Conditional Rules

Conditional Logic - SignWell Help

You can create conditional rules to control which fields your recipients see based on how they interact with the fields on the document that you've sent to them. The rules can automatically show, hide, or require fields based on what the signer enters.

Note: Creating Conditional Rules is available on the Business plan only. You can set up conditional rules on both documents and templates - the setup works the same way for both. To avoid confusion, this help article specifically covers setting this up in documents.

Here's a rundown of how to set up and use conditional rules on your documents (scroll down to the section for Use Case Examples if you want to see how it works in practice):

Getting Started With Conditional Rules

To set up conditional rules, you need to first upload a document, add recipients, and navigate to the document's setup area, where you can assign fields to your document.

Conditional rules are available for documents with at least one recipient, and you will need a minimum of two fields assigned to the same recipient in order to create a conditional rule.

How Do I Enable Conditional Rules?

Click on any field you've placed on your document, then expand the "Advanced settings" section. At the bottom, you'll see the "Add Conditional Rule" toggle:

Toggle it to "Yes" to enable conditional rules. The first time you enable this toggle, you'll see a quick onboarding overlay that explains how the feature works:

Click "Got it!" to dismiss the overlay and start setting up your rules. This overlay only appears once.

After enabling the toggle, the Conditional Rule Settings panel will open on the right side of the screen:

Setting Up a Rule

Every conditional rule has two parts: a condition (the "if" part) and an action (also known as the "then" part). For example: "If a checkbox is completed, then show a text field."

Step 1: Set the Condition

The condition determines what needs to happen before the action is triggered. You'll set this up using three dropdowns under the "If:" section:

Dropdown 1 - Select condition:

This determines how your selected fields need to behave for the condition to be met. Your options are:

Any of the following - The condition is met if at least one of the selected fields matches the status. For example, if either Field A or Field B is completed, the condition is true.
All of the following - The condition is met only if every selected field matches the status. For example, both Field A and Field B must be completed for the condition to hold.
None of the following - The condition is met only if none of the selected fields match the status. For example, neither Field A nor Field B can be completed for the condition to be true.
Not all of the following - The condition is met if at least one of the selected fields does not match the status. For example, if Field A is completed but Field B is not, the condition is true.

Dropdown 2 - Select fields:

This is where you choose which fields on your document will trigger the rule. The dropdown shows all fields on your document listed by their API ID (for example, "Checkbox_1" or "TextField_2"), which you can find and customize in the field's Advanced settings:

You can select multiple fields at once. On a desktop, you can also click fields directly on the document to select them after opening this dropdown.

Note: Signatures and Initials cannot trigger the condition, so they can only be added as the Action in the conditional rule. For example: you can create a rule where a dropdown option causes a signature field to appear for the signer. However, you cannot create a rule where a signature causes a dropdown field to appear.

Dropdown 3 - Select status:

This sets the status of the fields that will trigger the action. Your options are:

Are completed - The condition is met when the signer fills out the selected fields.
Are not completed - The condition is met when the selected fields are left empty.

You need to fill out all three dropdowns before you can continue to the action step.

Step 2: Set the Action

Once your condition is set, the Action section appears below it. This is the "then" part of your rule - which is what happens when the condition is met.

Choose one of the three action types:

Show - Makes the selected fields visible to the signer.
Hide - Makes the selected fields hidden for the signer.
Require - Makes the selected fields mandatory for the signer.

Then use the "Select fields" dropdown to choose which fields the action applies to. As with the condition, you can select multiple fields from the dropdown or click fields directly in the document (desktop only).

Note for the "Required" Action: If a field is not triggered by any rule, it will keep its original required/optional setting.

Step 3: Save the Rule

When both the condition and action are fully set, a "Save rule" button will appear at the bottom:

Click "Save rule" to save it. The rule will then appear as a summary preview in the sidebar:

You can click "Edit" to make changes to a saved rule at any time.

Note: If you click away from the settings panel without saving, you'll see a prompt asking if you'd like to "Discard Changes" or "Continue Setup." This keeps you from accidentally losing your work.

Adding Multiple Conditions to a Rule

After completing your first condition, you'll see a "+" button that lets you add another condition to the same rule:

All conditions within a rule share the same action.

When you add a second condition, you'll also choose whether the conditions are connected by "AND" or "OR":

AND - Both conditions need to be met for the action to trigger. Example: "Field A" AND "Field B".
OR - Only one of the conditions needs to be met for the action to trigger. Example: "Field A" OR "Field B".

You can add up to 5 different conditions per rule.

Adding Multiple Rules

After saving your first rule, you'll see an "Add new rule" option at the bottom of the sidebar:

Click it to start creating another rule. Your saved rules will remain visible in the sidebar above the new one, and you can scroll through them all.

You can create up to 10 rules per document.

Use Case Examples

The following are examples of realistic situations where conditional rules would be used:

Example 1: Insurance form with additional coverage

You're sending an insurance enrollment form that has a checkbox for "Add Spouse Coverage." If the signer checks that box, you want additional fields to appear for the spouse's name, date of birth, and occupation - but you don't want those fields to appear unless they need spouse coverage.

In this case, you would set up the rule like this:

Condition: If Any of the following fields (the checkbox for "spouse coverage") → Are completed

Action: Show the spouse's name, spouse's date of birth, and spouse's occupation:

When the signer checks the box, those fields appear. If they uncheck it, the fields disappear again:

Example 2: HR onboarding with required tax fields

You're sending an onboarding packet and need the new hire to fill out tax information, but only if they select that they're a US employee. You have a checkbox labeled "US-Based Employee."

Set up the rule like this:

Condition: If Any of the following fields (choose the checkbox for "US Employee") → Are completed
Action: Require the W-4 text fields (tax filing status, exemptions, etc.)

Start by enabling the Conditional Rule setting on the correct checkbox:

You'll know which checkbox to select because it will be highlighted on your document when you hover over that option in the "Select fields" condition area:

For this rule, choose "Require" as the Action, and select the appropriate fields:

Save your rule and send the document when you're ready.

The tax fields will be optional for the recipient, unless they confirm they're a US employee - then the fields will become required:

Things to Keep in Mind

You can set up to 5 conditions per rule and up to 10 rules per document.
Fields in the rule dropdowns are listed by their API ID, which you can find (and customize) in the field's Advanced settings
- Note: For Dropdown fields and Checkbox Groups, API IDs for individual options are only visible in Templates. But don't worry - when setting up your rules, you can hover over any option in the Conditional Rule set-up sidebar, and we'll highlight the matching field on your document so you can find it easily.
Rules cannot conflict with each other. If you try to save a rule that contradicts an existing one (for example, one rule shows a field and another hides it based on the same condition), you'll see an error asking you to adjust the rules.
Conditional rules apply to individual checkboxes within a checkbox group, or the group as a whole. If a rule conflicts with a checkbox group's selection requirements, you'll see an error asking you to adjust either the rule or the group.
On mobile, you can select fields only from the dropdown. On a desktop, you can also click fields directly on the document.

Still need help or have a question? Get in touch with us here: support@signwell.com.