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LLMs.md

Digital Signature

The Digital Signature is a paid add-on for regulated industries (e.g. pharma and GxP environments, 21 CFR Part 11 / EU Annex 11). When it is active, the person performing an action re-confirms their identity when submitting an incident report, when submitting a form response or when completing a task — using a password, NFC chip or QR code, the same methods used to sign in to the LiteLog app. For every signature, LiteLog stores an immutable record: who signed, when, with which method, with which meaning, with which verification status — plus a checksum (hash) of the signed data.

:::caution Not to be confused with the drawn signature The signature field in forms (field type Signature in the form editor, e.g. for a customer signature on a handover protocol) is something different: there, someone draws a signature image into the form with their finger or mouse. The Digital Signature does not replace that field — it is a renewed identity check of the signed-in account at the moment of submission. Both can appear side by side in the same form. :::

What is this feature for?​

In regulated environments it is not enough that a record originates from a signed-in account — regulations require the person to prove their identity again at the moment of signing, and that this proof is stored permanently, immutably and attributably to the record. That is exactly what the Digital Signature provides: re-authentication on submission plus a tamper-protected signature log.

Activation step by step​

The Digital Signature is a cascade of four levels. A signature is only demanded when the levels combined resolve to "required":

  1. Have the add-on unlocked. The "Digital Signature" add-on is not self-service — contact the LiteLog team, who will unlock it for your account. Until then the card appears in the App Store as "On request".
  2. Turn on the master switch. Open the portal's App Store ("App Store" entry in the left icon bar) and enable the company-wide switch on the Digital Signature card. As long as the master switch is off, LiteLog never demands a signature — regardless of any property or template settings.
  3. Decide per property where signing is required. Open the property (Master Data → Properties → select a property → panel entry Digital Signature, group "Administration" — the entry only appears with the unlocked add-on) and configure which areas demand a signature at this property — incident reports, forms and tasks can each be set to Off or Required. Under Allowed methods you also choose what may be used for signing (password, NFC chip, QR code). New and existing properties start with "no signature required".
  4. Optionally override per template or task. Individual form templates (in the template properties of the form editor) and individual tasks (in the task detail view, section "Digital signature on completion") can override the property setting: Inherit from property (default), Always required or Off.

How a single case resolves:

LevelSettingEffect
Add-onnot unlockedno signature, regardless of everything below
Master switch (App Store)offno signature, regardless of everything below
Template / taskAlways requiredsignature is demanded — even if the property says "Off"
Template / taskOffno signature — even if the property says "Required"
Template / taskInherit from propertythe property setting of the respective area applies

Signing in the LiteLog app​

If the configuration demands a signature, the LiteLog app shows a signature dialog before submitting — for incident reports and form responses on submission, for tasks on completion. The person chooses one of the allowed methods:

  • Password — the person enters their account password. This works only with an internet connection, because LiteLog verifies the password on the server immediately. The password is not transmitted or stored together with the data — LiteLog verifies it separately and records only the result.
  • NFC chip — the person taps their own NFC chip on the device. Works offline as well.
  • QR code — the person scans their own sign-in QR code. Works offline as well.

Important: the signature is a re-authentication of the signed-in account. The chip or QR code must belong to exactly the account currently signed in to the app — someone else's chip or QR code is rejected. Nobody can sign "on behalf of a colleague".

Signing in the portal​

In the portal, LiteLog asks for the password again when submitting an incident report or form response, or when completing a task. The action is only completed after successful verification. Here too: the password never travels together with the form data and is never stored in the record.

Offline behavior​

The LiteLog app works without an internet connection — and the Digital Signature is designed for that:

  • NFC chip and QR code work offline. The app checks the signature locally; on upload the server verifies the signature again against the current data (does the chip or code really belong to the submitting account?). Only this server-side check determines the final verification status in the log.
  • Password does not work offline. Without a connection, switch to NFC chip or QR code — provided the property settings allow those methods.
  • Data captured offline is never discarded. If no valid signature could be provided offline, LiteLog still accepts the data during synchronization and records a deviation in the signature log ("signature missing" or "signature invalid"). The incident report, form response or task is not lost — the missing mandatory signature is made visible instead and can be followed up within your quality process.

In the portal and via APIs, LiteLog is strict instead: a signature-mandatory action cannot be submitted at all without a valid signature — the person can sign right away.

Evidence and signature log​

For every signature (and every missing mandatory signature) LiteLog writes a row into an immutable signature log. Each row contains:

  • Who — name and username of the signing person at the time of signing
  • When — time of the signature and time of arrival on the server
  • Method — password, NFC chip or QR code
  • Meaning of the signature (e.g. "submission")
  • Verification status — verified, rejected or missing, with a reason in case of deviations
  • Checksum (hash) of the signed data — allowing you to prove later that the record has not changed since it was signed
  • Device and IP address, where available

The log is append-only: entries are never changed or deleted, and a log row survives even if the signed record is deleted later.

The evidence becomes visible in three places:

  • The detail views of report, incident report and task show the signature status — "Digitally signed" for a valid signature, or a deviation warning if a mandatory signature was missing or invalid.
  • The form PDF contains a dedicated signature section.
  • The verifications additionally appear in the account's sign-in history.

Good to know​

  • The Digital Signature applies only to the three areas incident reports, form responses and task completion. Time tracking, patrols and other areas do not demand a signature.
  • The master switch reaches the LiteLog app with the next data refresh — shortly after enabling it, the app may not show the signature dialog yet. The same applies to changed property and template settings.
  • The signature confirms identity; it does not replace a content review: the "Approval before customer dispatch" switch on form templates continues to work independently.

Frequently asked questions​

Why am I asked for my password when submitting?​

Your operator has activated the Digital Signature for this area (incident reports, forms or tasks). By entering your password you confirm your identity at the moment of submission — a requirement in regulated industries. In the LiteLog app you can use your NFC chip or QR code instead, provided those methods are allowed at the property.

What happens if no signature was possible offline?​

Your data is not lost. LiteLog accepts the offline-captured incident report, form response or task completion during synchronization and records a deviation in the signature log ("signature missing"). The detail view then shows a deviation warning instead of "Digitally signed". How to handle such deviations is governed by your company's quality process.

I don't see a signature dialog even though the add-on is booked — why?​

Check the cascade from top to bottom: is the master switch in the App Store on? Is the affected area (incident reports / forms / tasks) set to "Required" on the property? Does the affected form template or task override the property setting with "Off"? And has the LiteLog app already fetched the changed configuration (synchronization)?

Can someone sign with another person's chip?​

No. The chip or QR code must belong to the signed-in account. LiteLog rejects someone else's credential and records the attempt in the log as a rejected signature.

Can a signature be changed or removed afterwards?​

No. The signature log is append-only — entries are neither changed nor deleted. Deleting the signed record does not remove the log row either.

Is this the same as the signature field in a form?​

No — see the note above: the signature field is a drawn image inside the form (e.g. a customer signature). The Digital Signature is the renewed identity check of the submitting person and produces the log entry with the checksum.

Permissions​

ActionRequirement
Open the App Store and toggle the master switchaccess to your company settings
Configure the signature requirement on a property"Edit properties" permission
Override on a template / taskedit rights on form templates or tasks
Unlock the add-onLiteLog team only (on request)