Documentation
Everything you need to install, configure, and run Certificate Generator.
Getting started
A 5-step quick start from install to your first bulk send.
- 1
Configure SMTP
Install the free WP Mail SMTP plugin, set the mailer to your provider, and set From Email to match your authenticated SMTP account.
- 2
Create a certificate template
Upload your background image and position the Name, Certificate Type, School, and Date fields on the canvas.
- 3
Add students
Add records manually, or use Bulk Import to upload a CSV (student_name, email, school_name, certificate_type, issue_date).
- 4
Send a test email
Go to Settings → Email and use Send Test Email to verify delivery before going live.
- 5
Bulk send
Go to Bulk Send, filter by school or certificate type, and click Send Certificates.
Features
- ✓Certificate templates — drag-position fields, per-field font/size/colour
- ✓PDF generation via a bundled FPDF engine — no TCPDF/mPDF dependency
- ✓QR-code verification on every certificate
- ✓Auto-generated, configurable serial numbers
- ✓Student / Teacher / School management, manual or bulk CSV
- ✓Bulk email sending with a background queue and retry backoff
- ✓Automatic ZIP bundling for recipients with multiple certificates
- ✓Email logs & analytics dashboard
- ✓Public verification & search shortcodes — no login required
- ✓REST API for external integrations
- ✓Free / Pro / Business licensing tiers
- ✓External sync with a companion GEMA backend
Shortcodes
Drop any of these into a page or post via the block or classic editor.
[student_search]Front-end search form for a student to look up their own certificate(s) by email.
[teacher_search]Same lookup flow for teachers.
[school_search]Same lookup flow for schools, by school name and place.
[school_bulk_certificate_download]Lets a school download all of its certificates in bulk (ZIP) from the front end.
[cg_verify_certificate]Public certificate authenticity verification form, reachable via a certificate's QR code.
REST API
Namespace certificate-generator/v1. Requires a bearer token unless noted.
| Method | Route | Auth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| POST | /issue-certificate | Bearer token | Gated to Pro / Business. Generates and emails/zips certificates by student email. |
| GET | /health | None | Liveness check. |
| POST | /validate-key | Bearer token | Validates an API key. |
| GET | /certificates-by-email | Bearer token | Read-only lookup — does not regenerate certificates. |
FAQ
Can I send certificates to teachers and schools too, not just students?
Yes — the bulk send page lets you choose the entity type before filtering, and each entity type has its own email template.
Will re-sending skip students who already received their certificate?
Yes — "Skip already sent" (checked by default) checks the email log and skips recipients with a sent entry for their certificate.
Can I use a Gmail account to send emails?
Yes, but Gmail requires an App Password. In WP Mail SMTP, choose Gmail as the mailer, use smtp.gmail.com on port 587, and your App Password.
How do I change the certificate PDF design?
Edit the template — upload a new background and reposition fields. Future PDFs use the new design; already-generated PDFs are unchanged.
Can students verify their certificate online?
Yes — every certificate's QR code links to a public verification page, and visitors can also search by serial number or email.
Is the plugin multisite compatible?
Partially — designed for single-site use. Network-wide activation requires the Business plan; Free/Pro network-activated installs track usage per site independently.