Place signature fields on a document
A contract has a line for each party's signature on the last page and a box for their initials on every page. Without placed fields the signed document carries its proof at the end of the file and shows nothing on the page. With them, each signer's name, initials and date appear where the document asks for them.
Place fields
- Open Signing requests and choose New signing request.
- Fill in the document and add the signers.
- Switch on Place fields on the document. The first page of the document appears.
- Pick a signer and a field, go to the right page, and click where the field goes.
- Drag a field to move it. With the keyboard: select it, move it with the arrow keys, change its size with Shift and an arrow key, and remove it with Delete.
- Choose Create Signing Request.
Removing a signer row also removes that signer's fields.
What each field shows
| Field | Shows |
|---|---|
| Signature | The signer's name |
| Initials | The first letter of each word of the name |
| Date | The date the document was signed |
| Name | The signer's name |
| Checkbox | A cross |
The name is the one on the signer's record: the display name, or else the e-mail address, or else the user id.
Why a moved field is caught
Filinq draws the fields into the pages first and only then computes the signature's check value over the whole document. The fields sit inside what the signature protects. Move a field or change its text afterwards and verifying the document reports it as tampered. The list of placements is part of the signed record too.
A request without placed fields produces exactly the signed document it did before.
When a request is refused
Filinq checks the fields when the request is created, so a request never reaches the signing step with a field it cannot draw. It answers with an error when:
- a field is on a page the document does not have;
- a field names a signer the request does not have;
- the document cannot be read as a PDF;
- the request goes through LibreSign. LibreSign places its own fields in its own screens, and its request call has no way to pass them on. Send the request without fields, or sign it in filinq.