Categories: Organise Credentials & Configure Settings

Time to read: 10 minutes

Overview

Categories are the organisational backbone of CertLister. Every credential belongs to a category, and a category is where you configure almost everything about how those credentials behave:

• Default credential title — pre-fill the title field when creating new credentials
• Automation — whether emails are sent on issuance, whether credentials auto-expire, and how long until they do
• Default design — link a Design Studio design so PDFs can be generated automatically on issue
• Credential numbering — custom prefix per category (Pro)
• Custom data fields — capture extra information on each credential (Pro)
• Verification page — choose which fields appear and in what order on the public verify card (Pro)
• Internal notes — private notes visible only to your team
• Bulk operations — generate PDFs, send emails, or manage multiple categories at once

Think of a category as a template for a class of credentials. "2024 Safety Training", "First Aid Level 2", and "Employee Onboarding" would each be separate categories, each with their own settings.

Plan Availability

Creating a Category

1. Click Categories in the left navigation
2. Click + Add Category (top right)
3. The category drawer slides in from the right — fill in the name and any settings you want to configure now
4. Click Save

Note: Category names must be unique within your organisation. CertLister detects similar names as you type and shows a warning — review before saving to avoid duplicates (see Duplicate name warning).

Create & Issue Shortcut

In the footer of the create drawer, there is a second button (lightning bolt icon): Create & Issue. This saves the new category and immediately opens the Quick Issue drawer, pre-populated with it. Use it when you want to define a category and issue the first credential to it in one flow without going back to the table.

Category Settings

All settings are accessible from the edit icon (pencil) on any category row, which opens the category drawer. Settings are grouped into the following sections:

• Basic Info (always visible)
• Default Design (visible when your org has at least one design)
• Default Credential Title (always visible)
• Accordions: Automation, Custom Fields (Pro), Verification Page (Pro), Credential Numbering (Pro), Open Badge Criteria (if OB3 is enabled), Internal Notes

Click an accordion header to expand it.

Basic Info

Default Design & Auto-generate PDF

If your organisation has at least one design saved in the Design Studio, this section appears between Description and Default Credential Title.

Default Design — select which Design Studio design to use for credentials in this category. The dropdown lists all saved designs, with (default) shown next to your org's default design. Select None (use org default) to fall back to the org-wide default.

When you click Generate PDFs for this category, the selected design is pre-chosen in the bulk generator automatically.

Auto-generate PDF on issue — a toggle below the design picker. When on, a PDF is generated in the background for each credential immediately after it is issued (using the linked design). The credential is created and the success screen appears right away; PDF generation completes silently in the background.

Requires a canvas design (Design Studio v3). Legacy SVG-based designs do not support auto-generate. The toggle is disabled if no design is selected.

Default Credential Title

The default title pre-fills the Credential Title field every time you create a new credential in this category. It saves time and enforces naming consistency across credentials in the same programme.

Example: If your category is "First Aid Level 2", setting the default title to "Certificate of Achievement — First Aid Level 2" means every credential in that category starts with that title already filled in. You can still override it per credential.

Title Presets

The Default Title field includes a preset picker. Click the presets icon next to the field to choose from:

• System presets — standard phrases like "Certificate of Completion", "Certificate of Achievement", "Certificate of Attendance", "Certificate of Participation", "Certificate of Excellence"
• Your custom presets — titles you have saved for reuse across your organisation

To save a custom preset: type a title in the field → click Save as preset → enter a label → save. Your preset is then available in the picker for all categories.

To delete a custom preset: open the preset picker → click the trash icon next to the preset name.

Custom presets are stored at the organisation level and available to all admins and managers.

Automation

Three switches control how CertLister handles credentials in this category automatically. These are the defaults for new credentials — you can always override them per credential when issuing.

Send issuance email

When on, CertLister emails each recipient their credential as soon as it is created, provided a Recipient Email is saved on the credential.

Requires: Basic or Pro. See Credential Automation for full detail on email behaviour, overrides, and troubleshooting.

Send expiry reminder

When on, CertLister emails each recipient a set number of days before their credential expires. The lead time is configured org-wide in Settings → Notifications (default: 7 days).

Requires: Basic or Pro.

Auto-expire past expiry date

When on, the daily job (runs at 2 AM UTC) automatically flips any Active credential in this category to Expired once its expiry date has passed.

Available on all plans.

Default Expiry Months

An optional number field (1–240 months) at the bottom of the Automation accordion.

When a category with this set is selected in the Issue Credential drawer, the expiry date field opens automatically and is pre-filled to today + the configured number of months. You can still adjust the date before saving. Leave this blank for credentials that don't expire or where the duration varies.

Example: Set to 24 for a CPR category — every time you issue a CPR credential and select this category, the expiry date is already calculated for you.

See Credential Automation for scenario examples and full troubleshooting steps.

LinkedIn Sharing

The LinkedIn share button appears on the public verify page for credentials in this category. When turned on, recipients can click it to add the credential to their LinkedIn profile.

This setting is on by default for all categories. Turn it off for internal or confidential credentials where public sharing is not appropriate.

Custom Attributes (Pro)

Pro plan feature

Custom attributes let you define additional data fields that appear on every credential in the category. Common examples: "Score", "Instructor", "Location", "Batch Number", "Training Provider".

Custom attributes are managed from the Custom Fields accordion inside the category drawer. See Custom Credential Attributes for a full guide on defining fields, entering values, using tokens in Design Studio, and displaying them on the verify page.

Quick facts:

• Up to 5 custom fields per category
• Field keys are lowercase alphanumeric + underscores (e.g., score, instructor_name)
• Values are entered per credential in the credential form
• Fields appear in the Design Studio via {{custom.key}} tokens
• You control whether each field is visible on the public verify card

Verify Page Fields (Pro)

Pro plan feature

The Verification Page accordion lets you customise which fields appear on the public verify card for credentials in this category, and in what order.

Fixed fields (always shown, position not changeable):

• Recipient name
• Credential title
• Issuing organisation name

Reorderable fields (drag to reorder, toggle visibility):

• Category name
• Description
• Status
• Expiry date
• Download PDF button
• LinkedIn share button

Custom attributes are always shown last if enabled.

The default is to show all fields. Turn off any field that is not relevant for a given category — for example, turn off the Expiry Date field for lifetime credentials that never expire.

Tip: These settings only affect the detail view once a credential has been verified. The search and result presentation on the verify page shell are configured in Portal Settings.

Internal Notes

A free-text field (max 1,000 characters) for private notes about the category — programme details, admin reminders, contact information, etc.

Internal notes are never shown on the public verify page or in any recipient-facing view. They are only visible to admins and managers in your organisation.

Bulk Operations

Send Emails to an Entire Category

To email all recipients in a category at once:

1. On the Categories page, find the category row
2. Click the ··· menu → Send Emails
3. The dialog shows how many recipients will receive an email
4. Choose whether to send only to recipients who haven't been emailed yet (recommended) or send to all
5. On Pro, check "Attach PDF credential to email" to include the PDF as an attachment
6. Click Send

CertLister sends at up to 10 emails per 6 seconds. Large batches take a few minutes to complete.

Requires: Basic or Pro plan. PDF attachment requires Pro.

Generate PDFs for a Category

To generate (or regenerate) PDFs for all credentials in a category:

1. Click the ··· menu on the category row → Generate PDFs
2. This takes you to the Bulk Generator page pre-filtered to that category
3. If the category has a Default Design set, it is pre-selected for you
4. Select which credentials to generate and confirm

Requires: Basic or Pro plan. See Generate PDFs for Your Credentials for the full workflow.

Bulk Edit Automation

To update automation settings across multiple categories at once:

1. Select the categories using the row checkboxes
2. In the bulk action bar that appears, click Edit Automation
3. The dialog shows three toggles — set each to on, off, or leave unchanged
4. Click Apply

Useful when you're setting up a new organisation and want consistent automation across all categories.

Merge Categories

Merging moves all credentials from one or more source categories into a single target category, then deletes the sources.

1. Select the categories to merge (checkboxes)
2. Bulk action bar → Merge
3. Choose the target category to merge into
4. Review the count of credentials that will be moved
5. Click Merge

Warning: This is irreversible. The source categories are deleted after their credentials are moved. Ensure the target category has the correct automation and settings before merging.

Bulk Delete

To delete multiple categories:

1. Select the categories using row checkboxes
2. Bulk action bar → Delete
3. Choose what to do with any credentials in those categories:
   • Reassign to another category — select a target category
   • Delete the credentials too — permanent
4. Review the counts and confirm

Warning: If you choose to delete the credentials, this cannot be undone. Reassigning is the safer option.

CSV Import and Export

Import Categories from CSV

1. Click the Import button (top of the Categories page)
2. Download the template CSV for the correct column format
3. Fill in your categories and upload the file
4. CertLister validates the file and shows a preview:
   • Create — new category will be created
   • Update — existing category (matched by name) will be updated
   • No change — no differences detected
   • Error — row has a validation problem (shown inline)
5. Review the preview, then click Import to proceed

CSV columns: name (required), description, default_title, cert_prefix, send_email_on_issue, send_expiry_reminder, auto_expire

Note: Custom attribute schemas, default design, and verify display config cannot be set via CSV import. Configure those from the category drawer after importing.

Export Categories to CSV

1. To export all categories: click Export (top of the page)
2. To export selected categories only: check the rows you want → bulk action bar → Export

The CSV export includes all standard fields plus a JSON representation of the custom attribute schema.

Quick Issue

The Quick Issue shortcut lets you create a single credential in a category without leaving the Categories page.

1. Click the ··· menu on a category row → Quick Issue
2. A drawer slides in from the right with a trimmed credential form
3. Fill in the recipient details and click Issue Credential

Useful for one-off credentials when you know exactly which category they belong to.

Troubleshooting

"Cannot delete category with associated credentials"

A category cannot be deleted while it contains credentials. You have two options:

• Move the credentials first: go to Credentials, filter by this category, select all, and use Move to Category in the bulk action bar
• Use Bulk Delete: on the Categories page, select the category → Delete → choose to reassign or delete credentials in the dialog

Category limit reached

If you see an error about reaching your category limit:

• Free plan: maximum 3 categories. Upgrade to Basic for up to 20.
• Basic plan: maximum 20 categories. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited.

Go to Settings → Plan & Billing to upgrade.

Duplicate category name warning

CertLister checks for duplicate and near-duplicate names as you type in the drawer. A warning chip appears on the row for categories with matching or very similar names.

• Exact match (case-insensitive): "A category named X already exists"
• Near-match (e.g., "First Aid Level 2" vs "First Aid Lv 2"): "Similar to existing category X"

The warning does not block saving — it is advisory. If you see it on an existing row, use Merge to consolidate the duplicates.

cert_prefix not saving

Category credential prefix requires a Pro plan. On Free or Basic, the field is visible but saving a value will return an upgrade prompt. Either leave it blank (uses org-level prefix) or upgrade to Pro.

Auto-generate PDF not triggering

• Confirm the category has a Default Design selected (the toggle is disabled without one)
• The design must be a canvas design (Design Studio v3) — legacy SVG templates are not supported
• PDF generation runs in the background after the credential is issued; check the credential detail view after a few seconds

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do category settings apply to existing credentials or only new ones?

A: Automation defaults (issuance email, expiry reminder, default expiry months) apply to new credentials going forward. The auto-expiry daily job processes all credentials in the category regardless of when they were created. Verify display config and custom attribute schema changes take effect immediately on the verify page.

Q: Can I move a credential from one category to another?

A: Yes. Open the credential → click Edit → change the Category field → save. You can also move multiple credentials at once from the Credentials page using the bulk action bar.

Q: What happens to the verify page when I change the verify display config?

A: Changes take effect immediately. The next time anyone visits the credential's verify URL, they will see the updated field configuration.

Q: Can I have different credential numbering per category?

A: Yes, on Pro. Set a Credential Prefix on each category to give each programme its own prefix. The numbering sequence and padding are still org-wide settings from Settings → Customisation.

Q: How many custom attribute fields can a category have?

A: Up to 5 custom fields per category. This limit applies per category, not per organisation — each of your categories can have its own set of up to 5 fields. See Custom Credential Attributes for full details.

Q: If I delete a custom attribute field from the schema, what happens to existing credential data?

A: The field is removed from the schema and will no longer appear in the credential form or on the verify page. However, the stored values on existing credentials are not deleted immediately — they remain in the database but are no longer visible. If you re-add the same field key later, the stored values will reappear.

Q: Can I rename a category?

A: Yes. Click the edit icon → update the Name field → save.

Q: What is the LinkedIn share button and how do I control it?

A: The LinkedIn button appears on the public verify page, allowing recipients to add the credential to their LinkedIn profile. It is enabled by default. To turn it off for a category, open the category drawer → toggle LinkedIn sharing off → save. This only affects credentials in that category.

Q: Can I send emails to recipients in a category even if the category's issuance email setting is off?

A: Yes. The Send Emails bulk action (via the ··· menu on the category row) sends emails regardless of the issuance email category setting. The category automation setting only controls whether emails are sent automatically at the moment of credential creation. The bulk send is always a manual, on-demand action.

Q: What does "Create & Issue" do differently from "Save"?

A: Both save the new category. Create & Issue additionally opens the Quick Issue drawer immediately after saving, pre-populated with the new category — so you can issue your first credential to it without going back to the table.

Q: Are internal notes visible to recipients?

A: No. Internal notes are private to your organisation and are never shown on the public verify page, in emails, or on credential PDFs.