Field visibility
Field visibility controls whether one signer can see the information entered into a field by another signer.
It is useful when a signing request has multiple signers and some information should be visible to certain signers while other information should remain hidden.
Field visibility affects only what other signers can see. It does not change who is responsible for completing the field.
Why control field visibility?
Consider a document that requires two people to sign. Signer 1 may enter information that Signer 2 should be able to see, or information that should remain hidden from Signer 2.
For example, you can configure the request so that:
- Signer 1 can see what Signer 2 entered.
- Signer 1 cannot see what Signer 2 entered.
- Signer 2 can see what Signer 1 entered.
- Signer 2 cannot see what Signer 1 entered.
This gives you control over what information is shared between signers during the signing process.
Configure field visibility
Field visibility is not set at template level. It is configured per signing request when the document is being sent for signatures.
In the signing request's Preferences, use the Field Visible setting to determine whether field values can be seen by other signers. When on, every signer can see all fields and filled information; when off, no signer will see information filled in by others.
The visibility setting applies to the information entered into the fields of that signing request. It does not change any field's assigned signer or who is responsible for completing it.
A simple example
Imagine a two-signer agreement:
Signer 1: Customer
- Enters their contact information.
- Signs the agreement.
Signer 2: Company Representative
- Enters an internal reference number.
- Signs the agreement.
You can configure the reference number field so that Signer 1 cannot see what Signer 2 entered, while allowing Signer 2 to see the information entered by Signer 1.
This can be configured independently for other fields in the same document.
Field assignment vs. visibility
These two settings serve different purposes:
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Field assignment | Determines who completes the field. |
| Field visibility | Determines which other signers can see what was entered. |
For example, a field can be assigned to Signer 1 while being visible to Signer 2. Signer 1 completes the field, but both signers can see the value.
When to configure visibility
Configure field visibility while creating the signing request, before sending it to the signers.
Review the visibility setting whenever a signing request has multiple signers and some information entered by one signer should or should not be visible to another.
See Send for Signature and Add Signers.