Use of digital signatures within a workflow

Question

Hello all,
We attempt to build a workflow, where users will be digitally signing the forms being routed. However there are implications some implications with signing the documents.
Here is the use scenario
1. Initiator fills a form with datadigitally signs the formand then submits the form.
2. 1st participant reviews the signed formthen he also signs the form on a separate area
3. The signed (by initiator and participant) form is then archived. The data are extracted and stored to a third party system (e.g. a database)
What we have tried up to now
a. used Designer 7.0 to design a XFA form template incorporating some data entry fields and two signature fields.
b. embedded a binding schema and saved as .xdp
deployed the form to LC Form Manager
c. we RE the deployed form properties to allow for digital signatures in Reader
d. used Workflow Designer to create a simple workflow with two users (initiator to fill and sign the form, 1st participant to sign the form, 2nd participant for viewing the result)
3. set a Init-Form to use this particular template (the url points to our form)
4. set a Form-Var (the variable is of type document, the XFA schema is also displayed)
5. set data mappings (user properties) to use Form-Var as both input and output
Now, the sad story
i. initiator logins to FM, selects the form, fills some data, signs and submits the form
ii. 1st participant receives a working item in his worklist
iii. he opens the form, any data the initiator entered are there, BUT the digital signature field (where initiator previously signed) is EMPTY
iv. initiator navigates to his archive and sees the same (data but no signature)
Remark: whenever this form opens (1st participant worklist or initiator archive), the form takes up all the space within Internet Explorer, i.e. the FM left-side navigation and any other frames disappear
Any idea to workaround on this would be great. Thanks in advance for your help,
~Evangelos

Answer 1

Hi Evangelos,
Your issue is that you are submitting back an XDP format and not the PDF format. To resolve this issue, open your form and select the FSSUBMIT_ field from the heirarchy. Click on the Object palette and look at your Submit options. On that tab look at the Submit Format dropdown. You will want to choose PDF instead of XML Data Package (XDP). I have attached the working version of your form!!!
Basically you where reconstructing the PDF with the submitted data (the data does not have the signature in it) and hence the signature was being lost. The signature info is only part of the finished PDF.
NOTE: that the signatures will break from step to step (i.e. a yellow exclamation mark will appear) but Adobe are aware of this, and it will be fixed in the future.
regards
David.