The Signature field lets respondents sign inside the form, on a phone or a computer, without printing anything. Along with the signature, WiseData Forms records when, from where and over which content it was made, and delivers it all in the response PDF. At ClÃnica Vitta, in Miami, the patient signs the procedure consent form on the front desk tablet before going into the treatment room.
Adding the field
In Forms › (form) › Edit › "Fields" card, choose Signature in New field type (in the "Terms, signature and hidden data" group) and click Add field. Fill in the Question (for example, "Patient signature"), the Help text if you want, and check Answer required when the document is not valid without a signature. Publish for it to take effect.
Place the signature after what the person is signing: on ClÃnica Vitta's form, it comes right below the Terms acceptance field with the procedure terms.
How respondents sign
- Full name of the signer — required along with the signature, 3 to 120 characters.
- Draw — sign with a finger or the mouse inside the box. Clear erases it to start over.
- Type — the name typed above becomes the signature, in cursive. It is there for people who cannot draw: keyboard users, screen readers, a poor mouse.
Without signing, submission stops with "Sign to continue."; without the name, with "Enter the full name of the signer." On an optional field, anyone who starts signing must fill in both.
The signature is never stored before submission: not in partial responses, not in "save and continue later". Someone coming back through the link signs again.
What is recorded
At submission time, the server records, once per signed response:
- the signer's name and the signature image;
- the date and time, with time zone;
- the connection address, the approximate location (city, state and country) and the browser and system used;
- an integrity code calculated over all the signed content: the form and the version answered, the questions (including the full terms text), every answer and the signature itself;
- a timestamp issued by an external authority, which proves the date and time independently of WiseData Forms.
Nobody can edit this record, not even the account Owner. If any answer, the terms text or the image changed, the integrity code would no longer match, and the PDF would show it.
Where to see it
- In the response (Responses tab, click the row): the signature image and "Signed by" with the name.
- In the PDF (Download PDF button on the response): the signature in place of the question, with name, date and time, and the Electronic signature record page with all the data above. The Integrity line says Verified when the stored content matches what was signed. The timestamp line may show Pending right after submission, because it is issued shortly after; download the PDF again later.
The full evidence comes out only in the PDF. That is what you hand over if someone disputes the signature.
What kind of signature it is
It is a simple electronic signature. It does not use a digital certificate: its strength comes from the set of records — who, when, from where, over which content, with proof of integrity and of time. It fits consent forms, authorizations, intake forms and everyday acceptances. When the law requires a certificate-based signature for a type of document, this field does not replace it; if in doubt, check with your legal advisor.
Deleting a signed response
A signed response can go to the trash like any other; the screen asks for confirmation and points out that it is a signed response. When it is removed for good (from the trash, after 30 days, or with Delete permanently), the signature and all its evidence go with it. Download the PDF first if you need to keep it.
Where to go next
- Terms acceptance and proof of consent (Signature, terms and PDF collection) — the text the person accepts before signing.
- Response PDF (Signature, terms and PDF collection) — the document with the record page and your own layout.
- Kiosk mode (Appearance and after submission collection) — signing on the front desk tablet, resetting on its own for the next person.
In short: the Signature field asks for the full name and a drawn or typed signature; on submission it records date and time, approximate location, browser, an integrity code for all the content and a timestamp, with no way to edit them; the full evidence comes out in the response PDF, and it stands as a simple electronic signature, without a digital certificate.