheduled Tasks, and entitlement health observable; preserve successful Requests and completed evidence; and make the smallest change that solves the actual problem. For handoff or support, record the QCDS version, relevant Request/Template reference, the exact action taken, and the visible result without including secrets.

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.