Advanced data field parameters

If you're an advanced user of the Sertifi Data Fields, you can use additional field parameters to create text boxes, check boxes, or radio buttons to add to your documents. You can also add the parameters to specify the field size, appearance, and options for each data field.

This page contains the following sections:

Field creation format

The base format for the field creation appears like the following [[SFLD:FieldName:parameter1=value,parameter2=value]] where:

  • SFLD is the required prefix of the data field.
  • : is the separator between the prefix and the field name.
  • FieldName is the name you want to give the data field.
  • Parameter is optional, and updated with the available values for the data field type as seen in the following parameter table.
  • , is the separator between each parameter.
  • [[ ]] opens and closes each data field.

Available parameters

Use the following table to add the appropriate parameters to your data fields. In the example of parameter1=value, you would replace parameter1 with the property value, and then replace value with one of the available values: T=C.

Property Value Description Available Values
T Field Type

Choose from the following values:

  • T for a textbox.
  • C for a checkbox.
  • R for a radio button.

The default value for this property is T. For example, T=T
O Option name for checkboxes Use Yes or True to automatically check the box. If you use any other value here, the box remains unchecked until a signer selects it during signing. For example, O=Yes
O Option name for radio buttons Use any value for this property, depending on what you want the individual radio button option to appear as. For example, O=Male.
E Export value for checkboxes Use any value for this property depending on what you want the individual checkbox to export as. For example, E=Pay Later.
H The height of the data field Use any whole number values greater than 0. The height of the field is always in pixels. For example, H=12.
W The width of the data field Use any whole number values greater than 0. The width of the field is always in pixels. For example, W=10.
M The maximum number of characters for a field. Use any whole numbers greater than 0. For example, if you want to limit a signer to only entering 10 characters for a textbox field, enter M=10.
Mi The minimum number of characters for a field. Use any whole numbers great than 0. For example, if you want to ensure that a signer enters at least four digits for an expiration date, enter Mi=4.
R Determines if a field is required or not. Use Yes or True to make a field required. For example, R=Yes.
S Determines if a field is secure or not. Use Yes or True to make a field secure. If you make a field secure, whatever information is entered into the field gets masked on a signed document. For example, S=True.
SL The level of the signer. Use whole numbers 1 - 10 to select a signer level. For example, SL=2 for a second level signer.
SO The order of the signers. Use whole number 1 -16 to determine the signer order. For example, SO=3 .
ML Wraps text added to text fields. Use True to wrap text added to text fields by a signer on multiple lines. For example, ML=True.
RS Automatically applies a field name to a field. Use True to create unique field names for all fields. For example, RS=True.
VD Date format validation.

Enter the date format you want a signer to use in a text field. You can choose from:

  • MM/DD/YYYY
  • MM/DD/YY
  • M/D/YYYY
  • M/D/YY
  • YYYY-MM-DD
  • YY-MM-DD
  • YYYY-M-D
  • YY-M-D
v Creates a field validation.

Enter the following values to collect information. You can choose from:

  • Z - Zip code or Zip Code +4
  • P - phone number
  • S - Social Security number
  • St - State with two letter abbreviation

Textbox data fields

  • A standard textbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName]]
  • A textbox with a 10 character limit
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:M=10]]
  • A textbox with a custom size
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:W=100,H=15]]
  • A required textbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:W=300,H=15,R=True]]
  • A second Signer textbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:SL=2,W=100,H=15]]
  • A 2nd First Signer textbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:SL=1,SO=2,W=100,H=15]]

Textbox best practices

Use the following best practices when adding Textbox fields to your documents:

  • Use size parameters. The standard textbox field without specified size parameters is very small.
  • Use descriptive names for your fields. The field name is used in the document database output and can be difficult to recognize without a descriptive or unique name.
  • Use small font to enter textbox fields, as small as 1 pt, to help maintain document formatting. This doesn't affect the size of the field itself when sent to the signer.
  • Use white font for fields so they don't appear when the document is used outside of Sertifi.

Checkbox data fields

The following list shows the correct formatting for some of the most common checkbox fields:

  • A pre-checked standard checkbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:T=C]]
  • A filled-in checkbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:T=C,O=yes]]
  • A null checkbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:T=C,O=no]]
  • A required checkbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:T=C,O=no,R=yes]]
  • A custom output checkbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:T=C,O=No,E=True]]
  • A custom size checkbox
    • [[SFLD:FieldName:T=C,O=Credit Card,W=9,H=9]]

Checkbox best practices

Use the following best practices when adding checkbox fields to your documents:

  • Remember that the standard checkbox without O= appears as selected.
  • Remember that if you set the O= parameter to anything other than Yes or True, it appears empty.
  • Use descriptive names for your export value. The export value is used in the document database output and can be difficult to recognize without a descriptive or unique name.
  • Use size parameters of W=9,H=9 to hide the box outline on the signing page.
  • Use small font to enter checkbox fields, as small as 1 pt, to help maintain document formatting. This doesn't affect the size of the field itself when sent to the signer.
  • Use white font for fields so they don't appear when the document is used outside of Sertifi.

Radio button data fields

The following list shows the correct formatting for some of the most common radio fields:

  • Default Radio Buttons - fields must share the same name to enable the selection of only one radio button in a group. In the following example, the field is named Test.
    • Option 1 [[SFLD:Test:T=R,O=Opt1]]
    • Option 2 [[SFLD:Test:T=R,O=Opt2]]
    • Option 3 [[SFLD:Test:T=R,O=Opt3]]
  • Required Selection Radio Button
    • Male [[SFLD:Gender:T=R,R=Yes,O=M]]
    • Female[[SFLD:Gender:T=R,R=Yes,O=F]]
  • Custom Size Radio Button
    • Male [[SFLD:Gender:T=R,R=Yes,O=M,W=9,H=9]]
    • Female[[SFLD:Gender:T=R,R=Yes,O=F,W=9,H=9]]

Radio button best practices

Use the following best practices when adding radio button fields to your documents:

  • Remember that the option value appears as the field value in the document database when the button gets selected.
  • Use size parameters of W=9,H=9 to hide the button outline on the signing page.
  • Use small font to enter radio button fields, as small as 1 pt, to help maintain document formatting. This doesn't affect the size of the field itself when sent to the signer.
  • Use white font for fields so they don't appear when the document is used outside of Sertifi.