Concepts
Glyphs
Fields come from glyphs, short codes typed into the document, like \s1\ for signer 1's signature, so the same file works every time.
Through the API and MCP, fields come from glyphs: short codes you type into the document where each field belongs, which Sigil finds when you upload it. A template with its glyphs typed in never needs fixing up by hand, and a new version of the document carries its fields with it.
The website also has a field editor on paid plans, for documents without glyphs (scans included): fields are dragged onto the pages there. Fields placed that way come back from the API like any other, with whatever size they were drawn.
Why glyph? It is Greek for a carving, and in type design it is the shape of a character, which is how Sigil finds yours: by reading the letters on the page. The FAQ explains the rest of the vocabulary.
The glyphs
| Glyph | Field | What the signer does |
|---|---|---|
\s1\ |
Signature | Draws their signature. |
\i1\ |
Initials | Draws their initials. |
\n1\ |
Printed name | Nothing: filled with the full name they type when signing. |
\d1\ |
Date signed | Nothing: filled with the date they sign (MM/dd/yyyy, UTC). |
\t1:Label\ |
Text | Types into a box labelled Label, such as \t1:Company name\. |
\c1\ |
Checkbox | Ticks a box. |
The number is the signer: 1 is the first signer you list on the pact, 2 the second, and so on, up to 99. The letter can be upper or lower case.
Optional fields
A text field or checkbox is required unless its glyph ends in !:
\t1:Phone number!\ an optional text box
\c1!\ an optional checkbox ("send me product updates")
\c1\ a required checkbox ("I agree to the terms")Signatures, initials, names and dates are always filled in.
Labels
A text glyph's label is what the signer sees next to the box: \t2:Job title\. Keep it short: up to 40 characters, without \ or !. Labels also appear on the field in the API (label), so you can tell fields apart.
Placement
The glyph's first character marks the field: its left edge, and the line it sits on. Put each glyph where the ink should go, usually on the signature line itself. Signatures and initials are drawn standing on that line; names, dates and text are written along it.
Each field type has a fixed box, in PDF points (72 to the inch):
| Field | Width × height |
|---|---|
| Signature | 185 × 30 |
| Initials | 60 × 22 |
| Printed name | 200 × 12 |
| Date | 100 × 12 |
| Text | 160 × 14 |
| Checkbox | 12 × 12 |
Leave room for them. A signature needs a clear space above the line roughly 6.5 cm wide and 1 cm tall.
Hiding the glyphs
Glyphs stay in the document. Sigil draws each field on top of its glyph, so format the glyphs in white, 1-point text: they vanish on the page, but they are still text Sigil can read. The sample agreement Sigil is tested with does exactly that.
Rules a document must meet
- The text must be selectable. Sigil reads glyphs from the PDF's text, so a scan or a photo of a page has none. Export the PDF from the original document instead, or place its fields in the website's field editor.
- Word documents are converted to PDF when you upload them. Check the fields the upload returns, in case the conversion moved anything.
- Every signer needs at least one glyph, and every glyph number needs a signer. A pact for a document with glyphs up to
\s2\needs exactly two signers. CCs are not counted. - Each page can carry any glyphs. To have every page initialled, put
\i1\and\i2\in the footer.
Example
A signature block for two signers, with a required checkbox for the first:
\c1\ I have read and agree to the terms above.
Client Provider
Signature: \s1\ Signature: \s2\
Name: \n1\ Name: \n2\
Title: \t1:Job title\ Title: \t2:Job title\
Date: \d1\ Date: \d2\Upload it with Create a template and the response lists every field it found, with its signer, type, page and position.