Validate and Publish a QCDS Template

Validate the current draft, correct blocking document and field problems, save the intended revision, and publish only when the server accepts the draft. Contact assignments may remain intentionally open until Request preparation.

Save the Draft You Intend to Publish

Builder changes belong to an editable draft. Use Save after meaningful layout/property work so the latest intended snapshot is persisted as a draft revision. QCDS also performs draft autosave, but an intentional Save before final validation makes the publication boundary clear.

Run Validate

Choose Validate while the draft is open. QCDS validates the current builder snapshot rather than merely checking an old published version.

Server-side Template validation checks areas such as:

  • at least one ready canonical PDF and valid document/page references;
  • field/asset geometry that stays within the printable page;
  • active supported field types and required field definitions;
  • labels/accessibility names and type-specific requirements such as Dropdown options;
  • Signed Date links and read-only state;
  • assets, variables, rules, and other reusable Template structure.

Some conditions are warnings rather than blockers—for example very small fields or a required participant role that currently has no required action.

Contact Assignment Can Be Deferred

Reusable Template validation intentionally calls field validation without requiring a concrete participant assignment for every interactive field. The current builder also states that Contact assignments may be completed when creating the actual Request.

That is different from Request readiness. Before sending, signer-controlled fields must resolve to actual participants. Use deferred assignment only when the Template is meant to stay reusable across different signers.

Publish the Template

  1. Correct every blocking validation error.
  2. Save the final intended draft state.
  3. Use Publish Template.
  4. If QCDS reports that the draft changed, reload the current draft and validate again rather than forcing publication.

Publication runs server-side validation again against the latest saved draft revision. If validation fails, QCDS blocks publication. If it passes, QCDS records the validation result, calculates the snapshot hash, promotes this draft version to immutable published status, and supersedes the prior published version when one exists.

Verify the Result

  • The Template appears as published and can be used to start a Request.
  • The former published version, if any, remains historical rather than being edited in place.
  • Creating a test Request uses the newly published version.
  • Deferred participant assignments are completed before sending the Request.

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.