Certification schemes can optionally be set to issue certificates using your own certificate identification number or serial number. We call this a Bespoke ID.
This is particularly useful if, for example, you have a legacy format in use, you need to start issuing certificates from a particular number, or you wish to include the year of issue in the identifier.
Our longer certificate ID will still be used in the background to ensure that every certificate on the platform is uniquely identifiable. We realise this is a rather long and unwieldly alphanumeric string, so having your own numbering system can be simpler for you and your customers to manage.
To define the format of your Bespoke ID for a particular certification scheme, you combine your own text and the following tags in the settings box:
For example, if you use {reset#0009}, the first certificate issued from your scheme will show '0009' (note the conserved leading zeros to give a four digit number), but in subsequent years the number for the first certificate issued will show 0001. If you wish to start from 0001 in the first year of issue, the tag would be '{reset#0001}'.
In addition to the tags, you can then add your own text and separators in the settings box.
Typing the following Bespoke ID into the settings box: Certificate-Ruleset-1-{year-long}-{reset#001} would result in the first certificate issued in 2026 having the Bespoke ID formatted as "Certificate-Ruleset-1-2026-001".
When the jump takes place, it will move the new Bespoke ID setting into the first box and clear the jump point. The technical contact, or if one has not been provided, the organisation admin/owner will be sent an email to say the Bespoke ID ruleset has changed. At this point you can go back in to the settings and add a new jump point and new ruleset if required.
A preview of the next few Bespoke IDs based on the code you have entered are given in the adjacent 'Simulated IDs' box. If you were to issue a new digital certificate, the first one listed is the Bespoke ID that would be applied.
The Bespoke ID will be shown on test (demo) certificates, but will not increment. This is so that the sequence for your real certificates is not affected. The test certificate will show the Bespoke ID that the next real certificate will use.
If you preview a pdf template that has tags in it to display a Bespoke ID, the following static placeholder is currently shown: CustomIDScheme-2021-001
A self-uploaded certificate to a certification scheme that uses Bespoke IDs will not itself be given a Bespoke ID. This is because self-uploads are usually legacy certificates, may not be genuine, or may be a certificate already issued from the platform. Therefore, taking a Bespoke ID from the sequence would not be correct.
If you edit the Bespoke ID settings having already issued some certificates, the subsequent certificates that are issued will show the new version of your Bespoke ID. However, any previously issued certificates will retain their legacy Bespoke IDs and will not change retrospectively. This is because Bespoke IDs are generated at the time of issue and not generated each time a certificate is displayed.
Adding a Bespoke ID to an existing certification scheme is possible. However, if any certificates have already been issued in an earlier year, the {reset...} tag will come in to effect straight away, effectively resetting any start number back to 1 as it will see the previous year's certificates as having been part of the logic. This means you can not start the Bespoke IDs at a higher number in this niche case. Contact us if you need help to avoid this happening.