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Tags

Tags are text markers you add to documents before uploading to Signable. The platform detects these markers and converts them to interactive signature fields at the specified locations.

Tag syntax

Tags follow this format:

{WHAT:WHO:NAME}

The tag structure contains three colon-separated components:

  • WHAT– Specifies the field type: signature, text, date, check, or upload
  • WHO – Identifies the party: signer1, signer2, signer3
  • NAME – Sets the field label displayed to the signer

Syntax requirements

Follow these rules when writing tags:

  • Enclose tags in curly braces {}
  • Use lowercase for field types and party identifiers
  • Replace spaces with plus signs + in field names
  • Keep the entire tag on a single line
  • Use only alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9)

Valid example:

{signature:signer1:Please+Sign+Here}

Invalid examples:

{Signature:Signer1:Please+Sign+Here}  // Uppercase not allowed
{text:signer1:Name
}                                      // Tag split across lines
{text:signer1:My/Name}                // Special characters not allowed

Reduce font size if a tag breaks across lines in your document editor. Tags must remain on a single line to function correctly.

Field types

Signature

Creates a signature field where the party draws or types their signature.

{signature:signer1:Employee+Signature}

Text

Creates a text input field for freeform text entry.

{text:signer1:Full+Name}

Date

Creates a date field that auto-populates with the current date when the party signs.

{date:signer1:Signature+Date}

Checkbox

Creates a checkbox field for yes/no selections.

{check:signer1:I+Agree}

File upload

Creates a file upload field where the party can attach documents.

{upload:signer1:Upload+ID}

Make fields optional

Add a question mark ? after the field type to make the field optional:

{text?:signer1:Middle+Name}
{check?:signer2:Optional+Consent}

Optional fields appear in the envelope but parties can complete signing without filling them.

Assign fields to parties

Assign fields to different parties by incrementing the signer number:

{signature:signer1:Employee+Signature}
{date:signer1:Employee+Date}
{signature:signer2:Manager+Signature}
{date:signer2:Manager+Date}
{signature:signer3:Witness+Signature}

The signer number corresponds to the party order in your API request. Signer1 receives fields tagged with signer1, signer2 receives fields tagged with signer2, and so on.

Adjust field dimensions

Change font size

Increase the tag's font size in your document editor before uploading. Larger font sizes create proportionally larger fields.

Add padding with plus signs

Add plus signs to the start and end of the tag to increase width:

{++text:signer1:Name++}        // Slightly wider
{++++text:signer1:Name++++}    // Much wider

This method increases width only. Height remains unchanged.

Set explicit dimensions

Specify exact width and height in PDF units:

{text,w100:signer1:Name}           // Set width to 100 units
{text,h10:signer1:Name}            // Set height to 10 units
{text,w100,h10:signer1:Name}       // Set width to 100 and height to 10

When setting both dimensions, always specify width before height. The default field size is 10 units high by 100 units wide.

Explicit dimensions work reliably for text and signature fields only. Other field types may not render correctly when resized.

Create checkbox groups

Group checkboxes to allow only one selection per group. Append a hyphen and group name to the field type:

{check-payment:signer1:Credit+Card}
{check-payment:signer1:Bank+Transfer}
{check-payment:signer1:Cash}

This creates a group named "payment" where the signer can select only one option. Create multiple groups by using different group names:

{check-delivery:signer1:Standard+Shipping}
{check-delivery:signer1:Express+Shipping}
{check-contact:signer1:Email}
{check-contact:signer1:Phone}

The first group ("delivery") and second group ("contact") operate independently.

Edit fields after upload

After uploading a tagged document, you can modify fields in the Signable web application:

  • Resize fields by dragging their edges
  • Reposition fields anywhere on the page
  • Change field properties and settings
  • Add new fields manually
  • Delete unwanted fields
  • Update field labels and names

These changes apply only to the current envelope and do not modify your original document.

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