Certificates and Achievements with BricksMembers

BricksMembers now supports two ways to build certificates: PDF Builder for reliable downloadable certificates and Bricks Builder for flexible visual layouts. Both use the same certificate rules, manual awards, verification links, and Open Badges support.

This guide covers how to choose the right engine, build templates, issue certificates automatically, and share them with learners.

What You Can Build

• Downloadable course completion certificates
• Quiz pass certificates with scores
• Level-based achievement certificates
• Manual awards for special achievements
• Public verification pages and QR codes
• Inline PDF certificate pages
• Open Badges v2.0 compatible credentials

Step 1: Enable Certificates

1. Go to BricksMembers → Settings
2. Enable the Certificates module
3. Save settings
4. Open BricksMembers → Certificates

When the module is enabled, BricksMembers registers certificate templates, rules, manual awards, verification pages, PDF routes, and certificate-related Bricks elements.

Step 2: Choose the Right Template Engine

PDF Builder

Recommended for downloadable certificates. PDF Builder gives you a fixed certificate canvas with exact-position fields, real PDF output, background images, QR codes, icons, shapes, and reliable text placement.

• Best for printable/downloadable certificates
• Great when you want to place fields over a designed background
• Uses a visual drag-and-drop editor with layers and snapping
• Supports direct inline PDF display or a Bricks page that embeds the PDF

Bricks Builder

Best for flexible visual layouts. Bricks Builder certificates still work and remain useful for highly customized digital certificate pages. PDF export is supported, but the best results come from BRM’s print-safe starters and PDF-safe design rules.

• Best for digital layouts and full Bricks flexibility
• Use BRM print-safe starters for the most reliable PDF output
• Avoid overly complex printable layouts if PDF fidelity matters

Step 3: Create a Certificate Template

1. Go to BricksMembers → Certificates → Templates
2. Click Add New Template
3. Choose PDF Builder or Bricks Builder
4. Pick a preset or starter
5. Enter a unique name
6. Click Create Template

Available PDF Builder Formats

• A4 Portrait
• A4 Landscape
• A5 Portrait
• A5 Landscape
• US Letter Portrait
• US Letter Landscape

Each PDF Builder format includes three starter styles:

• Classic
• Modern
• Background Canvas

Step 4: Design the Certificate

Designing in PDF Builder

PDF Builder is a visual certificate editor with a real certificate canvas in the middle, layers on the left, and settings on the right.

You can add and arrange these blocks:

• Text
• Image
• Icon
• QR
• Shape

The editor supports:

• Dragging, resizing, and rotating blocks
• Snapping to safe margins, center lines, and nearby edges
• Inline text editing directly on the canvas
• Undo and redo
• Background images and background color/gradients
• Link URLs for text and image blocks
• Dynamic data placeholders

For background-based certificates, upload the certificate artwork as the document background, then place the dynamic fields exactly where they belong on top.

Useful Dynamic Data

• {{student_name}}
• {{scope_title}}
• {{issued_date}}
• {{number}}
• {{score}}
• {{verification_url}}
• {{display_url}}
• {{download_url}}
• {{pdf_url}}
• {{qr_url}}
• {{student_avatar_url}}
• {{scope_featured_image_url}}
• {{scope_video_image_url}}

The Preview Template action uses example data, so you can see realistic output while designing.

Designing in Bricks Builder

If you choose Bricks Builder, edit the template in Bricks and use certificate dynamic tags in your text, links, and images.

• {brm_cert:student_name}
• {brm_cert:scope_title}
• {brm_cert:issued_date}
• {brm_cert:number}
• {brm_cert:verification_url}
• {brm_cert:download_url}
• {brm_cert:display_url}
• {brm_cert:pdf:url}
• {brm_cert:qr_url}
• {brm_cert:status}
• {brm_cert:expires_date}
• {brm_cert:template_title}
• {brm_cert:student_avatar_url}
• {brm_cert:site_name}
• {brm_cert:site_logo_url}

For the complete list, see the Dynamic tags reference (Certificate Tags section).

Use Bricks Builder when you want complete Bricks control, but remember that complex printable layouts can behave differently when exported to PDF than they do in the browser.

Step 5: Configure Rules

Go to BricksMembers → Certificates → Rules and create an automatic issuance rule for the template.

Trigger	Use Case
Course completion	Issue when progress reaches the required scope
Post completion	Issue when one or more selected posts are marked complete
Quiz pass	Issue when one or more selected quizzes are passed
Level granted	Issue when a user receives a level

Important rule behavior:

• One rule per template
• Post and quiz triggers can target multiple items
• Rules are now grouped by template and easier to manage from the Templates tab

Step 6: Set the Success Page (Per Template)

Each certificate template has a Success Page setting. This is the page shown after a user earns the certificate (e.g. after passing a quiz). Create a WordPress page, design it in Bricks Builder with certificate dynamic tags like {brm_cert:display_url}, {brm_cert:download_url}, {brm_cert:certificate_number}, {brm_cert:student_name}, then select it in the template settings (gear icon). Certificate context is set when learners view this page.

Step 7: Set the Verification Page (Optional)

Each template can use a custom Bricks page for certificate verification (when someone scans a QR code or clicks a verification link). Create a Bricks page with dynamic tags such as {brm_cert:status}, {brm_cert:student_name}, {brm_cert:scope_title}, {brm_cert:number}, {brm_cert:issued_date}, {brm_cert:display_url}, {brm_cert:download_url}, and {brm_cert:qr_url}. In the template settings (gear icon), set this page as the Verification Page. If you leave it empty, the built-in verification page is used.

Step 8: Choose How Learners See the Certificate

For PDF Builder templates, the template settings let you choose how the certificate opens publicly.

• Direct PDF — learners open the inline PDF directly
• Bricks Page — learners open a Bricks page that embeds the certificate PDF

For Bricks Builder templates, the certificate always displays on the template page itself.

You can also use these Bricks elements on dashboards or completion pages:

• BRM Certificate PDF

For download buttons, verification links, QR codes, badge images, and details like date, number, score, or status, use regular Bricks elements together with certificate dynamic tags.

Manual Awards

Use the Manual Award tab when you need to issue a certificate without a rule.

• Select the user
• Select the template
• Optionally define scope and score
• Issue the certificate

Sharing, Downloading, and Verification

Each issued certificate can expose:

• a verification page
• a download URL
• an inline PDF URL
• a QR code

Core public routes:

• /certificate/verify/{hash}
• /certificate/download/{hash}
• /certificate/pdf/{hash}
• /certificate/qr/{hash}

These work well for learner dashboards, completion screens, email links, and profile pages.

Open Badges v2.0

If you enable the separate Open Badges module, each certificate template can also export an Open Badges credential.

• Enable Open Badges per template
• Add badge criteria
• Select a badge image from the Media Library
• Offer a badge PNG download alongside the certificate

Recommended Workflow

• Choose PDF Builder if downloadable PDF fidelity matters
• Choose Bricks Builder if the certificate is mainly a branded digital page
• Use one template per rule
• Use QR verification on all public certificates
• Preview templates before connecting them to live rules