About digital signatures

Approval is often a necessary step in the processing of a form. With an electronic form, you can use digital signatures to sign forms electronically and check the validity of signatures already on the form.

A digital signature is like a number that's derived from information about the person signing and the data being signed. This number can reliably identify the signer and detect any changes in the signed data. The form author draws one or more signature fields on the form. Each signature field can sign an entire form or only certain parts of a form. For example, a form that has two sections that are often filled out by two different people could have two signature fields. Each signature field would sign only the fields in its respective section. You could have a third signature field that signs the entire form, including the other signatures. The form author specifies which fields are signed by the signature fields.

You cannot sign a form until all the cells that the signature signs are error-free. For example, if you did not enter a value in a required field, you cannot sign the form until you've entered a value. After you have signed a form, the signed fields are locked to prevent changes to the signed information. You cannot change the values in the signed fields. If you want to change the information on the signed part of the form, you can delete your signature. This unlocks the fields so you can edit them.

Like any field, a signature field has a tab position. The tab position determines where the field appears in the tabbing order. You can select a signature field like any other field: by tabbing to the field or by clicking the field with the mouse.



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