The zones editor: placing fields on a document

The zones editor is the heart of Shyfter's new document system. It lets you start from a file (Word, PDF, and so on) and visually place fields at the exact spot where they should appear: the team member's name, the date, a checkbox, and above all the signature zone. When the document is generated, Shyfter automatically pre-fills what it can and presents the signatory with the fields they need to complete. It is the same principle as a modern electronic signature tool, built into Shyfter.

When to use the zones editor

The zones editor is enabled on a contract template, a document template, or directly on a one-off contract/document, as soon as you start from a loaded file (and not from an HTML text template). After loading the file, check Use the zones editor (visual placement of fields on the document), save, then open the zones editor to place your fields.

Templates in text (HTML) format are not compatible with the zones editor: it works on a loaded file, of which Shyfter generates a page-by-page preview.

Placing a field

The editor shows your document page by page, with a Fields palette on the left. To place a field, click it or drag it onto the page at the desired spot. You can then freely move and resize it. The palette offers ready-to-use fields:

• Signature: the zone where the signatory applies their signature.
• Last name - First name, Email, Job title, Date of birth, Address + Number, City + Postal code, Country: fields linked to the team member's data, pre-filled automatically.
• Date: the document's date.
• Custom field: a field that you link yourself to a variable of your choice.
• Free text: a text zone to fill in manually.

The available field types

Beyond the palette shortcuts, a field can be one of the following types: Text, Date, Name, Job title, Salary, Email, Company, Title, Checkbox, Signature, Initials and Free text. The Signature and Initials zones are "image" zones: they are drawn by the person at the moment of signing.

Configuring a zone (properties)

Select a zone on the page to open its Properties panel, on the right. Depending on the type, you set the following there:

• Field type: the type of the zone.
• To be filled in by: who fills in the field. Two main roles: Signatory (the team member completes it at the moment of signing) or Administrator (an administrator fills in the field before sending). A third case, System, corresponds to fields that are pre-filled automatically.
• Linked variable: the data that pre-fills the field automatically at generation (for example the name, email, job title, salary, and so on). The variables are grouped by category: account, department, team member data, custom fields, document. A field linked to a variable displays the note "Pre-filled automatically with the linked variable" and becomes a System field.
• Default value: a value proposed by default if no data is available.
• Alignment: Left, Centre or Right.
• Font size and text font.
• Required: the field must be completed to finalise the signature.
• For a signature zone, the Show the name underneath option adds the name below the signature.

Saving

Once your zones are placed and configured, click Save the zones. A message confirms the save. You can reopen the editor at any time via Edit the zones to adjust the placement or the properties.

What happens at generation

At the moment the document is generated and then signed, each zone plays its role: System fields are filled in automatically with the team member's data, Administrator fields are completed by you before sending, and Signatory fields (including the signature) are presented to the team member, who completes them from their app. The final document brings it all together, exactly where you placed the zones.