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Creating Templates Using Tags

End User , Box Sign , Article , New , Product Utilization , Instruction

Box Sign enables you to create templates so you can automatically add the same fields and format to standardize requests for signature. With templates, you don't need to repetitively add the same fields and configure the same signature request properties for each request that is sent out for signature or approval. Creating, configuring, and testing a template takes a few minutes, but when properly deployed, it streamlines the signature request experience for senders.

Box Sign offers two ways to create a template:

About template tags

Template tags provide users with a way to embed custom tags or text within base files included in a signature request or reusable template using a chosen text editor program such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, or Adobe Acrobat. Box Sign automatically recognizes the embedded tags and transcribes them into fillable and signable fields. Template tags can be leveraged through API, Salesforce integration (through the Box for Salesforce managed package), and the document preparation phase within the Box Sign web experience.

Creating a template with tags

To create a template with tags: 

  1. Open your document in your preferred text editor (for example, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, or any PDF reader). 
  2. Determine how many people will sign the document and identify which recipient number each person will be assigned. This helps you plan which tags to use for each signer. See Recipient numbering for details on how recipient numbers work. 
  3. Add special tags to each corresponding input field where you want signers to fill out information or sign. See the Available field tags section for details. 
  4. Adjust the font size and spaces between the double brackets at the end of the tag for each field to control the display size. 
  5. Change the font color of the tags to white to hide them from view in the final document. 
  6. Save and upload your document to Box Sign. 

Best practices: 

  • Keep distance between tags, preferably by using line breaks or proper line height. 
  • Place tags in a table format or use a different text style than the body of the document for better positioning.
  • Test your template tags before sending it to signers.

Tag syntax

All template tags follow this basic format: 

[[field_type|recipient_number|optional_parameters]]

Where:

  • field_type is the type of field (signature, text, date, etc.)
  • recipient_number identifies which recipient the field is assigned to
  • optional_parameters add additional settings like validation or requirements

Recipient numbering

  • 0 always refers to the sender and is reserved for the sender. Even if the sender does not need to sign this document, you must start with 1 for your signers.
  • 1, 2, 3, etc. refer to recipients in the order they are added to the signature request.
  • Recipient numbers in tags correspond to the order recipients are added, not the signing order.
Important: You cannot set the signing order within template tags. The signing order must be configured in the document preparation view. 

Example: Recipient order vs. signing order 

Let's say you create a document with these tags: 

  • [[s|1]] for signature
  • [[s|2]] for signature
  • [[s|3]] for signature

When you prepare the document for signing, you add recipients in this order: 

  1. alice@example.com → automatically assigned to [[s|1]] tags 
  2. bob@example.com → automatically assigned to [[s|2]] tags
  3. charlie@example.com → automatically assigned to [[s|3]] tags 

Now you configure the signing order: 

  • First to sign: charlie@example.com (but still assigned to |3 tags)
  • Second to sign: alice@example.com (but still assigned to |1 tags)
  • Third to sign: bob@example.com (but still assigned to |2 tags)

Result: Charlie signs first and completes the [[s|3]] fields, then Alice signs and completes the [[s|1]] fields, and finally Bob signs and completes the [[s|2]] fields. The tag numbers stay tied to the order recipients were added, regardless of who signs first.

For more information and examples, see the Working with multiple signers section. 

Available field tags

The table below lists all available template tags for Box Sign templates.

Field type Tag
Text input* [[t|0]]
Date signed [[d|0]]
Checkbox [[c|0]]
Signature [[s|0]]
Stamp [[st|0]]
Initials [[i|0]]
Name [[n|0]]
First name [[fn|0]]
Last name [[ln|0]]
Company [[co|0]]
Email [[e|0]]
Title [[ti|0]]
Attachment [[a|0]]

*Text input fields support additional validation tags to control data format. See Text input validation tags for options including numbers, email, dates, ZIP codes, SSN, and custom patterns. 

Note: radio and dropdown fields do not have template tag support in Box Sign.

Text input validation tags

You can add validation to text input fields to control what type of data signers can enter. This helps ensure data accuracy and reduces errors. To learn more, see Using Input Text Validation.

All text input validation tags are required by default.

Use |r:0 to make them optional. See Optional template tag parameters for more information and examples.

Validation type Tag
Numbers with period decimal separator [[t|1|v:np]]
Numbers with comma decimal separator [[t|1|v:nc]]
Email address [[t|1|v:e]]
ISO standard date (YYYYY-MM-DD) [[t|1|v:d1]]
US date format (MM/DD/YYYY) [[t|1|v:d2]]
European date format (DD/MM/YYYY) [[t|1|v:d3]]
Alternative ISO format (YYYY/MM/DD) [[t|1|v:d4]]
5-digit ZIP code (#####) [[t|1|v:z5]]
7-digit ZIP code (###-####) [[t|1|v:z7]]
9-digit ZIP code (ZIP+4: #####-####) [[t|1|v:z9]]
SSN (###-##-####) [[t|1|v:ssn]]
Important: Text input validations cannot be combined with multiline or read-only fields. If you add both |ro:1 and a validation tag, the field will default to a standard text input field without validation.

Optional template tag parameters

You can choose to make specific fields optional or required using template tags. Parameters are added after the recipient number, separated by the pipe symbol |.

Making a field optional or required

  • Text input, checkboxes, and signature fields are required by default but can be made optional.
  • Date and email fields are read-only and cannot be configured as optional or required.
  • All other field types can be configured as optional or required.

Syntax: 

  • |r:0 (optional)
  • |r:1 (required)

Examples:

  • Optional text field: [[t|1|r:0]]
  • Optional checkbox: [[c|1|r:0]]

Adding field names or descriptions

Add a name to fields to provide context for signers. The name replaces the default placeholder text.

Syntax: |n:field_name

Examples:

  • Text field with name: [[t|1|n:Employee Name]]
  • Optional text field with name: [[t|1|r:0|n:Middle Name]]

Pre-filled date and email fields

The date field is pre-filled with the signing date and the email field is pre-filled with the signer's email address.

Making a field read-only

To lock the content from being modified by signers, senders can mark fields as read-only.

Syntax: |ro:1

Supported fields:

  • Name
  • Text Input
  • Company
  • Title
  • Checkbox
  • Radio Button
  • Dropdown

Examples:

  • Read-only text field: [[t|1|ro:1]]
  • Read-only name field: [[n|1|ro:1]]

Important:

  • Read-only field usage is not included in the signing log.
  • Text input validations cannot be combined with read-only fields. If you add both |ro:1 and a validation tag, the field will default to a standard text input field without validation.

Adding an external identifier to a field

Users can add an external identifier to the fields by adding an optional tag parameter.

Syntax: |id:identifier_name

Examples: 

  • Text field with external identifier: [[t|1|id:employee_id]]
  • Text field with validation and external identifier: [[t|1|v:e|id:contact_email]]

Making a text field multi-line

By default, text fields are single-line. Add multi-line text entry to support longer responses like comments, descriptions, or addresses. 

Syntax: |m:1

Example:

  • Multi-line text field with name: [[t|1|m:1|       id:contact_name]]

Working with multiple signers

Example 1: Three signers, including the sender

If you are the sender and also need to sign:

  • You are automatically assigned to |0 tags (sender)
  • First recipient gets |1 tags
  • Second recipient gets |2 tags

Example tags:

  • Your signature: [[s|0]]
  • First signer's signature: [[s|1]]
  • Second signer's signature: [[s|2]]

Example 2: Two external signers only

If you are only the sender and do not need to sign:

  • Do not use |0 tags
  • First recipient gets |1 tags
  • Second recipient gets |2 tags

Example tags:

  • First signer's signature: [[s|1]]
  • Second signer's signature: [[s|2]]

More or fewer signers than tags?

Fewer signers than tags: If your document has tags for three signers but you only add two signers, the unused tags (for example, |2 tags) will not be used. You must remove unused template tags before sending the request.

More signers than tags: If you add more signers than you have tags, the extra signers can sign the document but will not be assigned fields.

Testing tags

Users can easily test out template tag support in Box Sign with our example documents.

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