Build a reusable, accessible certificate that auto fills learner and course details. You design a PDF once, map fields to Brightspace replace strings (for example, {FullName} and {AwardDate}), and then generate branded certificates from Course Awards with a single click.
Why this matters
- Save time: Auto populate data from Awards. No manual edits before printing or sharing.
- Stay on brand: Control fonts, layout, and logos in your own PDF template.
- Be accessible: Use meaningful Tooltip text and a logical reading order for screen readers.
What you need
- A PDF editor that supports AcroForm text fields (For example: Adobe Acrobat Pro).
- Permission to create awards in your course.
Prepare your template
- Design your certificate in Word or PowerPoint.
- File > Save As > PDF.
- Keep labels like Awarded to as static text outside fields
Tip: Use high contrast colors, readable font sizes, and a logical reading order (support accessibility).
To create a certificate with editable form fields which include replace strings using a PDF editing software such as Adobe Pro
- The Certificate can begin as a word document or PowerPoint which you save as a PDF. Do one of the following:
- If you need to add blank spaces prepared as a field for a name or date to appear then proceed to step 2.
- If your certificate has blank spaces prepared as a field for a name or date to appear then proceed to step 3.
- Open your document in Adobe Pro and select the Add a Text field icon in the editing ribbon, and move the text field where you would like it to be positioned on the certificate.
- In Adobe Pro, open your certificate template (if you have not already done so) that you started in word or Power Point and saved as PD. Select Tools.
- Under the heading Forms and Signature select Prepare Forms. Your Form Field(s) will be highlighted on the page.
- Right click on the field and select Properties.
- Enter the replace string you’d like to use to the Name and Tooltip field. You can only use one replace string per form field. You can also edit the appearance of the text by clicking on the Appearance tab. When you create the text of your certificate you’ll want to make sure that any text that is not a replace string is created outside of the form field. For example, if you want your certificate to say Congratulations Jillian Student, “Congratulations” will be entered as text outside of the form field, and {FullName} will appear in the form field.
Note: A full list of replace strings that can be used with the Awards Tool appears follows these instructions in this article.
- If you’re creating a form field that could be filled by a long value, for example full name- make sure the field will be large enough to contain all of the text. There are two options to do this:
- Recommended for Certificates that will only be viewed online: select the options tab and click Multi-Line. This option will allow for scrolling to see more information inside of a form field.
Note: This option does not print as well as option b.
- Recommended for Certificates that are intended to be printed. Select the Appearance Tab. In the Text section, choose the Font Size drop down menu and select Auto. This automatically resizes the font to ensure it fits inside of the form field you've created.
- Save your file as PDF.
- Navigate to your course and select Course Awards > Add Award to Course.
- Click the Create button and select Certificate as the Award Type.
- Fill in the required forms and upload your PDF Certificate by selecting Upload New Template.
- To test out your certificate and see how it appears for a student, consider creating a test student in your course and logging in as that student. Complete the required release condition as that student. A certificate can be saved or printed by navigating to the certificate under Awards on the navigation bar. Select the link name of the certificate that you would like to access, and then select the Generate Certificate link.
Awards Tool Replace Strings
- {CertificateID} – Inserts the unique Certificate ID of the issued award. Example: “882246467913”
- {CourseName}: Inserts the name of the course. Example: “ACCT 101: Introduction to Accounting”
- {UserFirstName}: Inserts the first name of the user issued the certificate. Example: “Christopher”
- {UserLastName}: Inserts the last name of the user issued the certificate. Example: “Johnson”
- {FullName}: Inserts the first and last name of the user issued the certificate. Example: “Christopher Johnson”
- {UserEmail}: Inserts the email address of the user issued the certificate. Example: “christopher.johnson@school.edu”
- {UserName}: Inserts the Username of the user issued the certificate. Example: “cjohnson”
- {OrgDefinedID}: Inserts the Org Defined Id of the user issued the certificate. Example: “8675309”
- {AwardName}: Inserts the name of the award. Example: “Certificate of Achievement”
- {AwardDescription}: Inserts the description of the award. Example: “This certificate is awarded to those of...”
- {AwardEvidence}: Inserts the evidence of the award completion. Example: “This certificate is awarded to those who complete the following...”
- {IssuerFirstName}: Inserts the first name of the user who issued the certificate. Example: “Stephen”
- {IssuerLastName}: Inserts the last name of the user who issued the certificate. Example: “Patel”
- {IssuerName}: Inserts the Issuer Name as set from the award. Example: “Brightspace”
- {IssuerContact}: Inserts the Issuer Contact as set from the award. Example: “Brightspace@d2L.com”
- {AwardCreditValue}: Inserts the credit value of the award. Example: “3 credits”{CertificateID} | Inserts the unique Certificate ID of the issued award. Example: “882246467913”
- {CourseStartDate}: Inserts the Start Date of the course as a full verbose date. Example: “Wednesday January 1, 2020”
- {CourseEndDate}: Inserts the End Date of the course as a full verbose date. Example: “Tuesday December 31, 2024”
- {AwardDate}: Inserts the Issue Date of the award as a full verbose date. Example: “Friday March 18, 2022”
- {AwardExpiryDate}: Inserts the Expiry Date of the award as a full verbose date. Example: “Saturday April 1, 2023”
- {CourseStartDateShort}: Inserts the Start Date of the course as a numeric short date. Example: “2020-01-01"
- {CourseEndDateShort}: Inserts the End Date of the course as a numeric short date. Example: “2024-12-31"
- {AwardDateShort}: Inserts the Issue Date of the course as a numeric short date. Example: “2022-03-18"
- {AwardExpiryDateShort}: Inserts the Expiry Date of the course as a numeric short date. Example: “2023-04-01"
Note: Date formatting is controlled by the PDF when creating a Certificate Template. For organizations that support multiple regions or languages, use the short versions of date replacement strings.
Avoid verbose date replacement strings, as they can cause issues when a certificate is created in one language but the date is rendered in another. Short date replacement strings use numeric values only and are more reliably recognized by PDF fields, regardless of language.
Release Conditions
Brightspace contains a long list of possible actions and parameters that can be easily defined to restrict and release content to the learners. These create a dynamic and progressive learning experience and can allow the moderators control over who sees what and when. Release conditions can be applied to any Brightspace tool: Awards, Certificates, Content, News Items, Homepage Widgets, and much more. For more information, refer to: About Release Conditions.
Note: As of the March 2025/20.25.03 release, administrators can control whether learners can view the CertificateId when sharing their awards by using the new d2l.Tools.Awards.DisplayCertificateId configuration variable.