A signature request specifies whose signature is required for a task. Adding a request does not save a drawn signature or mark the task as completed. Marking the task as completed requires all active requests to be signed and all other task requirements to be met.
Choose task-specific or task template requests
A task can use shared signature requests from its task template or requests added directly to the task. If the selected task template has active requests, the task uses those first. You cannot add task-specific requests alongside them or remove inherited requests from an individual task's signature list.
If the task template has no active requests, you can add task-specific requests. These apply to that task and do not change the task template or the requirements of other tasks. Maintaining a shared template is covered in Creating and editing a task template.
Choose the signer
- Spotilla User in the browser or Spotilla user on mobile: select the person from the user list. The request is linked to their user account. Simply entering a name in the external person's field does not link the request to a user account. The same user account can appear as an active signer only once on the same task.
- External User in the browser or External signer on mobile: enter the person's name. This type of request does not require the signer to have a Spotilla user account. A name is required.
Before saving, make sure you selected the correct person and user type. Signing is a separate step; see Signing a task and finding pending signatures.
Add a request in the browser
Managing requests for a saved task requires permission to edit or manage the task. An individual permission, such as permission to add comments or time entries, does not by itself grant permission to manage signature requests. Adding and removing requests are unavailable when the task is In review, Completed or On hold.
- Open the task's edit form from the task list and select the Signatures tab. For a new task, select Create new task in the task list and open the same tab.
- Check whether the requests come from the task template. The new task form displays inherited requests and a note about their origin. When requests are inherited, adding task-specific requests is unavailable.
- Select Add Signature. In the form that opens, select Spotilla User or External User in the User Type field.
- Select an internal person in the Spotilla User field. Their name is filled in automatically in the Signer field. For an external person, enter their name in the Signer field.
- Confirm with the form's Add Signature button. Repeat for other signers as needed.
For a saved task, confirming saves the request immediately. On the new task creation form, the request is first added to the form's list: you must then save the entire task as well. If needed, see Creating a task and a draft.
Add a request on Android or iOS
Open the details of a saved task. If the task has no signature requirements yet, open Add new E-signatures for this item. If requests already exist, open Sign on Android or SIGN on iOS from the task's actions, or VIEW SIGNATURES once all signatures have been completed. These actions open the task's own signature list.
- Select ADD SIGNATURE in the task's signature list.
- Select Spotilla user or External signer in the Select Type field.
- Select an internal person in the Select User field or enter an external person's name in the Signer Name field.
- Select Save Signature on Android or SAVE SIGNATURE on iOS. In this form, the button saves the request, not a drawn signature.
The list opened through pending signatures on the home screen does not offer the option to add a new request. Adding is also hidden in the list for a completed task. Requests inherited from a task template prevent adding in both apps. For a read-only task, the action for adding the first request is disabled. This list on mobile does not include the browser's action for removing a request.
Verify that the request was saved
Reopen the task and its signature list. Check the signer's name, user type and the new request's status, Awaiting Signature. The add form closing is not enough to confirm that the request was saved. If the request is missing, check your selections and any error message before trying again.
The combined list of pending signatures is not a complete list of all saved requests. Whether a task appears there also depends on permissions, the task's status, its due date and whether the work is complete: the due date must be no more than seven days away, the task form sections must be filled in, and the required time entry must exist. You should therefore verify that a new request was saved in the task's own list.
Remove a task-specific request in the browser
Open the saved task's Signatures tab. Select the trash icon on the row you want to remove and confirm the deletion. This action requires the same editing permissions and conditions as adding a request and is not available for inherited requests.
Removing a request also deletes any signature already provided for it and its image. This also applies to a row that already appears as signed. Removing does not clear the drawing or return the request to a pending state. A removed request is no longer part of the task's signature requirements.
If you need to replace an incorrect signer, first check whether they have already signed. Remove the incorrect task-specific request and add the correct person as a new request. Any previous signature will be lost, and the new request will await a new signature. Check the list again after making the change.
Consider the effects of task template changes
Attaching, changing or detaching a task template on a saved task deletes the task's current task-specific requests and all saved signatures and their images. This takes effect when the task's template selection is saved. The new template's active requests then take effect and must be signed again. If the new template has no active requests or the template is detached, add the necessary task-specific requests separately.
Removing a request from a shared task template is a different action. If the request has associated signatures on completed tasks, it is marked inactive and its associated signatures are retained. The request is no longer part of the active requirements for unfinished tasks. If there are no such signatures on completed tasks, the template request and its associated signatures are deleted.
A deleted signature will no longer appear in a newly generated PDF report for the task when signatures are included in the report. Before removing requests or changing the template, check that the change meets the work's approval requirements. After saving, check the requests in use, the signatures provided and, if necessary, a new report.