Use a single form to support flexible recipient flows with accurate signature field mapping.
Template-defined signature placement lets you design one reusable workflow template that supports optional recipient paths.
When enabled:
- Optional recipients can be skipped without breaking form logic.
- The send experience no longer allows in-flow authoring, preserving field accuracy.
This setting strictly enforces signer index positions as defined in the Workflow Designer. If an optional recipient is omitted during sending, fields tied to that recipient are skipped.
Configuration
Availability:
- Acrobat Standard and Acrobat Pro: Not Configurable
- Acrobat Sign Solutions: Supported
- Acrobat Sign for Government: Supported
Configuration scope:
Administrators can enable this feature at the account and group levels.
Access this feature by navigating the administrator's configuration menu to Send Settings > Custom Workflow Controls
All customers using custom workflows are strongly encouraged to enable template-defined signature placement to reduce the number of templates that must be managed.
Understanding the relationship between recipients and fields
Every recipient in an agreement is assigned a "signer index number", which determines which fields they can fill or sign. Each field also has a matching index that links it to a specific signer. For instance, Signer 1 can access all fields labeled for Signer 1.
These index numbers are based on each recipient’s position on the Send page (the first recipient is Index 1, the second is Index 2, and so on). If Recipients must sign in order is turned on, you can easily see these indexes for clarity.
By understanding this relationship, you can ensure each recipient only interacts with the fields meant for them, making the signing process smoother and more organized.
Any field without a signer index is available to any recipient who wants to fill it out (until it’s filled, at which point, it's locked like the other filled fields).
When you create a recipient flow in the Workflow Designer, signer indexes are assigned top to bottom and left to right.
For example, if both the Signer and Co Signer appear at the top:
- The Signer, positioned at the far left, becomes Signer 1.
- The Co Signer, to the right, becomes Signer 2.
They may sign in parallel, but these indexes make sure each recipient only interacts with the fields intended for them (Signer1 fields for the Signer, Signer2 fields for the Co Signer).
The "Sales Rep" signs third, after both the Signer and Co Signer have signed.
The "Exec Approval" is requested fourth, after the Sales Rep counter-signature is completed.
The recipient labels (e.g., "Signer," "Co Signer," "Sales Rep," etc.) don't affect which fields are assigned. They're admin-defined names to help users quickly understand the workflow template.
The above recipient flow will produce a custom Compose page containing a recipient section that looks like the below.
(On the custom Compose page, the stack order is more apparent, though the index numbers are not exposed.)
When authoring a form, each field is assigned to a specific signing index by first selecting a participant and then placing the fields for that participant.
Each participant is color-coded for clarity, making it easy to see which fields belong to whom.
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