Practical guide

Required or optional: make the signing form match the task

Last materially reviewed 2026-09-21

Quick answerRequire information only when the document process genuinely depends on it.
What to know

Before setup, separate required and optional information

The documented field controls include a required option. That technical setting should follow the purpose of the document. Decide which values are necessary for the intended process and which are helpful context. Marking everything mandatory can make a form harder to complete; making essential values optional can leave an unusable record. Neither choice should be made merely to reduce the number of warnings shown by the software.

What to know

Avoid invented answers

An inappropriate required field can pressure a recipient to enter a placeholder or incorrect value just to continue. Review whether the field applies to every intended recipient and whether the wording explains an acceptable response. If some recipients need a different document path, resolve that deliberately. Do not recommend a universal workaround such as entering zeros, a false date or someone else’s information to satisfy a form.

What to know

Review dependencies without assuming automation

Some information only makes sense after another choice. A checkbox beside explanatory text may be straightforward; a complex branching process may require capabilities not established by the reviewed documentation. Record that distinction rather than pretending a static template supplies conditional logic. If the workflow depends on calculated, conditional or jurisdiction-specific information, confirm the supported mechanism and appropriate advice before attempting to replace it with manually placed fields.

What to know

Test meaningful blanks and verify the result

A useful sample includes a field that should remain blank and a field that must be completed. Verify the intended behavior without using real agreement data. Check readability as well as validation: the recipient should understand why a response is requested. Save the reviewed template version and the result, not just a screenshot of a completed form. The preflight guide brings required fields together with recipient roles and the final output check.

Continue when useful

Next: Assign every signing field to the right person

Map fields to participant roles before you place them on the document.

Open Assign every signing field to the right person →

Sources used for this page

These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.

  1. Available fields and recipient assignment — Merchant documentation · help.signaturely.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-21
  2. Create a reusable template — Merchant documentation · help.signaturely.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-21