Overview
Some time ago, my brother Jones Mota faced a routine task: issuing dozens of certificates, each for a different person. He shared this difficulty with me, and that's when I decided to create a certificate generator, basically a file in which it would be possible to insert just a list of people, and the system would take care of generating each certificate and saving that information.
Of course, there are websites on the internet that do the same thing, but two things bother me about them: the lack of freedom for customization and the bureaucracy, often requiring you to enter your email (and basically accept all kinds of spam) or obtaining files with watermarks. Precisely to avoid these inconveniences (and also for fun, of course), I decided to create this simple tool.
Anyway, let's go to the details and instructions for use.
Details
The tool is a PowerPoint file consisting of 2 slides. The first one contains the table to be filled with the names of the participants, as well as instructions for use. The second one is the certificate itself; on this slide, the user can create their certificate however they want, customization is completely free.
Requirements
The user must have a computer with Microsoft Office installed. Theoretically, the tool works on any version from 2010 onwards, but it has only been tested on versions 2013 and above.
- Open the Certificate Generator v1.0.pptm file.
- If a warning appears to enable macros and/or content, click enable. This is mandatory, or the macros will not run. The code is totally trustable and does nothing besides what is described here, but you can always check the full code by pressing ALT + F11 and checking the VBA code before enabling the macros.
- On the first slide, enter the names of the people who will receive the certificate, following the order from left to right and top to bottom. By default, the file can generate 90 certificates, but if you need more, just add new columns to the right of the table.
- On the second slide, you should create your certificate; you can customize this slide however you want, add images, texts, graphics, in short, the possibilities are endless. However, there must be a form (text box, rectangle, or etc) with the text "###PARTICIPANT_NAME###". This "code" will be searched by the tool and replaced by each person listed in the table on slide 1.
- After customizing the certificate as desired and entering the names of the participants, go to the "Certificate Generator" tab at the top and click "Generate Certificates". Then, select the location where you want to save the generated certificates and enter the initial name and click "Save". The certificates will be generated in the defined format and will follow the pattern of the name "Entered Name - Participant Name".
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Completely free tool.
- No need for internet.
- No security information risks as it does not use any network components.
- No bureaucracy (registrations, emails, etc.).
- High customization possibility.
Cons
- Requires a computer with Microsoft Office installed.
- No mobile compatibility.
General Observations
- On the first slide, there are instructions on how to use the generator. But if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.
- You can change the default name and extension through the "Change Default Name and Extension" option in the "Certificate Generator" tab.
- Certificate is just one of the possible uses, in fact, the tool can be used to generate any file/document for various texts.
Download
The tool is a PowerPoint file consisting of 2 slides. The first one contains the table to be filled with the names of the participants, as well as instructions for use. The second one is the certificate itself; on this slide, the user can create their certificate however they want, customization is completely free.
Conclusion
Well, that's it. Again, there are other tools and websites that do the same thing, but I found it fun to create this tool and decided to make it available to anyone interested. I'll start doing this for other things I've created over the years.