Signature

Captures a signature drawn with a finger, stylus or mouse.

Where to find it

Architect Panel → Data:

• Datastores — the datastore, then Table Designer to add or edit a field

Architect Panel → Forms:

• Signature Requests — the stronger, evidenced alternative

What it stores

An image of the drawn mark, as text. It does not join and is not searchable in any meaningful sense — it is a picture.

Where it fits

• Acknowledgement of receipt — a delivery, a collection, a handover.
• Confirming attendance or that something was carried out.
• Anywhere a signature is a familiar convention rather than a legal requirement.

Be clear what it proves

A drawn mark on its own is weak evidence. It shows that somebody drew something on a device at some point. It does not establish who they were, that they saw what they were signing, or that the document has not changed since.

That is fine for a delivery receipt. It is not sufficient where a signature carries legal weight, and it is worth being honest about that with whoever is asking for the feature.

Use electronic signatures where it matters

For agreements, consents and anything contested, the platform's electronic signature features exist precisely for this. They bind the signature to an identity, to the document as it stood, and to a recorded process — which is what makes it evidence rather than an image.

The distinction is worth explaining to stakeholders early, because "we need signatures" usually means one of the two and they are very different pieces of work.

Strengthen it with context

If you are using this field for something that might be questioned, record what surrounds it: who was signed in, when, from what device, and what they were shown. The audit trail gives you most of that.

A signature with a timestamp, an identity and a record of what was on screen is considerably more useful than an image alone.

Design for the device

Signing with a finger on a phone produces a mark that looks nothing like somebody's pen signature. That is normal and does not matter for acknowledgement — but do not build a process that expects to compare it to a specimen.

Give a reasonably sized signing area; a small box produces cramped marks and repeated attempts.

It is personal data

A signature identifies a person and is worth protecting accordingly — restricted like other personal data, and included in retention rather than kept indefinitely.

Worked example

A field service application captures a customer signature on completion, alongside the engineer's identity, the timestamp and the job record. It is an acknowledgement, not a contract. The service agreement the customer signs at sign-up goes through electronic signatures instead, because that one may need to be enforced.

Recommendations

• Use it for acknowledgement, not for agreements.
• Move to electronic signatures where the signature must hold up.
• Record the surrounding context to give it weight.
• Treat it as personal data for access and retention.