Home → Using LincDoc 3.1+ → Signatures → Setting the Signature Date

17.3. Setting the Signature Date

When a document is signed, you want the date of the signature automatically determined and populated by LincDoc. You can configure your form's signature date field to add the date using the set field value action.

This process is described in the following sections below:

About Signature Date Best Practices

This section describes best practices that should be considered when setting the signature date field and related fields.

Proceed to one of the following sections below for more information:

About Hiding the Signature Field

In almost all circumstances, an end user should never have the ability to manually enter a signature date. Instead, it should be automatically generated immediately after a form is signed. In fact, it is recommended that you completely hide the signature and signature date fields from the Data Entry View. The fields should only appear when your form is viewed in the Document Viewer.

To simply this process, you can place your signature fields in their own section (as shown below).

Once the signature fields are grouped in a section, you can conditionally hide the entire section from the Data Entry View using the Condition to display setting.

For more information on working with sections, see Section Attributes and Options.

About the Signature Field Size

You should also confirm that your signature field is large enough to accommodate all of the information it will contain, especially if you want to add information besides just the signature (such as a printed version of the signer's name). If you do not want to change the signature field size, you can also use the Add data to image settings to place text or images around the form's signature.

About the Overall Signature Date Process

In general, the following steps are necessary to configure your form to automatically add a signature date:

  1. Verify that the signature date field's settings are correctly configured:
    • Clear value when hidden setting
    • Exempt from flattening setting
  2. Configure the signature field.
    1. Make sure the correct signature date field is locked.
    2. Make sure the correct signature date field will be updated when the signature is applied.
    3. Add a set field value action to the Before applying signature event.
  3. Configure the set field value action based on whether or not you want to add a signature date or a signature date and time.
  4. (optional) Add additional text or images around the signature.

Configuring the Signature Date Field's Settings

To ensure that your signature date field displays correctly in the final form, you need to make sure the field is never "flattened" when the final PDF is generated and that the field is not cleared if hidden. 

Flattening removes the visibly editable fields from the final generated PDF. All fields (except for signature fields) are set to be flattened by default. Date fields, including those used for signature dates, must not be flattened, or the action that updates them will fail because the field will essentially be missing. In addition, the actual signature fields are exempted from flattening by default. Otherwise, the first signing action would flatten all of the other signatures, making it impossible to update or apply them at a later time. 

  1. On the Admin dialog box's Fields/Sections tab, click the appropriate signature date field.
    In the following example, the empDD_signdt field has been selected.
  2. In the Field attributes area, click the advanced check box.
  3. Verify that the Clear value when hidden field is cleared (unchecked) as shown below. This setting is located near the bottom of the settings list.
  4. Select Always from the Exempt from flattening setting. 

    Your signature date field is now ready.
  5. Click save the upper left corner of the Admin dialog box.
  6. Proceed to the next section below to configure your signature field.

Configuring the Signature Field

You need to configure the signature field so that the correct signature date fields are used, and you need to specify the action needed to automatically set the signature date. 

  1. On the Fields/Sections tab, click the appropriate signature field.
    In the following example, the empDD_sign field has been selected.
  2. In the Field attributes area, verify that the advanced check box is selected. It should still be selected from the procedure described in Configuring the Signature Date Field's Settings above.
  3. In the Fields to update when signing list, select the appropriate signature date field.
  4. In the Fields to lock list, verify that the signature date field that corresponds to the signature field you are configuring is selected.

    Important: If you have multiple signature fields or signature date fields in your form, you must clear (uncheck) those that do not apply to the signature field you are currently configuring. Failure to do so will cause the non-corresponding fields to be locked by the unrelated signature. 

  5. Click the arrow button that corresponds to the Action and Buttons option.

    The Actions and Buttons dialog box appears.
  6. Click the arrow button that corresponds to the Before applying signature event.
  7. Point to add / action, and click the set field value action.
     
    A set field value action is added below the event listing.
  8. Click the arrow button that corresponds to the new set field value action.
  9. Click edit.
    The set field value dialog box appears.
  10. Proceed to one of the following sections, based on the type of entry you want in your signature date field:

Specifying a Date-only Entry for a Signature

If you only want to have a signature date automatically added to your form (instead of a date and a time), configure the set field date action as shown in the following procedure. 

  1. Select the appropriate signature date field from the first drop-down list.
  2. Click the function button adjacent to the date drop-down list.

    A new drop-down list appears.
  3. Select DateFromDateTime from the new drop-down list. This option verifies that you only want to use the date from the date/time stamp at the time the form is signed.
  4. Click the function button adjacent to the datetime setting.
  5. Select SignDate from the drop-down list that appears.
  6. Click the field button adjacent to the signature setting.
  7. Select the appropriate signature field (the one you are configuring).
  8. Click the function button adjacent to the timezone setting.
  9. Specify the appropriate timezone function from the corresponding drop-down list.
  10. Click save.
    You are returned to the Actions and Buttons dialog box.
  11. Click save.
    You are returned to the Admin dialog box.
  12. Click save.
  13. Proceed to Adding Additional Items Around a Signature below.

Specifying a DateTime Entry for a Signature

If you want to have a signature date and time automatically added to your form (instead of just a date), configure the set field date action as shown in the following procedure.  

Note: Datetime values are only available as of LincDoc version 3.2.

  1. Verify that your signature date field is defined as a datetime field type (not just a date field type).
  2. On the set field value dialog box, select the appropriate signature date field from the first drop-down list.
  3. Click the field button adjacent to the date drop-down list.

    A new drop-down list appears.
  4. Select SignDate from the new drop-down list.

    Important: If you do not see the SignDate option, you need to make sure that your signature date field is defined as a datetime field type as described above.

  5. Click the field button adjacent to the signature setting.
  6. Select the appropriate signature field.
  7. Click save.
    You are returned to the Actions and Buttons dialog box.
  8. Click save.
    You are returned to the Admin dialog box.
  9. Click save.
  10. Proceed to Adding Additional Items Around a Signature below.

Adding Additional Items Around a Signature

You can add additional text or images around a signature (to the left, to the right, above, or below) using the Add data to image options. Using these options is not required when configuring the signature date, but it does provide you with additional customization ability.

Some scenarios where this feature would be useful:

Tip: If you are placing an item to the right of your signature, the signature image may be affected (compressed). If this occurs, and the result is undesirable, it is recommended that you add the additional items to the left of your signature instead.

Using Signature Dates with the LincDoc Mobile App

When setting signature dates with the LincDoc mobile app (on an iPad), since you can clear existing signatures using the delete button (shown below), you may not want to hide the signature field if the form is going to be used in the LincDoc mobile app.

 

If the signature field is hidden, the delete button is not accessible.

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