InfoPath Dev

 Question regarding the Digital Signatures..

 Does your product work just like the built in digital Sig in infopath less the digital certificates. I want to make sure that once an area is signed it cant be modifyed unless the document is unsiged.

Also how does it handel multible sigs on one form?

Thanks,

Doug

Hi Doug,

I'm guessing you are asking about the ES XTP that Mel posted: http://www.infopathdev.com/blogs/mel_balsamo/archive/2009/03/03/electronic-signature-template-part.aspx.

Here's an excerpt of the text from that blog:

Why not digital signatures? What limitations do electronic signatures have?

Security warning: An electronic signature doesn't prevent a malicious user from downloading and modifying the XML data after signing. That's what Digital Signatures are for – they include special checks that prevent data tampering. The problem with Digital Signatures is that they require digital certificates and that means you have to have your system admin turn on Certificate Authority, or purchase certificates from a Web provider. Electronic signatures are a semi-secure substitute and with SharePoint permissions, you can prevent most tampering using the following three techniques:

a)      Don't store employee's PINs in the main data source. Even though you need the field in the XTP, you can blank the field out after you replace it with the signature image (assuming the user entered a valid PIN)

b)      Remove the Save and Save As options from the InfoPath File menu (Form Options -> Open and Save)

c)      An administrator secures each signature image so that users cannot access other users' signatures and PINs. A good way to do this is to have an admin upload "dummy" signatures and PINs and then place security on each one.  The users can then go in and modify the signature image and PIN, replacing them with their own.

Does that answer the first question?

Regarding your second one, you just have to use a repeating section and conditional display rules to control previously entered electronic sigs.

We aren't trying to replace DigiSig. Just giving another option. The cost of the tool is mainly to reimburse us for the time it took to create it. We were asked to do this control by a customer and given a PO and everything and then they reneged on paying us. So, we're trying to recoup the cost by selling a few in the forum. Not something we are trying to make a lot of money off of. Indeed, we include an hour of time with the tool, so it's a steal! :)

 Thanks for the reply,

 I main concern is users not being able to modify and area that had been digital signed. I know this built in function works that way, and I wanted to verify your product does the same. I dont want to have to mess with digital certs becasue its a very clumbersome method for us.

Doug

Hi,

Qdabra's Electronic Signature template part has fields that hold the user's information (Username and PIN) as well as the signature (via an image/picture control). You can add conditional formattings to the section/s in your form so that they get disabled and/or read-only when the Electronic Signature is not blank, i.e. form has been signed - that way you're sure that other users won't be able to modify those areas when the form has been signed.

For multiple signatures using the template part, you may refer to this blog post.

Hope that helps!