---
title: "Custom Certify/Signature Page"
slug: "custom-certify-signature-page"
updated: 2025-11-18T19:07:52Z
published: 2025-11-18T19:07:52Z
canonical: "knowledge.technolutions.net/custom-certify-signature-page"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Custom Certify/Signature Page

> [!NOTE]
> 📚 Part of the series **Application Building Phase II:** [**The Slate-hosted Application**](/v1/docs/introduction-to-the-slate-hosted-application)

The Slate-hosted application can collect applicant signatures and require them for submission.

Depending on when your database was provisioned, your application may look different:

- **Newer databases** come with a signature page that collects signatures as free text, which is then mapped to an application-scoped field called *Application Signature.* This form page can be customized like any other [custom application page](/v1/docs/creating-a-custom-application-page).
- **Older databases** used the standard signature page, identified by the part ID `certify`. This page has fewer options for customization. You can replace the default `certify` page with a custom form page.

#### Five steps to create a custom signature page ✅

To make this page, you will:

1. Create a Slate-hosted-application-page-scoped form
2. Either use the Signature form field widget, or create a custom field to collect the signature.
3. Replace the *Certify* page in the application base with the form and comment out `<part id =”certify”>` from the appropriate application `base.xml` file.
4. Create an application requirement for the custom signature
5. Activate the application logic.

Let’s go through each step in more detail.

## Step 1: Creating the Slate-hosted application page

This form serves as the host for the widgets you'll create later.

1. Go to **Forms**.
2. Select **New Form**.
3. Configure the following settings:
  - **Page Title**: Enter the name that appears to the applicant as the page title.
  - **Folder:** Save the form in an existing folder, or select *Other* to create a new one.
  - **Status:** Confirmed/Active
4. Select **Save**.
5. Select **Edit Form.**
6. Select **Edit Properties.**
7. Set **Scope** to **Slate-Hosted** **Application Page.**
8. Select **Save.**
9. Delete all default form fields.

## Step 2: Collecting signatures

You can capture the applicant’s signature in one of two ways:

### Option 1: Add the signature widget

Collects cryptographically-secured, timestamped signatures on the person record.

> [!WARNING]
> 📝 Note
> 
> Signatures do not currently map to system fields, and there are instances where signatures collected in the Signature form field widget may not render as expected—for example, in [data containers](/v1/docs/data-containers), [document export queries](/v1/docs/creating-a-document-export-query-with-configurable-joins), or when exporting to [Auto PDF](/v1/docs/auto-pdf) or certain scoped forms in the Reader. If you depend on these methods, consider using option 2 (an application-scoped field).

To add the signature widget to the form:

1. Select **Edit Form.**
2. From the form palette, select the **Signature widget**.
3. In the Export Key field, enter a computer-friendly (only lowercase, no spaces) name, like `signature_widget`
4. Configure the remaining [widget settings](/v1/docs/signature-form-field-widget) as desired.
5. Select **Save**.

### Option 2: Create a custom application-scoped field

Collects signatures as a free text form field mapped to an application-scoped field.

1. Go to **Database** → **Fields.**
2. Select **New Field**
3. Configure the following settings:
  - **Scope category:** Records
  - **Scope:** Application
  - **ID:** Enter a computer-friendly field ID, for example, `custom_signature`
  - **Name:** Enter a name for the field.
  - **Folder:** Keep fields organized by placing them in folders. To create a new folder, select **Other**.
  - **Field type:** Free Text
  - **Unique for Merging:** Do not use value for merging
4. Select **Save.**
5. Select the **Force refresh cache** link.
6. Go to **Forms.**
7. Select the form you created previously.
8. Select **Edit Form.**
9. From the form palette, select **Text Box.**
10. Configure the following settings:
  - **Label:** Enter an applicant-facing label for the signature field.
  - **System Field:** Select **Application Fields**, then select your custom signature field. The field ID appears in the *Export Key* field.
11. Select **Save.**

## Step 3: Configuring the application base

To add our custom signature page to the application base and remove the default signature page:

1. Go to **Database** → **Application Editor.**
2. Select an application base.
3. Select **Edit Menu**.
4. From the list of application pages, select **Signature.**
5. Select **Delete.**
6. Select **Add Link.**
7. Configure the following settings:
  - **Type:** Custom Form Page
  - **Subtype:** Select the form you created in [Step 1](/v1/docs/custom-certify-signature-page#step-1-creating-the-slatehosted-application-page).
  - **Label:** Enter an applicant-facing title for the page.
8. Select **Save.**

📖 [The Application Editor](/v1/docs/introduction-application-editor)

The default `certify` application page has standard application logic of its own, which we must disable in the application base file:

1. Go to **Database** → **Files**.
2. In **Search Files…**, enter the name of your application base. For **example**, `/apply/`.
3. Select the application base file, which ends in `base.xml`. Make sure you are selecting the specific application base if you have more than one. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/image(842).png)
4. Press `cmd/ctrl + F` to open the WYSIWYG editor’s search bar.
5. In the search bar, enter `<part id="certify">`.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/image(843).png)
6. Add a comment around the entire tag to disable it:

```xml
<!-- <part id="certify>
     </part> -->
```
7. Select **Save.**

## Step 4: Creating an application submission requirement

To create the application logic that requires applicants submit their signature:

1. Go to **Database** → **Application Logic.**
2. Select **Insert**.
3. Configure the following settings:
  - **Status:** Inactive
  - **Type:** Submission Requirement
  - **Section:** Select the form you created in [Step 1](/v1/docs/custom-certify-signature-page#step-1-creating-the-slatehosted-application-page).
  - **Name:** Enter an applicant-facing name for the submission requirement.
  - **Warning:** Hard Fail
  - **Base:** Configurable Joins - Application
4. Select **Subquery Filter**.
5. Configure the following settings:
  - **Status:** Active
  - **Name:** Enter a name for the subquery filter, like “Not Exists - Signature”.
  - **Type:** Dependent subquery
  - **Aggregate:** Not Exists
  - **Exports:** Select *Export.*
6. If you chose [Option 1](/v1/docs/custom-certify-signature-page#option-1-add-the-signature-widget) (the signature widget):
  1. Select **Form Field Value**.
  2. Select the default join, **Application / Form Responses.**
  3. Select **Save.**
  4. Select the Form Field Value export you just created.
  5. In the Form Field Export Key field, enter the **signature field’s export key** [that you created earlier](/v1/docs/custom-certify-signature-page#option-1-add-the-signature-widget).
  6. Select **Save**.![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/Require form submission - Signature widget.png)
7. If you chose [Option 2](/v1/docs/custom-certify-signature-page#option-2-create-a-custom-applicationscoped-field) (the custom signature field):
  1. Select the **custom signature field**.
  2. Select **Save.** ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/Application requirement - Signature.png)
8. **Save** the subquery filter.
9. **Save** the application logic record.

## Step 5: Activating the application submission requirement

1. Go to **Database → Application Logic.**
2. Select the requirement you created in [the previous step](/v1/docs/custom-certify-signature-page#step-4-creating-an-application-submission-requirement).
3. Set the requirement’s **Status** to **Active.**
4. Select **Save.**