Signers
Manage ordered electronic signatures, witnesses, and rejection workflows directly inside a record for compliant document approval.
Specs
Version
v4.0.0 (updated on 2024-05-03)
Developer
Labii Inc.
Type
Section
Support Configuration
No
Overview
The Signers widget brings Labii's electronic signature workflow directly into a record section so users can manage signers, witness records, and complete approval steps without leaving the document. It supports ordered signing, role-based signers, password-confirmed signatures, and rejection workflows that return a record to editable state when changes are required. This widget is especially important for laboratories that need Good Laboratory Practice workflows, FDA 21 CFR Part 11-style controls, or other audit-ready approval processes. It replaces the older Signature, Double Signature, Triple Signature, and Approval Signatures widgets with a unified signer-management interface.
Use Cases
Experimental Approval: Route experiment records through authors and witnesses before finalizing results.
Regulated Documentation: Lock records after signature to preserve compliant, tamper-evident documentation.
Multi-Role Review: Assign authors, co-authors, witnesses, inspectors, managers, or other designated signers in sequence.
Deviation and Correction Workflows: Use rejection to unlock a record when downstream reviewers require corrections.
Template-Driven Signoff: Reuse default or copied signer lists for repeated processes across tables and projects.
Interface
Read-only View
In read-only mode, the widget displays the signer list, signature state, roles, and current signing status for the record. Users can review who has signed, who is next in sequence, and whether the record is still awaiting signatures or has been fully signed.
Data Display: Shows the list of signers, their roles, and their signed or unsigned state.
Workflow Visibility: Displays the current signing order and whether the record is waiting for the next signer.
Compliance Context: Keeps signature history visible as part of the same record that contains the experimental or operational content.
Review Use: Useful for audit review, handoff, and status checks before approval or release.
Edit View
In edit mode, the widget exposes the same signer-management workflow as the Signers tab. Users can add signers, assign roles, change order before signing starts, sign when it is their turn, or reject a prior signature when corrections are needed.
Input Methods: Add signers from the signer list, assign roles, and manage ordered signoff directly in the section.
Formatting Options: Signing order and signer roles determine how the approval workflow progresses.
Validation: Labii requires the correct signer order and password confirmation before a signature is accepted.
Collaboration: Multiple users can participate in the same controlled approval chain inside one record.
The Signers widget has the same core functionality as the Signers tab, but it is embedded directly into a section so users can review and sign in the document context.
Configuration
No widget-specific configuration is required. After adding the widget to a record, users manage signers and complete the signing workflow directly through the section interface.
Initial Setup
Open the record and add the Signers widget to a section.
Save the record if needed and open the section or switch the record to the appropriate working mode.
Use the widget to add signers, define roles, and begin the signing workflow.
Required Settings
None: The widget does not require a separate configuration form before use.
Optional Settings
Table-Level Signer Policies: Minimum signer requirements and default signer behavior may be controlled at the table level rather than in the widget itself.
If your organization uses minimum signer rules or default signer lists, those policies are managed as part of the record and table workflow rather than as widget-local settings.
Advanced Configuration
For controlled workflows, define your signer expectations before users begin signing.
Set up default signers or minimum signer requirements for the relevant table when repeated workflows need the same approval pattern.
Train signers on role order, rejection handling, and password-based verification before the workflow is used in regulated records.
Once a record is signed, it is locked from editing. Any required changes must be handled through the rejection workflow so the record can return to editable state.
Additional Functions
Manage Signers
Users can maintain the signer list directly inside the widget.
Add Signers: Add one or more signers and assign roles such as Author, Co-author, Witness, Inspector, Manager, Signer, Submitter, or Recipient.
Edit Roles: Change a signer's role before or during the workflow when permitted.
Reorder Signers: Adjust signing order before signing starts.
Remove Unsigned Signers: Remove signers who have not yet signed.
Click + Signers to open the signer form.
Choose a signer and assign the appropriate role.
Submit the form and repeat as needed until the required signer list is complete.
Signing Order
The signers must sign the record in order. The first signer must sign first. After signing, the record will be locked from editing and the second signer will be notified to sign. The second signer can either continue to sign or reject the signature.
Sequential Signoff: Each signer must wait until the previous signer has completed their action.
Next Signer Notification: When one signer completes signing, the next signer in order is prompted to review and act.
Rejection Path: If a later signer rejects the record, the record returns to editing mode so corrections can be made.
If the second signer signs the document, the workflow notifies the third signer if one exists.
If the second signer rejects the signature, the record reverts to editing mode and the first signer is notified to update the record.
The process continues until all signers have signed the document.
Sign and Witness
The signing and witnessing process uses the same controlled signature flow.
Wait until it is your turn in the signing order.
Click Sign and optionally enter a comment.
Enter your Labii password to verify your identity.
Complete the signature and submit. The next signer is then notified.
Reject and Reopen
Later signers can reject a signed record when corrections are required.
Reject Workflow: A signer can reject the record instead of signing if the content is not acceptable.
Return to Editing: Rejection unlocks the record so the author can make corrections.
Controlled Resubmission: After edits are complete, signers must sign again in order.
Default and Template-Based Signers
Default Signers: Save a signer list as the default for a table to avoid repeated setup.
Load Default Signers: Apply the saved default list to existing records that do not yet have signers.
Template Inheritance: Records created from templates can copy signers from the template record.
Version Control and Audit Trail
Record Locking: Signed records are locked from editing until a rejection occurs.
Identity Verification: Signature submission requires the user's login password.
Traceable Signoff: Each signature is tied to the record, signer, and signing time.
Sequential Auditability: The ordered signer chain shows who approved the record and in what order.
Best Practices
Workflow Design
Define signer roles and order before users start signing.
Use default signers for repeatable workflows so approval chains stay consistent.
Set minimum signer rules where company policy requires witness or secondary approval.
Compliance and Control
Treat signatures as final approval steps and confirm the record is complete before signing.
Use rejection instead of informal post-sign edits so the audit trail remains defensible.
Ensure each signer uses their own password and account credentials to preserve identity control.
Record Quality
Keep signer lists relevant to the actual approval process rather than adding unnecessary reviewers.
Encourage signers to add comments when signing or rejecting if additional context would help later review.
Review signer order carefully in template-based records so copied workflows remain correct.
The Signers widget is most effective when it is treated as the authoritative signoff workflow for the record and when the signer order reflects the real approval process used by your laboratory.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Avoid signing before the record is ready, because signed records are locked until a rejection reopens them.
Avoid sharing credentials, because each signature must be attributable to the actual signer.
Avoid treating rejection as an exception case only, because it is the correct controlled path for returning a signed record to editing mode.
Related Widgets
Signature: Use this column widget when you need a field-level signature or time-seal style action rather than a full record-level signer workflow.
References
Regulatory Context
Title 21 CFR Part 11: Background on electronic records and electronic signatures in regulated environments.
Good Laboratory Practice: Background on controlled laboratory documentation practices.
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