Assign QCDS Template Fields to Contacts or the Sender

Template preparation can preassign fields to saved Contacts, while sender-as-signer assignment is completed when the actual Request participants are prepared. QCDS deliberately keeps those two stages separate so a reusable Template does not have to be permanently tied to one sender.

Assign a Template Field to a Saved Contact

  1. Open the editable Template draft.
  2. Select the field you want to assign, or right-click it to open Field options.
  3. Use Assign to signer and search the saved Contacts.
  4. Select the intended Contact.
  5. Repeat for other fields, or use the bulk assignment tools for larger groups of fields.

The Template builder searches Contact identity data such as name, linked Joomla username, email address, and company. Choosing a Contact creates or reuses the matching Template role and copies the Contact defaults used for that assignment.

New Fields Do Not Inherit the Last Contact Automatically

QCDS 2.0.7 intentionally creates ordinary new fields as unassigned. Selecting a Contact for bulk assignment does not cause future fields to inherit that Contact silently. This avoids accidentally assigning a newly placed field to the wrong signer.

An explicitly linked Signed Date is different: when you link it to a Signature or Initials field, it follows that parent field's assignment because the link itself establishes the relationship.

What About Assigning the Sender?

The current reusable Template builder's contact-search assignment control is for saved Contacts. The sender-as-signer choice belongs to Request participant preparation, where QCDS can mark a participant as the Sender and bind that participant to the Joomla user creating the Request.

This distinction matters: a reusable Template can be used by different authorized senders, so it should not imply that the Template-builder Contact search permanently binds a field to whichever Joomla user happens to be editing the Template.

Assignments May Remain Open at Template Publication

Template publication validates the reusable document and field configuration, but it does not require every interactive Template field to already have a concrete Contact. The QCDS interface explicitly allows Contact assignments to be completed when creating the actual Request.

Before the Request is sent, however, interactive signer fields must resolve to real participants. The Request builder flags unassigned signer fields and prevents treating an unresolved layout as send-ready.

Verify the Assignment

  • The field pill or properties show the intended Contact/role where you preassigned one.
  • Linked Signed Dates follow their Signature/Initials assignment.
  • At Request creation, review every signer role and assign the Sender there when the sender must also sign.
  • Do not assume a later Contact edit will rewrite an already-sent Request; participant evidence is frozen into the Request.

Community Discussion

Want to compare workflows, share practical tips, or discuss how you use this QCDS feature? Visit the QC Digital Signature Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific issues, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.