Creating a Template

Creating a Template

Templates are the reusable contract documents in E-SignSeal. Every contract you send starts from a published template. This page covers how to build a template from scratch, structure your content, and save it as a draft ready for review before publishing.

Blank template editor with toolbar and Jira Fields panel visible

Blank template editor with toolbar and Jira Fields panel visible

Who can create templates

Users with the Template Manager role or Workspace Admin can create and edit templates. Senders can choose from published templates but cannot access the editor.

Open the template editor

  1. In E-SignSeal, select Templates in the sidebar.

  2. Select New template in the top-right corner.

The template editor opens with a blank document canvas, a rich-text formatting toolbar at the top, and a Jira Fields panel on the right.

Name your template

At the top of the editor, select the Template name field and type a descriptive name. Good names identify the agreement type and audience, for example:

  • Mutual NDA — Vendor Standard

  • Software Services Agreement — Enterprise

  • Contractor Confidentiality — HR Onboarding

The name appears in the Senders' template picker when they create a new contract, so clarity here reduces mistakes.

Write the contract body

Use the formatting toolbar to compose your agreement. The editor supports:

  • Headings (H1, H2, H3)

  • Bold, italic, underline

  • Bulleted and numbered lists

  • Horizontal rules (useful for signature blocks)

  • Paragraph alignment

Write the full legal text of your agreement in the editor canvas. Do not leave placeholder text like "PARTY A" if you intend to use a Jira merge field instead — insert the actual field chip (see Jira Merge Fields).

Insert Jira merge fields

The Jira Fields panel on the right lists every available merge field. Click any chip to insert it at the cursor position. Fields are rendered as highlighted tokens in the editor and are replaced with live Jira data when a Sender creates a contract from this template.

Common fields for NDA and services templates:

Field chip

What it resolves to at send time

{{Issue Key}}

The linked issue key, e.g. PROJ-42

{{Summary}}

The issue summary / title

{{Project Name}}

The Jira project name

{{Assignee}}

Full name of the issue assignee

{{Reporter}}

Full name of the issue reporter

{{Due Date}}

Due date formatted as DD MMM YYYY

{{Created Date}}

Issue creation date

If your Jira admin has added custom fields, they appear at the bottom of the panel under Custom fields.

Add a signature block

Every template that requires signing must include at least one signature block. A signature block is a visual section at the bottom of the document where E-SignSeal renders each signer's captured signature image when the PDF is generated.

To add a signature block:

  1. Place the cursor at the end of the document.

  2. Insert a horizontal rule to visually separate the body from the signatures.

  3. Type Authorized signature: followed by a line for the signing party's name.

E-SignSeal automatically maps signer slots to the generated PDF — you do not need to tag individual signature placeholders in Phase 1. Signatures are appended sequentially in the PDF output.

Save as draft

Select Save draft at any time to save your work. The template is stored with Draft status and is not visible to Senders until you publish it.

You can leave the editor and return to a draft at any time by selecting it from the Templates list and choosing Edit.

Next steps