Launch of ACME: Demo site for the Tractis API

Last week we gave you a preview of the API we’re working on and talked about some of the services that it will offer:

• User authentication via Digital Certificates.
• Automated sending of personalised contracts.

Now we want to talk about some of the things we have ready. However much documentation we write, the best way to understand the capabilities of the API is to see it in action so we’ve decided to create a fictitious company – “ACME” – whose web site (http://acme.tractis.com) will demonstrate everything you can do with the Tractis API.

ACME: Demo of sending personalised contracts to clients

The first example we’ve put on the ACME web site demonstrates the “Contract Management System”. The Tractis API allows you to use this system to automate the creating and sending of totally personalized contracts to your clients. As you’ll see in the demo, with the API you can:

• Personalize the subject and body of the email that the customer will receive
• Personalize the instructions that appear at the top of the contract. This is useful for explaining the steps to follow to the customer (“review the contract and, if you agree with it, press the ‘Sign’ button at the end of it”, ask for additional information, record delivery periods, etc.
• Select the template that will serve as the basis for the contract. You can choose from the example templates or log in and use the templates in your private library.
• Fill in the variables in the template that you’re going to use. Logically this option is only available if the template used includes variables. In this demo, all the contracts sent share the same variables (e.g. Buyer Name = “John Smith”). Of course, with the API, you can personalize the variables in each contract.

Details for “sellers”

Your clients are yours:

1. They don’t have to register with Tractis to sign a contract.
2. They will receive a personalized e-mail with the message sender, subject and body that you decide.
3. They will agree to contracts personalized with your corporate image (logo, colors, instructions).

Details for “techies”

We’re still expanding the API documentation but we can tell you a few things:

• Access: initially the API will be accessible via REST. In the future, we’ll also allow SOAP access.
• Format: The data format is XML. In the current demo, you can see a preview of the XML requests sent to Tractis. Shortly, you’ll be able to see the trace of API requests.

Work on the API continues…what do you need?

In Tractis we firmly believe that the business potential of the internet goes beyond promotion and communication. Now you can negotiate and sign contracts 100% online and with the necessary legal guarantees. The technology and legislation are available right now.

If you believe that your company could take advantage of these types of services, don’t hesitate – get in contact with us. We’ll be thrilled to hear your ideas for using the Internet and digital signatures to speed up and increase your business.

By Ernesto Jiménez
Saved in: Announcements, Programming, Tractis | No comments » | 5 November 2007