Document Routing and Approval Process

[Mark_Ma...@adobeforums.com]

I want to set up a form that can be filled in, sent off and 'approved' using digital signatures by a sequence of managers one after the other. We're going to use Acrobat Approval and the routing slip in Outlook. We also want each manager back up the line to be informed when it's been passed on and whether it's been approved or not.

Can Acrobat Approval utilise any digital signatures set up in the PDF?

Is there a better system that using Outlook's routing slip?

[Ian_B...@adobeforums.com]

I would have a reservation about this process that is born more of not knowing rather than specific experience.

I digitally sign documents that are sent elswhere for processing. To setup my signature I had to do it on a particular PC, then send the public key to the admin person that processes the file contents (project tracking data). The project tracking forms have two fields for signature. I sign one field and supposedly lock the document against modification. The admin person supposedly uses the public key to check my signature and then transfers information before signing the second signature field.

Now my reservation is that supposedly when I sign, the document is locked against modification. So I suppose that to make a second signature the document has to be unlocked. Maybe that is the object of the admin person having the public key to my signature.

So Mark, could this mean that each person up the signature chain needs the public key of the previous signatures to unlock the file so it can be signed, or perhaps only the public key of the previous signature is needed. That's my reservation who needs which keys to unlock what for signature, and moreover how can signature files be made portable or are signature files peculiar to one PC? If a signature belongs to one PC how does someone sign either on the desktop or their portable or their assistant's machine.

I am sure someone knows the answers to all this, until I understand it I am sticking to one signature, one machine, one document only. Even then I am puzzled as to why my green tick at signature turns to a yellow question mark if I reopen my copy of the signed file.
FWIW
Ian