Field types reference
Every tile in the field tray, what it collects, who fills it in, and the settings each one offers. Twelve standard types plus your own custom fields.
Twelve field tiles sit in the tray on the Prepare step, ordered from signing marks through auto-filled identity to free input and choice. Every field belongs to exactly one recipient, and its colour tells you which.
The tiles
| Tile | What it collects | Who fills it | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signature | A hand-drawn, typed or uploaded signature image | Signer | Always required. Reads Sign here on the page. Every signer needs at least one. |
| Initial | The signer's initials | Signer | Always required. Reads Initial. Good for per-page acknowledgement. |
| Stamp | An uploaded image, such as a company seal | Signer | Upload only, no drawing or typing. Reads Upload stamp. |
| Name | The recipient's full name | Filled automatically | No Required switch. Uses the name you typed on the recipients step. |
| The recipient's email address | Filled automatically | No Required switch. Matches the address the invitation went to. | |
| Date Signed | The date the signer completes the document | Filled automatically | Pick a Date format, or keep the workspace default. |
| Title | A job title | Auto-filled for account holders, typed by everyone else | Can be made optional. |
| Company name | An organisation name | Auto-filled for account holders, typed by everyone else | Can be made optional. |
| Text | One line of free text | Signer | Set a Placeholder to hint at what you want. |
| Tickbox | A single tick | Signer | Always required. Three sizes: S, M, L. |
| Dropdown | One option from a list you write | Signer | Needs at least one option. Up to 40. |
| Radio | One option from a visible set | Signer | Choose a Stacked or Inline layout. |
Fields that fill themselves
Five tiles carry a sparkle: Name, Email, Date Signed, Title and Company name. Three of them never miss. Name and Email come straight off the recipient row you filled in, Date Signed off the clock at the moment of signing, and the signer finds all three already complete with nothing to change. That is why they have no Required switch.
Title and Company name are the conditional pair. A signer with a Document eSign account and those details on their profile finds them pre-filled. A signer without an account gets an ordinary input and types the answer, which is usually what you want for a contract signed by an outside party.
Signing marks
Signature and Initial open the same capture window, where the signer draws with a finger or mouse, types their name in a script face, or uploads a photo of a wet signature. Whatever they saved last time comes back automatically on their next document.
Stamp shares the mechanics but drops the draw and type tabs, so it is upload only. Use it where a document needs a seal or chop beside a signature rather than in place of one.
All three are placed the same way, and all three can be moved and resized like any other field. Only Signature satisfies the check that stops you sending until every signer has somewhere to sign.
Input and choice fields
Text takes a single line. Give it a Placeholder such as "Enter your reference number" so the signer knows what belongs there, and a Help text entry if you need a longer explanation on hover.
Tickbox is for consent, one statement per box, which is why it cannot be made optional.
Dropdown and Radio both come from the same Options (one per line) box in the field settings, one choice per line, up to 40. Leave that box empty and Continue stops you with a message naming the field. Radio adds a Layout setting: Stacked puts each option on its own line, Inline runs them across.
Text, Date Signed, Dropdown, Name, Email, Title and Company name also expose a Formatting group where you can set the typeface, size, weight and colour, with Reset to default to undo it all.
Custom Fields
Below the standard tiles sits a Custom Fields section for workspaces on the Business plan. It holds field definitions your workspace has saved once and reuses everywhere, so a "Policy number" box carries the same label, type and options on every document. Custom entries also cover Long text, Number and Phone, which have no tile of their own. Workspace admins create them from the + New button in that section header, or manage the whole library from settings. See plans and pricing for what your workspace includes.
If something goes wrong
- A field has no Required switch. It is Signature, Initial, Tickbox, Name, Email or Date Signed. The first three are always required; the last three are filled for the signer.
- Title stayed empty on the signed copy. That signer has no account, or no title on their profile, and left the box blank. Switch Required on next time so they cannot skip it.
- The signer could not read a Dropdown. Options render at the field's size. Widen the field, or move to a Radio with an Inline layout.
- Two signers keep overwriting one box. Each field belongs to one recipient. Place a second field beside the first and reassign it from its coloured chip.
- Custom Fields is missing from the tray. Either the plan does not include it, or the workspace has no active custom fields and you are not an admin.
Frequently asked questions
Which fields fill themselves in?
Name, Email and Date Signed always do, using the details you entered for that recipient and the moment they sign. Title and Company name fill only for signers who have a Document eSign account with those fields on their profile, and behave as normal text boxes for everyone else.
What is the difference between Dropdown and Radio?
Both let the signer pick one option from a list you write. A Dropdown hides the choices until clicked, which suits long lists and tight spaces. A Radio shows every option on the page, stacked or in a line, so the signer reads them all without opening anything.
Can a signer skip a Tickbox?
No. Tickbox has no Required switch, because an unticked box that still lets the document complete tells you nothing. Use one per statement the signer has to agree to. If a box is genuinely optional, use a Dropdown with Yes and No options and switch Required off.
How is Stamp different from Signature?
Stamp only accepts an uploaded image, so there is no draw or type option in the modal the signer sees. It suits a company seal, a chop or a notary mark. Signature offers drawing, typing and uploading, and reuses whatever the signer has saved before.
What are Custom Fields in the tray?
Reusable field definitions your workspace creates once and drags onto any document, keeping the label, type and options consistent. They appear in their own section below the standard tiles, and they include Long text, Number and Phone types that the standard tray does not offer.
Keep going
Place fields on your document
Drag signature, date and text fields onto the pages, assign each one to a recipient, then resize, duplicate or delete it. Every signer needs at least one Signature.
ReadSend your first document for signature
Upload a PDF or Word file, add who signs, drag signature and date fields onto the pages, write the email, and click Send for signature. Four steps, a few minutes.
ReadHow to sign a document you received
Open the link in the email, agree to sign electronically, fill each highlighted field, and click Sign now. No account needed.
ReadDraw, type or upload your signature in Document eSign
The signature window has three ways to make a signature. Draw with a mouse or finger, type your name in one of six scripts, or upload a PNG or JPG of your real signature.
Read