Building Approval Logic with Signature

Instructions

Scenario Setup

For the examples below, assume the form includes:

• Status (Choice): Draft, Ready for Approval, Approved
• Manager Signature (Signature column)
• Approval Date (Date)
• Amount (Currency)

The Signature column protects key business columns such as Status, Amount and Request Date.

Step 1: Requiring a Signature Before Approval

In many processes, an item should not move forward without a valid signature.

Goal

Require a signature when Status = Ready for Approval.

How it works

• The Signature column remains optional in Draft
• Once Status changes to Ready for Approval, the signature becomes required

Configuration

1. Open Designer
2. Create a Validation Rule
3. Name: Manager Signature must not be empty
4. Error message:
5. “Please provide a signature before submitting for approval.”
6. Condition:
• Status = Ready for Approval

Result:
The form cannot be saved in “Ready for Approval” state without a signature.

Step 2: Showing the Signature Only at the Right Stage

Signatures should appear only when they are relevant.

Goal

Show the signature column only when approval is required.

Configuration

1. Create a Permission Rule for Manager Signature
2. Set: Hidden
3. Condition:
• Status = Draft
4. Create the next Permission Rule for Manager Signature
5. Set: Write
6. Condition:
• Status = Ready for Approval

Result:
The form stays clean and simple until the approval stage.

Step 3: Locking the Signature After Approval

Once an item is approved, the signature must not be changed.

Goal

Prevent editing the signature after Status = Approved.

Configuration

1. Create a Permission Rule
2. Set: Read
3. Condition:
• Status = Approved

Result:
The signature becomes read-only and cannot be modified after approval.

Preventing Changes to Signed Data

The Signature column automatically protects selected columns.

How it works

• If a signed column value changes after signing
• The signature becomes invalid
• The system visually indicates the broken signature

You can use this behavior to:

• block further processing
• require re-signing
• notify managers or owners

This ensures that approved data cannot be silently altered.

Using Multiple Signatures in One Approval Flow

Complex processes often require more than one approval.

Example:

• Employee Signature → confirms submission
• Manager Signature → approves request
• Finance Signature → final confirmation

Each signature can:

• protect different columns
• appear at different Status values
• be locked independently

This allows you to build multi-step approval workflows entirely inside the form.