# Adding Participants

The **Add Participants** step is the second stage in setting up a Fixed Form template. This step defines who will participate in the signing workflow, in what order they will act, and how each participant's access and signing experience is configured.

<figure><img src="/files/nh6ocfntH2ZYfzAgdzj8" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

#### Screen Layout

The Add Participants screen is divided into two panels:

* **Left panel** — Lists all participants added to the workflow, with search and add controls at the top.
* **Right panel** — Displays the configuration settings for the selected participant. When no participant is selected, a guided prompt is shown: *Select participant → Configure settings → Move forward*.

> **Note:** Each participant must be fully configured before you can proceed to the next step.

***

#### Adding Participants

Participants can be added in either of the following ways:

**Option 1: Add Signatories**

<figure><img src="/files/2SBJ6yj9YCkVIKyIHZjb" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

1. Click the **Add Signatories** button at the top of the left panel.
2. Use the **Search & Add participants** bar to find existing users — enter a minimum of 4 characters to search by name or email.
3. The search returns both internal organisation users and previously added external participants. External participants are identified with an **External** badge.
4. Select the user to add them to the workflow.

**Option 2: Add External Participant**

<figure><img src="/files/MeEmGagwJfhmZqs0vZEw" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

1. Click the **Add external participant** button to add a signer who is not an existing user in the system.
2. The **Add External Participant** dialog appears. Fill in the following fields:

| Field             | Required |
| ----------------- | -------- |
| Participant name  | Yes      |
| Participant email | Yes      |
| Mobile Number     | No       |
| Company           | No       |
| National ID       | No       |

3. Click **Add Participant** to confirm, or **Cancel** to close without saving.

Once added, participants appear in the left panel as **Signatory 1**, **Signatory 2**, and so on, in the order they were added. Each row includes an **Assign Signatory** link to map a specific user to that position.

***

#### Configuring Workflow Type

<figure><img src="/files/NMZpazuVbnrVirqnYlQs" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The **Workflow Type** toggle is available at the top of the participant list. Select the appropriate signing flow for the template:

| Workflow Type | Description                                                     |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Serial**    | Signatories sign one after another, in the defined order.       |
| **Parallel**  | All signatories can sign simultaneously, irrespective of order. |
| **In-person** | Signing is facilitated in a face-to-face setting.               |

The workflow type applies to the entire template and governs the signing sequence for all participants.

***

#### Configuring Settings for Each Signatory

Click on any signatory in the left panel to open their **Configure settings** panel on the right. The panel is headed **Configure settings for Signatory \[N]**.

**Workflow Type**

Select the workflow type for this individual signatory if it differs from the template-level setting.

**Role**

Assign the participant's role in the workflow:

| Role             | Description                                                                    |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Signer**       | The participant is required to sign the document.                              |
| **Reviewer**     | The participant reviews the document but does not sign.                        |
| **CC Recipient** | The participant receives a copy of the document for information purposes only. |

**Signatory Settings**

<figure><img src="/files/jmDfA2FNy70cxRmKVQvJ" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Expand the **Signatory Settings** section to configure the following:

**Configure Attachment Profile**

Select a **Profile Name** from the dropdown to define the type of attachments the signatory is required to submit as part of the signing process.

**Access Controls**

* **Allow to add exceptional users and define access controls** — Enable this toggle to permit the addition of users outside the standard participant list and to define custom access rules for this signatory.
* **Don't Allow to download documents** — Enable this toggle to restrict the signatory from downloading the document during the signing process.

**Attachment and Comment Visibility**

<figure><img src="/files/vniFF61WnPZuaS7X6XeZ" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

A table at the bottom of the settings panel lists all other signatories in the workflow. For each, you can control:

| Setting              | Description                                                                            |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Hide Attachments** | Prevents this signatory from viewing attachments submitted by the listed co-signatory. |
| **Hide Comments**    | Prevents this signatory from viewing comments added by the listed co-signatory.        |

Once all settings are configured for a signatory, click **Save Details** to apply the configuration before moving to the next participant.

***

#### Key Notes

* Each participant must be configured and saved before you can proceed to the **Set Signature** step.
* The workflow type and participant roles defined here are locked into the template structure and will apply each time the template is used to initiate a signing transaction.
* External participants added during this step are saved to the system and will appear in future participant searches with an **External** badge.

***

#### What Happens Next?

Once all participants are added and configured, click **Next** to proceed to the **Set Signature** step, where signature placeholders will be placed on the uploaded document(s) and mapped to the respective signatories.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://support.emsigner.com/initiate-and-sign-envelopes/using-templates/creating-and-managing-templates/configure-a-fixed-form-template/adding-participants.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
