Advanced form creation

If you're familiar with creating custom forms to send with Sertifi, and have experience creating custom data fields, use the following walk-throughs to build on the intermediate form creation walk-throughs. It's important to note that both walk-throughs include details of how to prepare forms in a PDF editor. If you don't have access to a PDF editor, you must prepare your forms in Word.

These walk-throughs assume you have a complete understanding of the Sertifi Data Fields.

This page contains the following sections:

Reference

If you're familiar with the process of adding data fields to signature and authorization forms, but want to create more fields from scratch, or specify the look and feel of fields, refer to Advanced data field parameters. You can add these parameters to the existing Sertifi data fields to specify things like radio button choices, height and width of fields, and the order of signers.

Data Fields Best Practices

When you use Sertifi Data Fields, Sertifi recommends the following best practices to quickly and easily create your forms:

  • Start with your form in a Word document. It's quicker and easier to format the document to your needs in Word, than it is in a PDF viewer.
  • Start with the original document, if you can. If you have a scanned document, try to locate the original for easier formatting.
    • Use the Enhance Scans functionality to try to align the document and remove any blurriness.
  • Use a PDF editor to create your fields and prepare the document, rather than using parameters with your data fields.
  • Enter data fields directly into textboxes in your documents. Don't enter data fields as the field name.

Signature form walk-through

You can add Sertifi Data Fields into your signature form as fillable fields in a PDF editor. This walk through guides you through aligning and formatting your fields, and adding multiple signers to your form.

The following data fields are the most common fields added to signature documents:

  • Signature field - SertifiSStamp_1. Note that you can only use this signature field once in a document. To add additional signers use SertifiSignature_2.
  • Title field - SertifiTitle_1
  • Initial field - SertifiInitial_1
  • Date field - SertifiDate_1
  1. Open your signature form in your PDF editor and locate where your first signer fields are. You can also add a fillable field where you want the first signer fields to appear.
  2. Rename the fillable field by copying and pasting the above data field names into the Name of the fillable field you placed on your PDF.
  1. Align and match size of your fields to ensure tabbing functionality works properly.
    1. Select multiple fields on your form by pressing Shift and then clicking each field you want to align.
    2. Select the alignment you want - whether vertical or horizontal.
    3. Select multiple fields by pressing Shift and then clicking each field you want to match size.
    4. Select the size match you want for the fields.
  2. (Optional) Create radio buttons.
    1. Click Prepare Form.
    2. Click the radio button icon.
    3. Place the radio button where you want the option to appear.
    4. Enter a name for Choice.
    5. Enter a name for Group Name. You should continue to use the same Group Name for each choice you create in your radio button list.
  3. Format your fields.
    1. Click All Properties.
    2. Click Appearance to change the font size, color, and font style.
    3. Click Options to change the alignment and add a character limit to the field.
  4. (Optional) Add an image or company logo to the document.
    1. Click Edit PDF.
    2. Click Add Image from the ribbon.
    3. Select an image from your local machine.
    4. Click where you want the image to appear on the form.
  1. Add additional signers if you have more than one signer for your document.
    1. Copy the data field you want to use for the second signer from the above list.
    2. Add a textbox to the PDF where you want the second signer fields to appear.
    3. Paste the data field from step one into the textbox.
    4. Add _2 to the end of the data field for the second signer, for example SertifiSignature_2.
    5. Repeat this process until all second level signer fields are added.
    6. Repeat the process for a third level signer by replacing _2 with _3 to the end of all the data fields required for your third level signer.
    7. Change the font color of the fields you just added to white.
  1. Save your PDF and then upload it to the Sertifi Document Library.

Authorization form walk-through

This walk through guides you adding a payment collection button, signature field, and a radio button list to your authorization form.

As a best practice, Sertifi recommends removing the following fields from your authorization form in Word, because this information is collected with the authorization data field:

  • Credit card type
  • Credit card number
  • Credit card expiration date
  • Credit card security code
  • Reference to a fax number
  • Billing address, including street, city, state, and zip.
  • Any language asking for a scan of a credit card. This goes against PCI compliance.

After you remove the above preexisting fields from your authorization form and you saved your form as a PDF, perform the following:

  1. Open your authorization form PDF in your PDF editor.
  2. Add a text box and then enter [[SertifiPaymentAuthAddress_1]] into the textbox to add the payment data field.
  3. Find the location on the form where you want the signer to place their signature.
  4. Add a text box and then enter [[SertifiSStamp_1]].
  5. Change the color of the font to white for both of the data fields you just entered. This ensures the fields don't appear on the finalized document.
  6. Click Prepare Form to add any remaining fields. When you click Prepare Form, the PDF editor places fields where it identifies fields should be. Make any adjustments here as necessary.
  7. Align and match size of your fields to ensure tabbing functionality works properly.
    1. Select multiple fields on your form by pressing Shift and then clicking each field you want to align.
    2. Select the alignment you want - whether vertical or horizontal.
    3. Select multiple fields by pressing Shift and then clicking each field you want to match size.
    4. Select the size match you want for the fields.
  8. (Optional) Create radio buttons for any selections you want the signer to make on the form. Note that only one option can be selected by the signer when using radio buttons.
    1. Click the radio button icon.
    2. Place the radio button where you want the option to appear.
    3. Enter a name for Choice.
    4. Enter a name for Group Name. You should continue to use the same Group Name for each choice you create in your radio button list.
    5. (Optional) Right-click the radio button field, and then select Properties...
    6. (Optional) Select Required in the Common Properties box.
    7. Click Close.
  9. (Optional) Create check boxes for any selections you want the signer to make on the form. Note that while you can make check boxes required doing so automatically selects all check boxes and your signer can't make updates. If you don't make the checklist required, your signers can select more than one option. To circumvent this, add text to your PDF like This form is not valid unless a selection is made.
    1. Click the check box icon.
    2. Place the check box where you want the option to appear.
    3. Enter a name for the field name.
    4. Repeat this process until all your check boxes are added.
  10. (Optional) Create a dropdown menu for your signers to select from a predetermined list.
    1. Click the dropdown button from the ribbon.
    2. Click All Properties.
    3. Enter a Name from the dropdown.
    4. Click the Options tab.
    5. Enter a space in the Item textbox and then click Add. This creates a blank field for the dropdown to default to.
    6. Enter the rest of the options in the Item textbox, and click Add after each option.
    7. Click Close.
  11. Format your fields to match the text on your document.
    1. Click All Properties.
    2. Click Appearance to change the font size, color, and font style.
    3. Click Options to change the alignment and add a character limit to the field.
  12. (Optional) Add an image or company logo to the document.
    1. Click Edit PDF.
    2. Click Add Image from the ribbon.
    3. Select an image from your local machine.
    4. Click where you want the image to appear on the form.
  13. Save your PDF, and then upload it to your Sertifi Document Library.