DSP Certificate Generator from Google Sheets
Turns each new certificate request row into a personalised Slides certificate, files the PDF copy in Drive and pings the trainer on WhatsApp.
Use this templateWhy use it
Every cohort ends the same way: a spreadsheet of names, course titles and completion dates, and someone opening the certificate deck, retyping each name, checking the spelling, exporting a PDF, renaming it, dropping it in the right Drive folder and then messaging the trainer to say it's ready. Twenty learners is an afternoon. One typo in a name and you do it again, and the person who spotted it is the learner, not you. Meanwhile nobody can tell you which certificates have actually been issued without scrolling the folder.
How it works
- 1A new certificate request row landing in your Google Sheets sheet starts the run — one row per learner, with their name, course and completion date.
- 2Google Drive duplicates your master certificate file so the original template is never touched and each learner gets their own copy to work from.
- 3A row is inserted into Google Sheets recording the issued certificate, so you have a running log of who has been generated and when, instead of guessing from folder contents.
- 4Google Slides fills the copied template with that learner's details from the row, producing the finished personalised certificate and its PDF version in Drive.
- 5A WhatsApp message goes out to the trainer through WhatsScale saying the certificate for that learner is ready, so they can check it or forward it without watching the sheet.
What it connects
- Google Sheets
- Google drive
- Google slides
- WhatsScale
Questions
How does the template know where to put the learner's name?
Your master Slides file uses named placeholders, and the generate step maps each one to a column from the triggering row. Rename or add placeholders in the deck, then point the new ones at the matching sheet columns.
What happens if I add ten rows at once at the end of a course?
Each new row is treated as its own run, so ten rows produce ten certificates, ten log entries and ten notifications. If you would rather have one summary ping, add the rows in a batch and expect a message per learner unless you adjust the last step.
Does the learner receive the certificate directly?
No. The WhatsApp message goes to the trainer only, and the PDF lives in Drive. That keeps a human review step before anything with a learner's name on it goes out, which is usually what you want with certificates.
Can I send the notification to more than one trainer?
The step sends to the number you configure. To route by course or cohort, add a column to the sheet holding the right recipient and reference that column in the WhatsApp step instead of a fixed number.
Do I need to apply for anything to send the WhatsApp message?
No. WhatsScale connects an existing WhatsApp number, so there is no application or waiting period before the notification step will run — connect the number and the flow can send.
What if a row is filled in incorrectly?
The flow generates from whatever the row contains, so a misspelt name becomes a misspelt certificate. Fix the source row and add it again to produce a corrected copy; the old file stays in Drive until you delete it.