Certificate & Template Engine Multi School ERP SAAS

To provide a comprehensive guide on creating dynamic, professional-looking certificates, ID cards, and other official documents. This document explains the core concepts of the template engine, provides a complete reference for all available data placeholders, and offers step-by-step instructions for creating and generating documents.

Part 1: Core Concept - How the Template Engine Works

The template engine is a powerful tool that allows you to design a document's layout once and then use it to automatically generate personalized versions for hundreds of students.

It works on a simple principle: Templates + Placeholders = Final Document.

1. The Template: This is the base design of your document. You create it using a rich text editor, where you can add text, images (like logos or backgrounds), tables, and apply formatting (bold, italics, colors, alignment).
2. The Placeholders: These are special codes that you insert into your template. Each placeholder is a direct link to a specific piece of data in the school's database. They are always enclosed in curly braces, like {student_name}.
3. The Generation Process: When you choose to generate a document for a specific student, the engine does the following:
   • It takes your saved template.
   • It finds all the placeholders within it.
   • For each placeholder, it fetches the corresponding data for the selected student from the database.
   • It replaces the placeholder code with the actual data.
   • The final, merged document is then presented to you in a print-ready format.

Example:

• Template Text: This is to certify that {student_name}...
• Selected Student: John Doe
• Final Document Text: This is to certify that John Doe...

Part 2: The Placeholder Reference Guide

This is a complete list of all the placeholders you can use when designing your templates. Using the exact syntax is crucial for them to work correctly.

Part 3: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Template

Navigation: MODULES > Certificates > Certificate Templates

1. Click + Add New Template.
2. Enter Template Name: Give your template a clear, internal name (e.g., "Student ID Card Landscape", "Bonafide Certificate 2025").
3. Use the Content Editor: This is your design canvas.
   • For a simple text certificate (Bonafide):
     • Type the static text directly.
     • Where dynamic data is needed, copy and paste the exact placeholder from the reference guide above.

Example Text for a Bonafide Certificate:

codeHtml

<center><h2><u>BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE</u></h2></center>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is to certify that <b>{student_name}</b>, Admission Number <b>{admission_no}</b>, is a bonafide student of our school. </p>

<p>According to our school records, their date of birth is <b>{date_of_birth}</b> and they are currently studying in <b>{class_name} - {section_name}</b>.</p>

<p>We wish them all the best.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Date: {current_date}</p>

<p>{principal_signature}</p>

<p><b>Principal</b><br>{school_name}</p>

Part 4: Advanced Templating Techniques

Creating a Student ID Card using Tables

Tables are the best way to structure an ID card.

1. In the content editor, insert a table (e.g., 2 columns, 5 rows).
2. In the left column, place the static labels (e.g., "Name:", "Class:", "DOB:").
3. In the right column, place the corresponding placeholders.
4. For the photo, you can have a dedicated cell or row.

Example Table Structure:

codeHtml

<table style="width:100%; border: 1px solid black;">

<tr>

<td rowspan="4">{student_photo}</td>

<td><b>Name:</b></td>

<td>{student_name}</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td><b>Class:</b></td>

<td>{class_name} - {section_name}</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td><b>Adm No:</b></td>

<td>{admission_no}</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td><b>Contact:</b></td>

<td>{father_phone}</td>

</tr>

</table>

Using Background Images

Many certificates have a decorative border or a watermark.

1. Find the "Source Code" or <> button in the rich text editor's toolbar.
2. Wrap your entire template content in a <div> tag with a style attribute for the background image.
3. You must host your background image online and get its public URL.
4. Example code:

codeHtml

<div style="background-image: url('https://example.com/path/to/your/border.png'); background-size: cover; padding: 20px;">

<!-- All your certificate content, text, tables, etc., goes here -->

</div>

Part 5: Generating the Final Documents

Once your template is saved, you can use it to generate documents.

Navigation: MODULES > Certificates > Generate Document

1. Select Certificate Template: Choose the design you want to use from the dropdown.
2. Select Class & Section: Choose the group of students for whom you want to generate the documents.
3. Click Search.
4. A list of all students will appear.
5. Click the Generate (Print) icon next to an individual student to create a single document.
6. Or, select multiple students using the checkboxes and use the "Generate for Selected" button to create documents in bulk, ready for printing.
7. A print preview will open with the final, data-filled documents.