Verify signatures

If you're required to approve a form that another user has filled out and signed, you'll want to verify the signature so you can be sure of the signer's identity.

The verification process involves re-creating parts of the digital signature using current data and comparing the results with the original signature. If they match, the signature is valid. This means that the person identified in the verification dialog box is the person who signed the form, and the signed data has not changed.

If verification of a digital signature fails, you'll see a message indicating this. Verification fails if the originally signed data or the digital signature has been changed or tampered with. If a form author adds a cell to a form after the form has been signed, the signature will remain in the verified state as long as the data in the cells does not change.

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To verify a signature

  1. With the form open in the browser window, click the signed field or click Status Unknown. The Signature Verification dialog box appears.

    The authenticity of the digital signature is checked and a valid signature or invalid signature message, name of the person who signed the form, and the date and time it was signed are displayed.

    Choose one of the following buttons from the Signature Verification dialog box:

    The Status Valid or Status Invalid icon appears in the signature cell. If the contents of a cell that the signature is signing has changed, the Status Invalid message icon appears in the Signature cell.