> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.box.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Signing unstructured docs
Imagine a document management app, where users can upload a document and ask
anyone to sign it. In this case your app will know what document to sign and
who needs to sign, but it has no idea where to put the signature or its
properties like name, date, initial, and so on.
This contrasts with [using templates][sign-templates] or
[structured documents][sign-structured-docs] where your
app knows what they are, and where the
signature properties go.
In these cases, and because each document can have a different structure, it is
a good idea to always set the `is_document_preparation_needed` flag set to
`true`, so that the sender has a chance to select and place the signature
properties in the document before the signer gets the request.
There are three steps to this flow, creating the signature request, then
preparing the document, and finally signing it.
This is how the flow looks like:
Consider this example:
```sh cURL theme={null}
curl --location 'https://api.box.com/2.0/sign_requests' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer ' \
--data-raw '{
"is_document_preparation_needed": true,
"parent_folder": {
"id": "234102987614",
"type": "folder"
},
"source_files": [
{
"id": "1355143830404",
"type": "file"
}
],
"signers": [
{
"email": "signer@example.com",
"role": "signer"
}
]
}'
```
```python Python Gen SDK theme={null}
def sign_doc_single(
client: Client,
document_id: str,
destination_folder_id: str,
signer_email: str,
prep_needed: bool = False,
) -> SignRequest:
# Sign request params
source_file = FileBase(id=document_id, type=FileBaseTypeField.FILE)
destination_folder = FolderMini(
id=destination_folder_id, type=FolderBaseTypeField.FOLDER
)
signer = SignRequestCreateSigner(signer_email)
# sign document
sign_request = client.sign_requests.create_sign_request(
signers=[signer],
parent_folder=destination_folder,
source_files=[source_file],
is_document_preparation_needed=prep_needed,
)
return sign_request
def main():
conf = ConfigOAuth()
client = get_client_oauth(conf)
# Simple sign a pdf request with preparation
sign_pdf_prep = sign_doc_single(
client, SIMPLE_PDF, SIGN_DOCS_FOLDER, SIGNER_A, True
)
if sign_pdf_prep.prepare_url is not None:
open_browser(sign_pdf_prep.prepare_url)
```
This results in a signature request with a prepare document URL (simplified):
```json cURL theme={null}
{
"is_document_preparation_needed": true,
"signers": [
{
"email": "requester@example.com",
"role": "final_copy_reader",
},
{
"email": "signer@example.com",
"role": "signer",
}
],
"id": "348decab-48a8-4f2c-9436-8967afebf7bb",
"prepare_url": "https://app.box.com/sign/document/xyz-abc-123/.../prepare_doc/",
"source_files": [
{
"id": "1355143830404",
"type": "file",
}
],
"parent_folder": {
"id": "234102987614",
"type": "folder",
},
"name": "Simple-PDF.pdf",
"type": "sign-request",
"status": "converting",
"sign_files": {
"files": [
{
"id": "1381301154812",
"type": "file",
}
],
"is_ready_for_download": true
},
"template_id": null
}
```
```yaml Python Gen SDK theme={null}
Simple sign request with prep: xyz-abc-123
Status: converting
Signers: signer@example.com
Prepare url: https://app.box.com/sign/document/xyz-abc-123/.../prepare_doc/
```
Notice in the above script that, if a prepare document URL was generated by the
signature request, then the app opens a browser for it. The requester can
then apply the different signature properties, for example:
Once the document is prepared, the requester can send the signature request to
the signer.
Back in the Box app you can see the status `In Progress`.
The signer then receives an email from Box with a link to the signature
request.
When the process is completed, both a signature log containing metadata and
the signed document are stored in the destination folder.
[sign-templates]: /sign/technical-use-cases/sign-template
[sign-structured-docs]: /sign/technical-use-cases/sign-structured-docs