This guide will show CN Channel Admins how to create certificates with their own template and issue them to users. Please note that this feature is only available to institutions that have purchased this advanced feature. Contact the CN Team if your institution hopes to access this feature.
If your PDF certificate design has already been created skip to STEP8.
Otherwise, continue to get started from the very beginning.
Creating and Preparing Your Certificate
STEP1: If you don’t know where to get started, we suggest visiting Canva.com to create a custom certificate, there are free and paid templates available with many customization options and it’s very easy to use. Other options for creating certificates include: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint, Edraw, Visme, and Fotor.
Continue to STEP2 to get started in creating your custom certificate!
STEP2: Head over to Canva.com. If you don’t have an account, don’t worry! An account is not necessary to create your design, however, if you wish to save the design for future modifications or insert custom images such as an eSignature, we recommend creating an account with Canva, they offer free and paid accounts. In this case, we will show the non-Canva account view.
STEP3: Select “Templates” from the top navigation bar.
Then you will be taken to the “Templates” page.
STEP4: Search “Certificates” in the search bar.
STEP5: Once you have done that, you should see a page with the offered certificate templates. From here you can filter based on the style or theme you are wanting and scroll through and select a pre-existing design, or create your own from scratch.
STEP6: After selecting a design, you can then continue to make any modifications necessary by editing text, moving elements, or deleting anything unwanted. Further assistance on Canva’s tools is available here. Please remember to leave sections blank for the Name, Date, Course and other form information that will be unique, as we will set these dynamic fields up in the next section. Below is a sample template that features the design, text, and signature, and is ready to add the form fields.
STEP7: Once you have your certificate how you want it, let’s export it! To export your certificate, select the download icon(1.) and make sure “PDF Print” is selected to ensure the highest quality of download. Then select the larger “Download” button(2.) and choose a save destination.
Congratulations! You are now ready to move on to STEP8 to begin adding form fields!
Adding Form Fields to Your Certificate
At this point, you should have the PDF file of your certificate ready to add form fields and should be filled out completely besides the changing dynamic information that will be auto-generated by CN, for example, a user’s name, the date of issuance and expiration, and other information unique to each user. We will now begin the process for identify the dynamic form fields!
STEP8: Now it’s time to add the necessary form fields to be generated! We recommend using pdfescape.com and will continue to use that website to add the form fields! Simply drag and drop your PDF file or select the “Choose File” button to find your PDF file in your saved destination.
STEP9: After your PDF file is accepted by pdfescape.com, you can start adding form fields! Firstly, select the “Insert” tab at the top left section, it should be selected by default. Then select the “Form Field” button (1.). You will have to specify what type of form it is. Since we started with the Name first, we selected the “Text” option. Confirm by pressing “Select”. Then you should see a yellow bar at the top of the page saying you’re in “edit” mode. Simply click/select and drag the desired size for your form field (2.). Once you let go or confirm the size, you can always move and resize the field.
STEP10: Right click on the form field you just created and select “Object Properties”. Then you will see a dialog box displayed asking about form field properties. want to focus on the “Name:” (highlighted in the screenshot below). This is where we will add the attribute that will match with CN data, so that it will be populated once you submit your PDF to CN. View the tables below the image for accepted attributes.
The “Name:” is Case-Sensitive and should match the “CN Supported Certificate Fields” exactly in Table1 and 2 below, otherwise the issued certificates will not generate properly.
Table 1: PDF Form Fields For CSV Issued Certificates
CN Supported Certificate Form Fields |
Description *Required Certificate Fields |
Example |
Notes |
|
Name
|
The name of the certificate recipient.
|
John Smith
|
|
|
Course_Program
|
The name of the course or program that issues the certificate.
|
2021 Security Training
|
|
|
Certificate_Issue_Date
|
The date that the certificate was awarded.
|
Jan 1, 2022
|
Enter the date into the .csv file as you would want it to appear on the certificate. Ex. Jan 1, 2022; 1/1/22, January 1st, 2022.
|
|
Certificate_Expiration_Date
|
The date the certificate expires.
|
Jan 12, 2024
|
Enter the date into the .csv file as you would want it to appear on the certificate. Ex. Jan 1, 2022; 1/1/22, January 1st, 2022.
|
|
Date_{X}_Year_After_Issue_Date
|
A date {X} years after the date the certificate was issued.
{X} is a number, ranging from 1 to 9.
For example:
|
Jan 12, 2024
|
If your certificate expires after a certain number of years, specify this field ONLY in the pdf filler tool, not Certificate_Expiration_Date and remove Certificate_Expiration_Date from .CSV if you wish to take this approach.
|
|
Message
|
A custom message that will be displayed on the certificate.
|
This training course requires 30 hours to complete.
|
Table 2: PDF Form Fields For CN Auto-Awarded Certificates (i.e. course completion certificates)
CN Supported Certificate Fields |
Description *Required Certificate Fields |
Example |
Notes |
|
Name
|
The name of the certificate recipient.
|
John Smith
|
CN will automatically fill this field when the certificate is issued.
|
|
Course_Program
|
The name of the course or program that issues the certificate.
|
2021 Security Training
|
CN will automatically fill this field when the certificate is issued.
|
|
Certificate_Issue_Date
|
The date that the certificate was awarded.
|
Jan 24, 2022
|
CN will automatically fill this field when the certificate is issued.
|
|
Date_{X}_Year_After_Issue_Date
|
A date {X} years after the date the certificate was issued.
{X} is a number, ranging from 1 to 9.
For example:
|
Jan 12, 2024
|
If your certificate has an expiration date, CN will calculate this date for each recipient based on when their certification issue date is.
|
|
Message
|
Custom message that will be displayed on the certificate.
|
This training course requires 30 hours to complete.
|
You MUST first identify this field on your certificate template, then compose this message through course completion settings.
|
Note, not all of the form fields are required on a certificate template. You only identify fields that you need.
STEP11: After identifying all of your needed CN Supported Certificate Fields, you are finished and will need to export the final template file. Below is our sample after we have identified the form fields. Let’s continue!
STEP12: To export, simply select the downward-facing white and green double arrow button on the left-hand side of the tools. Save your PDF and that’s it! Now you’re ready to upload your newly created PDF to CN!
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