Adding default text

When adding fields to a document, you can specify field settings through the field settings popout. This article describes how to use the default text setting on fields.

Adding default text accomplishes two things:

It allows the document or template creator to display text to the recipient
Allows the document or template creator to pre-fill information in the field

Add default text to a field

Place the fields on the document
Click the field you want to modify. This will load the field settings for that field.
Expand the Defaults section
Enter the desired text in the default text area
Click outside text area or hit enter/return to save the changes. You'll seed the text appear in the field

Common Use Case: Display Information to Recipient

I'm sending a statement of work to the client. My document has blank spaces where the final price would be filled in. When creating the document, I add a text field for the final price. In the default text setting of the field, I add the price of "$35,000.00". I also mark the field as read only.

When the recipient enters the signing process to review and sign the document, they see the price field and can see the value of $35,000.00 in the field. Since it is read only, the recipient can review the price for accuracy but cannot edit it.

Common Use Case: Pre-filling information for the recipient

I'm sending a document to a recipient that requires their name and address information. I have their address from previous correspondence. When creating the document, I use text fields for the address information. Using the default text field, I fill in the street address, city, state, and zip.

When the recipient enters the signing process to review and sign the document, they see the address fields and the data I entered. Since the field is not read-only, the recipient can modify the fields to update their address, as needed.

Note: Adding default text will override the field name visible in the text field. The field name is primarily used for the document or template creators to differentiate between fields and is not visible to the recipient. When default text is added, the default text will display in the field and be visible to the recipient. See Naming a field to learn more.