Create and Send Templates Overview
Templates are reusable forms used to quickly send contracts or agreements that you use often. The form typically stays the same, and the only things changing are the data collected and the signatures.
Any fields placed or recipient information/roles added are saved on the form. Once your template is created, it can be reused.
Click here to learn the difference between a Document, an Envelope, and a Template.
Jump to a Reusable Templates Topic
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Upload a File
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Preparing the Template
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Add Recipients
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Add a Party
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Adding Placeholder Recipient Details
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Add Fields
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Edit Field Size
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Reassign Field Ownership
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Field Properties
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Manage the Template
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Send Multiple Templates
Upload a File
Log in to the application and click on Upload in the Create a Template section under the Home tab.
Drag and drop a file, or click Upload to select a file from your device or cloud storage. Some popular file types supported by Foxit eSign include doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, csv, rtf, jp, png, txt, and ps.
a. Click Upload to select a file from your device.
b. Choose the required file and click Open to create a Template.
Preparing the Template
The Toolbox is visible to the left. Recipients are added on the right-hand side.
Add Party/Recipients
Question: Should I use a Party or Recipient?
If we have different recipients each time we are using the form, we can create a Party. A Party works as a placeholder. The recipient details of the party are added in the next steps of the sending process, allowing us to have different recipients each time when sending an envelope from a template.
- Party placeholders are used when the recipients are changing each time when sending a document from a template
- The static recipients can be a co-signer, company executive, or team member who needs to sign the document created from this template, or receive a copy once completed by all parties. Static recipients are used when the recipient information does not change.
Click Party/Role to add a Party or add a new static recipient by clicking Others or Me to add yourself. Find a previous recipient in a your Address Book by entering their details in Find and Add Existing Contact. Each recipient is assigned a color (blue and green in the picture). The assigned fields will correspond to the color of the recipient.
Adding a Party or Static Recipient.
- PN1 is using the Employee placeholder (examples of Party names: Student, Legal Guardian, Patient, Client, Manager etc.)
- PN2 is a static party where the recipient details are already added (first name, last name and email address). Often used when we need to have the same co-signer or same recipient on each outgoing document for this template.
The example above is displaying a party placeholder (PN1, Employee) and a static recipient.
Adding Recipient details to a placeholder
In the sending process we can replace the placeholder Employee and Manager with the recipients information. Click Add Me, Add New, or search in your Address Book for a contact using the Exisiting Signer Name/Email field.
The placeholders Employee and Manager in the example below are now replaced with the recipient information and we are ready to send the document for eSignature.
Add Fields
Select the Party or Role and drag and drop the fields from the Toolbox to be filled out.
Fields added are automatically assigned to the selected recipient from the drop-down list.
Field Properties
Tip! đź’ˇ Naming a field makes it easy to find the correct column and its value in the Excel report later.
Learn more about Field Validation and Formats
Add Name, Description, Validation, and Conditional Logic (Optional).
Naming a field is highly recommended as it can guide recipients on what information to fill out for generating the reports with a proper header for each column. Add instructions for a field by entering a Description. Validation determines what kind of characters and formatting the entered values will follow. Set a field as Mandatory, add a Character Limit, set a customized Tab order, and customize the text Color and Font size. Dependent fields can be set using Conditional Logic.
Learn more about Field Validation and Formats
Adjust Field Size
Adjust the length and height of the field by dragging the tip on the bottom right corner of the field tag.
đź’ˇTip!
Select multiple fields by holding down the CTRL key (CMD on Mac) + Clicking on multiple fields. Reassign multiple selected fields to another party by selecting the new party from the drop-down list.
Reassign a field
Reassign a field by selecting it and choosing the new party/recipient from the drop-down list under Field Properties.
Select the new party from the drop-down list under Field Properties. Each field has the assigned recipient’s role or Party Number (PN1, PN2… ).
Manage the Template
Save your template by clicking on Save or Save and Close from the More Actions menu.
Replace with New file can be used if you have made changes to your underlying template document and want to update the PDF without losing your fields, settings, and parties. Previously saved fields will automatically be added to the new PDF.
Download the PDF, Save, Delete, Save as a new Template copy, or set Notification Rules (notify a user of the account when a specific value in the field is added by a recipient).
Send Multiple Templates
- One or more saved templates can be sent for eSignature by simply selecting and clicking the Send button from the Template or Home tab.
- Combine multiple templates by selecting from the list under the Templates Tab and clicking Send.
- Replace the roles or parties with a the details of the recipient that will receive the document.
- Select an Invitation Email Template invitation recipients receive when they have a document to review, from the list and edit the text in the subject or the body if required in the Editor View.
- Click Send to complete the sending process.
Tip! Click here to learn how to share templates with other users.