Understanding Your Dashboard

Time to read: 5 minutes

Overview

Your dashboard is the first thing you see when you log into CertLister. It gives you a quick overview of your certificate statistics and trends.

This guide explains what the dashboard shows and how to use it effectively.

Dashboard Layout

Your dashboard has 2 main sections:

1. Statistics Cards (top row) - 4 key metrics
2. Analytics Charts (bottom row) - 2 trend visualizations

Section 1: Statistics Cards

The top row shows 4 key metrics at a glance. Each card is clickable to view filtered details.

Total Certificates

What it shows:

• Total number of certificates you've issued
• All certificates, regardless of status

Example: "125"

What it's useful for:

• Tracking growth over time
• Knowing your certificate volume
• Monitoring usage against your plan limit (Free tier: 50 certificates)

Click to: View all certificates

Active Certificates

What it shows:

• Certificates that are currently valid
• Excludes expired and revoked certificates

Example: "118"

What it's useful for:

• Seeing how many valid certificates are in circulation
• Compliance reporting

How it updates:

• Automatically when certificates expire (based on expiry date)
• When you manually revoke certificates

Click to: View only active certificates

Expired Certificates

What it shows:

• Certificates past their expiration date
• Certificates that were active but are no longer valid

Example: "7"

What it's useful for:

• Identifying certificates that need renewal
• Compliance tracking
• Planning recertification training

Click to: View only expired certificates

Categories

What it shows:

• Total number of certificate categories you've created
• Helps organize different types of certifications

Example: "5"

What it's useful for:

• Tracking how many certificate types you manage
• Deciding if you need to consolidate or add categories

Common categories:

• Safety Training
• Professional Development
• Compliance Certifications
• Technical Skills

Click to: Manage categories

Section 2: Analytics Charts

Two charts provide visual insights into your certificate data.

Certificates Trend Chart

What it shows:

• Line chart showing certificate issuance over time
• Historical trends and patterns

Features:

• Refresh button to update data
• Interactive tooltips on hover
• Time-based visualization

What it's useful for:

• Seeing growth trends
• Identifying peak issuance periods
• Planning capacity for busy seasons

Category Distribution Chart

What it shows:

• Pie chart showing certificates by category
• Percentage breakdown of certificate types

What it's useful for:

• Understanding which certificate types are most common
• Balancing training programs
• Resource allocation

Navigating from the Dashboard

The Left Sidebar

The left sidebar is always visible and provides access to all navigation:

• Dashboard - Returns you to this page
• Certificates - View and manage all certificates
• Categories - Organize certificate types
• Verify - Access public verification and logs
• Settings - Organization settings, profile, billing

User Menu

Click your name or profile icon at the bottom of the sidebar:

• Profile - Update your name and email
• Settings - Organization and account settings
• Log Out - Sign out of your account

Understanding Certificate Statuses

Certificates on your dashboard have three possible statuses:

Active (Green)

What it means:

• Certificate is currently valid
• Not expired or revoked
• Appears in public verification as valid

Shows as active when:

• No expiration date set
• Expiration date is in the future

Expired (Yellow/Orange)

What it means:

• Expiration date has passed
• No longer valid for compliance
• Shows as "Expired" in public verification

What happens:

• Status automatically changes at midnight on expiration date
• Recipient should renew or recertify

Revoked (Red)

What it means:

• Certificate manually revoked by administrator
• Invalid even if expiration date hasn't passed
• Shows as "Revoked" in public verification

Common reasons to revoke:

• Fraudulent certificate
• Recipient violated terms
• Certificate issued in error
• Credential suspended

Clickable Stats Cards

Each statistics card is clickable and navigates to a filtered view:

Total Certificates → All Certificates page

Active Certificates → Certificates filtered by "Active" status

Expired Certificates → Certificates filtered by "Expired" status

Categories → Categories management page

Tip: Use these shortcuts to quickly access relevant data instead of manually filtering.

Dashboard Refresh

Dashboard data updates automatically when you:

• Create a new certificate
• Edit a certificate
• Delete a certificate
• Certificate expires (status changes overnight)

Manual refresh:

• Click the refresh icon in the dashboard header
• Or refresh your browser page (F5 or Cmd+R)

Tips for Using Your Dashboard Effectively

Check Daily

Morning routine (2 minutes):

1. Review stats - any unexpected changes?
2. Look at trend chart - normal issuance pattern?
3. Check category distribution - balanced?

Monitor Growth

Weekly task:

• Compare "Total Certificates" to previous week
• Increasing? Your programs are growing
• Plateaued? Consider marketing or new programs

Track Expirations

Monthly task:

• Check "Expired Certificates" count
• Navigate to expired certificates
• Contact holders for renewal
• Plan recertification training

Keep Categories Organized

Quarterly task:

• Review category distribution chart
• Merge similar categories if needed
• Delete unused categories
• Keep it simple (5-15 categories is ideal)

Mobile Dashboard

CertLister works on phones and tablets.

Mobile view differences:

• Statistics stack vertically (one card per row)
• Charts adjust to screen width
• Touch-friendly navigation

Tip: Bookmark app.certlister.com on your phone for quick access.

Troubleshooting

Stats show wrong numbers

Problem: Numbers seem incorrect or outdated.

Solutions:

1. Refresh your browser (Ctrl+R or Cmd+R)
2. Clear browser cache and cookies
3. Log out and log back in
4. Wait a few minutes (data may be updating)

"No data to display"

Problem: Dashboard shows empty state.

Reasons:

• You just created your account (no certificates yet)
• All certificates were deleted
• Data is still loading

Solution:

• Create your first certificate
• Wait for data to load completely
• Check your internet connection

Charts not loading

Problem: Statistics cards show but charts are blank.

Reasons:

• Slow internet connection
• Browser compatibility issue
• JavaScript disabled

Solutions:

• Refresh the page
• Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Check that JavaScript is enabled in browser settings
• Clear browser cache

Stats don't match certificate count

Problem: Numbers don't add up (Active + Expired ≠ Total).

Reason: You may have revoked certificates, which are counted in Total but not in Active or Expired.

Solution: This is correct behavior. Total includes all statuses (Active + Expired + Revoked).

What the Dashboard Doesn't Show

To keep the dashboard focused, some information is not displayed:

Not on dashboard:

• Full list of all certificates (use Certificates page)
• Individual certificate details (click through to view)
• Verification logs (use Verify → Logs)
• Team member activity (if multi-user organization)
• Billing information (use Settings → Billing)

Next Steps

Now that you understand the dashboard, here's what to do next:

1. Create Your First Certificate

Learn how to issue certificates step-by-step.

2. Set Up Categories

Organize your certificates by type.

3. Explore the Certificates Page

View, search, filter, and export your certificates.