Domain Concepts Glossary

This glossary defines the core domain concepts used throughout the Dropbox Sign API. It provides clear definitions, relationships, and disambiguation for all key terms.

How to Use This Glossary

• Developers: Use as a reference when integrating with the Dropbox Sign API.
• AI Agents / LLMs: Use as authoritative context for understanding Dropbox Sign domain terminology, relationships between objects, and valid state transitions.

Concept Categories

Quick Reference: Key Relationships

Subscription
 └── Account(s) (plan determines quotas and features)
Account
 └── Team (hierarchy: Organization → Team → Sub Team)
      └── Team Members (Accounts)
API App
 └── Client ID (used for OAuth & Embedded flows)
Signature Request
 ├── Document(s)
 ├── Signer(s) — do not need a pre-existing paid Account
 │    └── Form Field(s) assigned to signer
 ├── CC Recipient(s)
 └── Metadata
Template
 ├── Document(s) with pre-placed fields
 ├── Signer Role(s)
 ├── CC Role(s)
 └── Merge Field(s)
Signature Request created from Template
 ├── Signer Role → mapped to actual Signer
 ├── CC Role → mapped to actual CC Recipient
 └── Merge Field → filled with actual value

Disambiguation Guide

Terminology Clarification

IDs and Authentication Credentials

Note: Customers sometimes say “Document ID” when they mean the signature_request_id used by Signature Request endpoints. Internally, a Document is a file within a Signature Request or Template, so do not treat customer shorthand as proof that they mean an individual file object.

Fields Terminology

Note: Merge Fields are placeholders defined in Templates. Custom Fields provide the actual values for those placeholders at send time. Despite being different concepts, merge field values are passed via the custom_fields API parameter.

Team Structure

The team hierarchy has a maximum depth of 3 levels: Organization → Team → Sub Team.

Test Mode vs. Production

Test Mode is a per-request flag, not a separate environment. There is no isolated “sandbox” — test and production requests coexist in the same account. Set test_mode: 1 in the request body to create test requests. Remove the parameter (or set to 0) for production requests.