The Visual PDF Mapper enables you to easily map lead fields to an e-signature document by dragging lead fields to the appropriate PDF fields.
This article is the first in a series of three articles where we discuss the steps for creating a new e-signature document in the CRM and mapping it to the lead.
The articles cover the following topics:
- Preparing the PDF file for e-signature
- Creating the e-signature document
- Mapping the PDF to lead fields
In this article, we'll show you how to prepare the PDF file for e-signature.
Preparing the PDF File for E-Signature
To prepare the PDF file for e-signature you will need to add signature fields to the PDF form.
Note that you will need to have Adobe Acrobat (or other similar PDF editing tool) installed to be able to edit the PDF form fields.
Optionally, you can also add the following fields to your PDF:
- Required fields (must be filled in before submitting the application)
- Read-only fields (signers cannot edit, but the fields still populate with lead data)
- Attachment fields (used to upload additional files with the e-signature document)
- Reserved fields (assigned to individual signers so that only they can edit them)
- Calculated fields (used to display calculated values on the PDF based on calculation formulas)
Editing the PDF Form
To edit a PDF form in Adobe Acrobat, open the file and click Tools > Prepare Form:
The PDF form fields are now shown and you can add, edit, and delete fields.
Note that you may only add text boxes and checkboxes—other types of fields such as radio buttons and dropdowns are not supported:
To edit the field's properties simply double-click on it and the field's Properties window will show up as shown in the below example:
Adding Signature Fields
The signature fields are normal text fields that have been named with a special naming convention that is prescribed by Adobe.
Adobe E-Sign recognizes the signature fields as special fields and attaches a special functionality to each type of signature field.
For example, if a text field is set as a signature field then clicking on the field brings up a popup window that allows the user to type their signature:
There are many types of signer fields in Adobe, but the most commonly used ones are the signature, email, date, and initials fields.
Here is how to name the four common types of fields in Adobe for the 1st signer (in bold):
- Signature field: signer1_es_:signer1:signature
- Email field: signer1_es_:signer1:email
- Date field: signer1_es_:signer1:date
- Initials field: signer1_es_:signer1:initials
If the document requires signatures from two signers, the you can name the signature fields for the 2nd signer using the examples below (in bold):
- Signature field: signer2_es_:signer2:signature
- Email field: signer2_es_:signer2:email
- Date field: signer2_es_:signer2:date
- Initials field: signer2_es_:signer2:initials
You can similarly add signature fields for any number of signers by simply changing the numbers in the field names (for example signer3_es_:signer3:signature, signer4_es_:signer4:signature, etc.).
At a minimum, you will need to add one signature field and one email field for each signer.
Here is an example of the signature, email, and date fields that have been set up for two signers:
If the document needs to be signed in multiple places, then you can simply copy the fields over as many times as needed:
If you require the signer to add their initials to the document simply add the initials field in the appropriate location:
Some signatures such as personal guarantee signatures may be optional.
To make a signature field optional, simply name it 'signer1_es_:signer1:optsignature' (note the 'opt' part).
Here is an example of two signature fields that are set as optional fields:
Note: If you do not add any signature fields to your PDF document then an error message will be shown when you attempt to generate the e-signature document.
For a complete list of supported signature fields please see the Adobe Sign Text Tag Guide
Setting Up Required and Read-Only Fields
To set a field as a required or read-only field, double-click on the field to open its properties, and select the Read Only or the Required checkbox:
Fields marked as read-only will be populated with the information from the lead, but the signers will not be able to edit the information.
Fields marked as required will need to be filled in by the signer. The signer will not be able to submit the e-signature document until all required fields in the document have been filled in.
Note that you can also update multiple fields all at once. To select all form fields in an area of the page, drag a selection marquee around the area:
Once the fields are selected, right-click on any field within the selection to open the Properties window:
Any changes that you make in the Properties window now will automatically apply to all of the selected fields.
Adding Attachment Fields
By renaming fields in a special way you can enable signers to upload supporting documents such as driver's licenses or bank statements along with their agreement.
For more information please see our article on Enabling Attachment Uploads In E-Signature Apps
Adding Calculated Fields
The Calculated fields allow you to dynamically calculate new values based on the signer's inputs and show the new information in the document.
For more information please see Adobe's guide on calculated fields.
Adding Reserved Fields
Any field on the PDF form can be reserved for a specific signer by adding the appropriate signer suffix to the field name.
For example, to reserve the home_address field for the second signer, add the "_es_:signer2" suffix to that field, so that the final name of the field will be home_address_es_:signer2.
When the e-signature document is generated and sent to the first signer, the signer will not be able to edit the home_address_es_:signer2 field which will appear as a read-only field to them.
However after the first signer signs the document, the system will send the document to the second signer who will then be able to edit the field normally.
You can reserve fields for other signers in a similar way by adding suffixes to fields such as _es_:signer3, _es_:signer4, etc.
Next article: Creating the e-signature document