How to Generate Certificates from Airtable Data (Step-by-Step Guide)

Generating certificates for course completions or training programs can be a repetitive, manual task. You copy names, download PDFs, and send them one by one, which takes hours and can lead to errors.

If you use Airtable to manage your data, you can automate this entire process. This guide will show you how to set up a system that generates professional certificates automatically.

When you automate certificate generation with Airtable, you:

• Reduce manual work from hours to seconds
• Eliminate copy-paste errors
• Maintain consistent branding across all certificates
• Free up time to focus on your programs and events

What You'll Build: An Automated Certificate System

To automate certificate generation from Airtable, you'll build a system that connects your data to a template. This guide shows you how to create a workflow that pulls recipient data, generates professional PDF certificates, and delivers them automatically.

The entire setup takes about 15 minutes, and you don't need any coding experience.

What You Need Before Starting

Before you begin, make sure you have these four items ready. I recommend starting with 5-10 test records so you can perfect your setup before generating certificates for a large group.

• Airtable account: The free version works perfectly for this.
• TypeFlow account: This connects your Airtable data to generate the PDFs.
• Recipient data: An Airtable table with a list of people who will receive certificates.
• Certificate template: A basic design in Google Docs.

Step 1: Set Up Your Airtable Base

First, set up your Airtable base to store all your recipient information. You can create a new table or use an existing one.

Add the following fields to your table to hold the certificate data:

• Recipient Name: The full name as it should appear on the certificate.
• Course Name: The program or achievement being certified. I recommend it to be a linked record (Have another table with all the courses).
• Completion Date: The date the recipient finished the course.
• Email Address: Where the certificate will be sent.
• Certificate Status: A checkbox or single-select field to track generation.

If your recipient data is in a spreadsheet, you can import it directly into Airtable. Click 'Add or import' and upload your CSV file.

Step 2: Design Your Certificate Template in Google Docs

You can duplicate our certificate template. Then change the design the way you want. Add placeholders for Airtable data. The placeholders work like fill-in-the-blank spaces that get replaced with actual information. Add your logos, adjust the borders, etc.

Add placeholders for the data you want to pull from Airtable. These act as fill-in-the-blank fields.

Placeholder Naming: Use double curly braces, like {{Recipient Name}}. For easy mapping, name placeholders the same as your Airtable fields.

For example, If your field is called "Full Name" in Airtable, your template variable name should be {{Full Name}} (or {{full name}} or {{full_name}}) but not {{Recipient Name}}.

To ensure your final PDF looks professional, follow these design tips:

• Keep text at least 12pt for readability.
• Leave a margin of at least 0.5 inches on all sides.
• Test your design with the longest name in your dataset to check for text overflow.

Step 3: Connect TypeFlow to Your Airtable Base

Connecting TypeFlow to Airtable takes about two minutes. You'll connect to Airtable securely. You can visit this link to connect your Airtable account to TypeFlow.

Now when creating a new flow, TypeFlow shows you all the selected bases in your Airtable account. Select the one with your certificate data, and TypeFlow reads your table structure and field names.

Step 4: Map Airtable Fields to Template Variables

This step connects your Airtable data to the placeholders in your template. You're telling TypeFlow which data goes where.

TypeFlow shows your template variables on the left and your Airtable fields on the right. Match each variable to its corresponding field by clicking or dragging. If your Airtable Field has the same name as the placeholders, you can use the Auto-map feature. The mapping will be done automatically.

• {{Recipient Name}} connects to your Recipient Name field.
• {{Course Name}} connects to your Course Name field.
• {{Completion Date}} connects to your Completion Date field.

Pro Tip: If your Airtable field names match your template placeholders, use the 'Auto-map' feature to complete this step instantly.

Step 5: Generate Your First Test Certificate

Before automating the entire process, generate a single test certificate. This allows you to catch any formatting or mapping errors early.

In TypeFlow, click 'Generate PDF for test' and select one record from your Airtable base. Once the PDF is created, check it for the following:

• Correct data in all placeholder fields.
• Proper text alignment and formatting.
• No blurry text or images that are cut off.

If anything looks wrong, adjust your Google Docs template and generate another test. Repeat this until the certificate looks perfect.

Step 6: Automate Certificate Generation

Once your test certificate looks right, you can set up automation. We'll cover three methods-pick the one that fits your workflow.

Method 1: Button Field (Quick Manual Generation)

To make certificate generation easy, you can add a button directly in your Airtable base:

1. In TypeFlow, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Classic Implementation."
2. Copy the URL; it should look like this: "https://app.typeflow.us/api/generate-doc?record_id="&RECORD_ID()&"&table_id=xxx&flow_id=xxx"

3. Go to your Airtable table and add a new button field

4. Paste the URL from TypeFlow to the URL Formula

Now whenever you want to generate a certificate, you can click the button in Airtable and it will generate the PDF for you.

Method 2: Airtable Automation (Trigger-Based)

With this method, we will use the Airtable Automation.

Open your Airtable base and click "Automations" in the top toolbar. Create a new automation and pick your trigger condition.

Common triggers include:

• When a record enters a view: Create a filtered view called "Ready for Certificate" and certificates generate when records appear there.
• When a field matches a condition: Generate when Status changes to "Completed."
• When a form is submitted: Works well for event registrations or course completions.

For the purpose of this article, we will trigger the PDF generation whenever the field Status, for any invoice, is equal to "Ready".

1. Go to Automation in Airtable
2. Click on "Add a trigger" and Choose When a Record matches a condition
3. Select the table you want to trigger the automation on (in this case the Certificates Recipients table)
4. Select the field you want to trigger the automation on (in this case the Status field)
5. Select the condition you want to trigger the automation on (in this case "is")
6. Select the value you want to trigger the automation on (in this case "Ready")

7. Now choose a record that matches the condition
8. Now click on Add an advanced logic or action
9. Pick Run Script. A new popup appears.
10. Go back to TypeFlow and select Automation in Airtable. Copy the script.

11. Paste the script in the popup.

12. In the left-side of the popup, do not forget to configure the variable input, record_id. You need to select Airtable Record ID from the dropdown. See the image.

13. Test your script, and see if it works. Adjust if needed (most of the time the error comes from the record_id variable - see step 12).

14. Now name your automation and save it.

Now your flow is ready. Test it carefully to see if it works well.

TypeFlow receives the ID, pulls the data from Airtable, fills your template, and generates the PDF. The process takes a few seconds per certificate (based on 2000+ TypeFlow customer implementations, 2024-2025).

Test by creating a record that meets your trigger condition. Check the automation run history in Airtable to confirm it executed without errors.

Method 3: Airtable Extension (Bulk Generation)

It's possible to generate documents with the Airtable Extension. It's the best way to bulk generate documents.

You can follow this tutorial:

Automatically Email Certificates

Generating certificates is useful, but delivering them automatically saves even more time.

For that you can run a new Airtable automation (or you can run a Make or Zapier workflow). Whenever you have the status Ready and the attachment field with a PDF then an email can be sent.

The email sends right after the PDF generates. You can track delivery status in TypeFlow's dashboard.

Bulk Generation: Best Practices and Tips

When generating dozens or hundreds of certificates, these practices will help you avoid problems and ensure a smooth process.

• Use Airtable Views: Create a view named 'Ready to Generate' that filters for records with all required fields filled in. This keeps your workflow organized.
• Test with a Small Batch: Before processing your full list, generate 5-10 certificates first. This helps you catch formatting issues before they affect everyone.
• Track Generation Status: Add a 'Certificate Generated' checkbox field in Airtable. Your automation can check this box after generation to prevent duplicates.
• Process in Groups: For very large batches (100+), generate them in smaller groups. This makes it easier to manage and troubleshoot if an issue arises.

*Based on 2000+ TypeFlow customer implementations, 2024-2025

Troubleshoot Common Issues

Even with a solid setup, you might hit an occasional snag. Here's how to fix the most common problems.

• Variables Not Filling In: Check that your placeholder names in Google Docs exactly match the field names in Airtable. While case doesn't matter, spaces and underscores do.
• PDF Formatting Looks Wrong: Complex layouts with multiple columns can sometimes cause issues. Try simplifying your template design for more reliable results.
• Automation Not Triggering: Double-check your trigger conditions in Airtable's automation settings. Ensure your test record clearly meets the criteria.
• Missing Data in Certificates: Make sure all required fields in your Airtable records contain data. Empty fields will result in blank spots on your certificate.

Need more help? You can reach out to me directly - I typically respond within a few hours.

Beyond Certificates: Other Documents You Can Generate

The same Airtable-to-TypeFlow process works for many other types of documents. You can use it to automatically generate:

• Invoices and Quotes: Pull client data and line items to create professional invoices.
• Contracts and Agreements: Generate service agreements or NDAs with dynamic terms.
• Reports: Create training summaries or progress reports with updated data.
• Event Badges and Tickets: Design event materials, including QR codes for check-in.

You now have a complete, automated certificate system that runs without any manual work. What used to take hours now happens in seconds, freeing you up to focus on your programs.

Start generating certificates with TypeFlow - your first 14 days are free, no credit card required.