Templates

A template is a document with its signing setup already done: fields placed, recipient roles defined, placeholders ready for per-send data. Build the envelope once. Send it a hundred times.

What a template holds

• The document. The file itself.
• Field layout. Every field in position, assigned to a named role ("Signer", "Approver") rather than a specific person.
• Roles and routing. The recipient structure and order, waiting for real emails at send time.
• Placeholders, merge fields that pull data in per send, see placeholders.
• Default options. Message, expiry, reminders, watermark settings.

Where templates are used

• New envelope → from template. Pick the template, fill in the actual recipients and placeholder values, send.
• Bulk send. The template is the blueprint for every envelope in the run.
• Power Forms. A template becomes a public self-service signing link.
• Agreement actions. Signed agreements trigger new envelopes from templates automatically.

Starter templates

Docshark ships starter templates, NDAs, offer letters, service agreements, and more, built by practice. Use them as-is or as the base for your own.

Template vs document

Sending a document builds a one-off envelope; a template builds a reusable one. If you send the same agreement twice, it should be a template. The second send is then seconds, not minutes, and the field layout can never drift between sends.

Templates live in the library alongside documents. See create and edit.