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Running Certificate Generator on LocalWP

LocalWP (Local) is a free tool for running WordPress on your own computer. It's a good place to design templates, import test data and try bulk sends before going live.

Set up

  1. Create a new site in Local.
  2. Open WP Admin and go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Upload the Certificate Generator ZIP and activate it.
  4. Follow the Getting Started checklist: template, students, test email, bulk send.

Testing email locally

Local includes a mail catcher in its Tools tab, so test emails and bulk sends can be inspected without reaching real inboxes. Configure a real SMTP provider once you move to a live server.

What needs a live site

QR codes and verification links point to your site's address. On a local site that address is only reachable from your computer, so other people can't verify certificates until the site is deployed to a public domain.

Generate the certificates you send to real recipients from the live site, so their QR codes link to the public URL.