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Bulk Send - CSV file formatting

Trying to bulk send and have four fields

Company

Signature

Full Name

Title

No matter what I do, Bulk Send is only expecting two fields: Full Name and Email. Doesn't matter if I have Dropbox create the .csv or if I create it myself. The error is "Expected 2 fields on row 1, found 4"

Do the fields have to be tagged in a particular way?

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Accepted answers

1000songs

While working through this issue, I also asked Customer Support how to deal with signatories whose names don't fit the "firstname, lastname" restriction in Dropbox sign. I was told there is no workaround (see below).

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 8.29.48 PM.png

RESOLVED - once you know how the .csv files need to be formatted AND the roles that need to be assigned, there is a very simple (but not documented) workaround.

1. Here is how the template needs to be formatted (see below). You need a textbox assigned to the SENDER where you would normally just have the "Full Name" field assigned to the recipient.

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 8.34.38 PM.png

2. Then you need your .csv file to look like this (which you CAN automatically generate using the "download .csv template"):

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 9.02.06 PM.png

3. Now your recipient will receive a document with their proper name (see below)!

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 8.54.04 PM.png

It would be fantastic if Dropbox had accurate documentation and sample files. This was SIX Days to get 33 signatures. Would have taken 5 minutes with DocuSign (100 signatory limit instead of 20).

All comments

Walter

Hi there @1000songs - thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Could you try another browser and let us know if you still get the same results?

If you do, I'd appreciate a screenshot too.

Thank!

1000songs

Thanks Walter - how on earth do you upload a screenshot here?

Rich

@1000songs wrote:
how on earth do you upload a screenshot here?

1000songs

I feel like I live in an alternate universe today - I promise I am computer literate. I tried that - it opens up a screen where I manually have to fill in Source, Image Description, Dimensions, and has a checkbox for "constrain properties". Why can't I just drag or choose a file?!

Rich

@1000songs wrote:
Why can't I just drag or choose a file?!

You usually can. This will sound crazy, but can you take a screenshot of what you see and post it here? lol Seriously though, take a screenshot, save it in your Dropbox and create a link to it. Post the link here. I'm curious what that source/description window looks like because you're not the first to mention it, and that's not how it looks for me.

1000songs

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zx5vewwwh2g41dn75qkvu/Screenshot-2024-09-24-at-5.42.20-PM.png?rlkey=rhcazwauy9sb51qzta1b49gd0&st=ogal10jx&dl=0

Walter

Do you get the same results after clearing your browser's cache or on another browser as well @1000songs?

1000songs

Cleared cache. Switched from Chrome to Safari. New MacBook. Up to date everything. Between the obvious flaws in Bulk Send and the clunkiness of even the Community Board, I'm rethinking the $5K a year we spend for Dropbox and the various integrations with SalesForce. I know everyone is trying to help (and it's appreciated), but this is the simple stuff!

Hannah

This is pretty strange, indeed, @1000songs.

If you simply drag the image from your computer into the reply box? That works for me.

1000songs

Thanks all - can we get back to figuring out how my csv fields have to be formatted and which roles need to be assigned? I have 4 fields (Company, Signature, Full Name, Title) and I have all this data - I don't want the recipient to have to do anything but sign.

Unfortunately, whatever I do, Dropbox chokes saying it expects 2 fields and sees 4. The instructions here are clear as mud https://faq.hellosign.com/hc/en-us/articles/360026162552-How-to-send-signature-requests-in-bulk

Screenshot 2024-09-24 at 8.53.50 PM.png

Thank you!!

Walter

Thanks for the screenshot @1000songs

May I ask what Dropbox Sign plan you're on at the moment?

This feature is available to Dropbox Sign users on Standard and Premium plans at the moment - that's why I'm asking.

1000songs

Walter - I am on a Standard Plan. That was the FIRST issue - even though Bulk Send was included in our plan, it wasn't activated. It took FOUR days for someone to turn it on. More importantly, I have resolved the issues on my own through trial and error, as both the FAQ and the Dropbox support have been either lacking or, quite simply, wrong (see below).

1. The main issue is that the instructions for bulk send are awful once you move away from the standard name and email mail merge (which is easy). https://faq.hellosign.com/hc/en-us/articles/360026162552-How-to-send-signature-requests-in-bulk There are no instructions on which fields need to be assigned to which user in the template, and without those details, it's bound to fail.

RESOLVED - here is how the template needs to be formatted (see below). Any fields other than name and signature need to be assigned to the SENDER (in PINK).

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 1.43.30 PM.png

2. The support from Dropbox has been, quite simply, painfully slow and completely incorrect. If the template is formatted correctly (see #1 above), the "download csv template" absolutely, 100% generates the absolutely 100% correct .csv template for the merge data. I was told the exact opposite by Dropbox support (see below)

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 1.40.38 PM.png

RESOLVED - If you format the template with the correct User Roles, Dropbox DOES generate the correct .csv file.

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 1.51.41 PM.png

RESOLVED - here is the document, sent using Bulk Send, with the .csv file generated by the "download .csv template" button and the Company Name, Name of Signatory and Title all generated automatically using the .csv file.

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 2.06.01 PM.png

1000songs

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 8.29.48 PM.png

RESOLVED - once you know how the .csv files need to be formatted AND the roles that need to be assigned, there is a very simple (but not documented) workaround.

1. Here is how the template needs to be formatted (see below). You need a textbox assigned to the SENDER where you would normally just have the "Full Name" field assigned to the recipient.

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 8.34.38 PM.png

2. Then you need your .csv file to look like this (which you CAN automatically generate using the "download .csv template"):

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 9.02.06 PM.png

3. Now your recipient will receive a document with their proper name (see below)!

Screenshot 2024-09-25 at 8.54.04 PM.png

It would be fantastic if Dropbox had accurate documentation and sample files. This was SIX Days to get 33 signatures. Would have taken 5 minutes with DocuSign (100 signatory limit instead of 20).

Walter

First off I would like to thank you for sharing your experience with us, as well as the steps in order to make it work.

That will help out anyone else who runs into the same issue in the future. We really appreciate it and we've also provided your feedback to the team so the information is present on our side.

Thanks again for taking the time to write to us and sharing the solution too.

As for your last reply, you can perhaps post it in our Share an Idea area so that other users can up-vote it too.

Let us know if you have anything else to add @1000songs