In this article you will learn how to create a certificate that will be automatically given to students upon completion of your course in iSpring Learn.
The article consists of two parts:
  • In the first part you will create a generic PDF certicate without personal information.
  • In the second part of the article you will learn how to add form fields to the pdf certificate that will be filled in by iSpring Learn.

Create a Generic Certificate in Microsoft Office

The easiest way to create a certificate is to use a Microsoft Office template.

  1. In Microsoft PowerPoint, open the File tab.
  2. Choose New from the menu.
  3. Type "certificate" in the Office.com templates search field and press Enter.

    The program will list all available templates that contain the keyword "certificate" in their descriptions.

  4. Double-click a template that you like.

    PowerPoint will download and open the selected template.

  5. Modify the certificate to your liking.
  6. Make sure to fill in all text placeholders or delete those that will be later replaced with form fields for iSpring Learn to fill in.
    Note: iSpring Learn currently supports three form fields: user name, course title, and completion date.

When your certificate is ready, you should save it as pdf:

  1. Open the File tab on the PowerPoint ribbon.
  2. Click Save As.
  3. Choose "PDF (*.pdf)" in the Save as type drop-down menu.
  4. Click Save.

Add Form Fields to Personalize Your Certificate

OK, now you have a generic certificate. You can use it in your course, but it's static. For example, if you typed your course title in this certificate, it won't do for other courses that you may add in future. So it's more convenient to create a certificate that will include some information inserted dynamically right before a student downloads it.

iSpring Learn currently recognizes four form fields and Field ID's that you created in the User Profile field section.

The four pre-set form fields are: 

Please check how to create a new custom field and Field ID in the User Profile Fields article. 

To add form fields to your pdf certificate, please install Adobe Acrobat DC software.

Note: Do not mix it up with Adobe Acrobat Reader - it's just a viewer of pdf files, and you need a pdf editor.
  1. Open your pdf certificate in Adobe Acrobat X Pro.
  2. Click the Create button and choose PDF Form from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select Use the current document or browse to a file and click Next.
  4. Select Use the current document and click Next.
  5. Click Add New Field and choose Text Field in the drop-down menu.
  6. Use your mouse to move the form field to a desired location and then click the left mouse button to place the field.
  7. Type a field name: use one of the three names supported by iSpring Online: NAME, COURSE_NAME, or DATE.

Repeat Steps 5-7 to add more form fields and then save the certificate. You should end with something like this: