This no-code feature allows you to create custom credential templates so you can conveniently choose which data you want to include if they are not available in our pre-built templates such as University Degree or Proof of Employment. Some examples of credential fields you can add with the builder are license number, area of concentration on a university degree, and membership type.

Setting up a Custom Credential Template 

1. Select Templates and click Create template

2. Add a name for the custom template in Template name and it’s optional if you want to add a description in Template description. For this example, we will make a custom credential template for the Business Communicators Association, which is a professional association with different types of memberships.

3. In Credential attributes, add the type of information you want to appear on the credential template. 

You can do this in two ways: 

a) By manually setting up what kind information you want to appear 

b) Importing an existing credential template from another source

Adding Credential Fields Manually

1. First we’ll go over how to manually set up your credential template. Click Create manually. 

2. Now you will see the type of information you can add on the credential. You will add one field at a time.

You can choose what format the field will appear in and which fields are required or optional. The options Nested Object and URI are more advanced features that developer or technical people would use. 

3. For our example, this is the information we want to appear for the Business Communicators Association’s membership certificates:

• Name
• Membership Type
• Member Number
• Issue Date 
• Expiry Date

These are the membership types: Student Membership, Professional Membership, and Corporate Membership.  

Enter the details of each field: 

• Write Name in the first box, select the Text format, select Required, and add the Member’s full name in the description. Select Add Field. 

4. This is how we fill in the last two fields for Membership Type and Membership Number.

• Type Membership Type, select Text from the drop-down, select Required, and click Add Field‍
• Type Membership Number, select Number from the drop down, select Required, and click Add Field

To remove a field, simply select the X icon on the bottom right of the field. 

Note: On this page, you don’t need to add an Issue Date and Expiry Date field because these fields will automatically appear on all templates.

5. Once you’ve added all the fields, select Publish at the top and on the message that appears afterwards.

6. The new template is created. If you add more templates they will all be listed on this page when you select Templates from the menu. 

7. Now when you issue new credential documents, you will see your templates added to the list. To see your new template, select Credentials in the menu and Issue credentials.

You can see your new credential template added with the pre-built templates. So whenever you issue a credential, you will be able to choose a template from this list. 

8. Select Preview to see the fields that you set up on your custom credential template.

The Issue Date and Expiration Date are default fields that will appear on every template if you create the template manually.

Click here to see the full guide on how to issue credentials and go here to see how to make a custom design for your credentials with the Designer. 

Adding Credential Fields by Importing an Existing Credential Template

1. You can import an existing credential template into Dock. The first step is to go to https://ui.schema.affinidi.com/schemas.

2. Select a template like EmploymentVC for example

3. Click on the template to see the data fields

4. Copy the URL by clicking on Issue VC with this schema and clicking on the copy icon

5. Paste the URL in the Credential Template and select Import Schema

6. Even though you will see all of the fields automatically populate, you have to double check to make sure that the format for the drop down menus for each field is selected. Add and remove whatever fields you want. Select Publish once this is done.

7. Now you can see the imported credential on the template list.
‍

Edit a Credential Template

1. Select Templates, go to the template you want to edit, click on the three dots, and select Copy and edit.

2. Update the Template Name so you can tell the difference between this updated version and the original one. For this example, I will rename it Business Communicators Association With Designation

3. Once you’ve made all of your edits, go to the top of the page and select Publish. Click Publish again on the next message. 

4. The template copy has been created.

View a Credential Template

1. To view the fields on the credential, go to Template, click on the three dots of the credential you want to view, and click View template.

Delete a Credential Template

1. Go to Template, click on the three dots of the credential you want to delete, and click Delete template.

Issuing With the Custom Credential Template Without a Custom Design 

1. You can start issuing with your custom credential template in these two ways:

a) Go to Templates, right-click on the three dots of the template you want to issue with, and select Issue with this.

b) The other option is to go to Credentials, click on Issue Credentials, and then select one of your custom templates. 

You can see that both templates that we created appear on the list:

2. Select Continue without design

3. Select which credential features you want to include. See this full Issuer Guide for more details on each of these features. For this example, I am choosing these options: 

• Persisting credential: Access the credential through a URL or QR code
• Issuer profile (DID): Issue the credential from the Business Communicators Association credential profile
• Generate PDF
• Use Dock BBS+: Turns on advanced privacy features that allow recipients to choose which specific data on their credential they want to present to verifiers instead of presenting the whole credential (e.g. presenting their license number and university degree but not their personal email address and date of birth)

4. Once you’ve selected your credential features, you select Add Manually

5. Now you will see the credential fields you set up in the custom template. Fill in the details and select Add Recipient.

6. You will see the recipient has been added and select Issue Credentials

7. Select Download Credentials

8. If you chose to generate a PDF version of the credential, you can view it after you download the credentials

Issuing Custom Credentials With a Custom Design

You can make a custom design for your custom credential with the Designer tool. Click here to see the full guide on how to use all of the features of the Designer tool.

1. Go to Credentials and select Issue Credentials

2. Select the template you want to use. For this case, we will choose the custom credential we created.

3. Select Create New Design

4. To add the fields from your custom credential, click on Attributes and click on Add custom attribute.

5. Select your custom credential template

6. Select each field one by one

7. Format each field the way you want it to appear on the credential by changing the font, size, and color. 

8. When you’re done, select Save & Issue on the top right.

9. Follow the usual issuance steps. Go to the Issuing Credentials With a Custom Design section for those steps or click here for the full issuer guide. 

10. Select the credential features you want (PDF, access via URL etc.) and select Issue Credentials.

11. PDF view of the custom designed credential

‍