Skip to Content
Help Center

Membership Forms, ID Cards, and Certificates

On This Page

Your Rhythm account’s Membership settings choose the default forms staff and members use for memberships. They also control printable ID cards, membership certificates, and whether your own logic runs when Rhythm builds someone’s first application.

These defaults apply across your account. A membership type can override the page layouts, ID card template, and certificate settings for its own memberships; see Membership Types.

Membership ID cards and membership certificates are separate features with separate settings and templates. An ID card is a compact, printable credential members can carry as ongoing proof of membership. A certificate is usually a full-page document that confirms a membership term. Use the section below that matches the item you want to create or manage.

What This Controls ​

  • Which form staff use to create and edit a membership in the Console, and which form members use to update their own membership in the Portal.
  • Whether members can get a printable membership ID card, which template Rhythm uses, and whether members can print it themselves.
  • Whether membership certificates exist, and whether Rhythm generates them from a template or staff create and upload them by hand.
  • Whether your account runs its own function when Rhythm builds someone’s first membership application.

Tip

An ID card template can include a background image and positioned merge fields. Members can print or download it from the Portal, so it works well as a branded certificate-style credential for many associations.

The ID card still uses the ID card template’s own layout and size, not a full-page design. If you need a full-page certificate with its own layout, use Certificate Settings instead of trying to make an ID card act as a certificate.

Where to Find It ​

Go to Setup › Other Settings.

The Settings ​

Setting Card Options Default Effect 
Membership Page Layout (Console): Page Layouts & 360° Screens Any active membership page layout None selected Sets the form staff use to create and edit memberships in the Console 
Membership Page Layout (Portal): Page Layouts & 360° Screens Any active membership page layout None selected Sets the form members use to update their own membership in the Portal. If you do not choose one, members cannot review or update their membership in the Portal 
Membership ID Cards (switch) Membership ID Cards On, off Off Turns on printable membership ID cards 
Default ID Card Template: Membership ID Cards Any ID card template in your account None selected Sets the template Rhythm uses to print an ID card. This is required when ID cards are on, and you cannot delete a template while it is in use 
Allow members to print their ID cards in the portal Membership ID Cards On, off Off Lets members print their own ID card from the Portal when their membership is active, ID cards are on, and printing is on 
How are certificates generated? Certificate Settings Disabled, Generated Automatically, Manually Created Disabled Disabled means no certificate exists. Generated Automatically means Rhythm builds a certificate from a template you provide. Manually Created means staff create certificates outside Rhythm and upload them to the record 
Certificate Template (Handlebars editor) Certificate Template Template text, with merge fields for the contact, organization, membership, chapter, and membership type Empty Sets the template Rhythm fills in for a certificate. This appears only when certificates generate automatically 
Custom Application Generation Logic (switch) Custom Application Generation Logic On, off Off Turns on your own function when Rhythm builds someone’s first application. This same account-wide switch has also been reported to control whether that function runs for applications Rhythm generates during auto-renewal, so turning it on can affect auto-renewal processing too 
Lambda Function: Custom Application Generation Logic Any function set up for your account None selected Sets the function that runs. This is required when the switch is on 

Tip

Choosing a layout here does not design it. To change which fields appear on the create/edit membership screen, edit the layout in Page Layouts. Then come back here and select it separately under Membership Page Layout (Console) and Membership Page Layout (Portal).

Create or Change These Defaults ​

  1. Go to Setup › Other Settings.
  2. Under Page Layouts & 360° Screens, choose the Console and Portal membership page layouts you want as the account default.
  3. Under Membership ID Cards, turn the switch on if you want printable cards, choose the Default ID Card Template:, and decide whether members may print their own cards.
  4. Under Certificate Settings, choose how certificates are generated. If you choose Generated Automatically, write the certificate template using the merge fields provided, and supply a background image for the certificate's layout. Use Preview to check it against a real member. Formatting the template so the generated text lines up with the background image can take some trial and error; Rhythm Support can help you format it.
  5. Under Custom Application Generation Logic, turn the switch on and choose a Lambda Function: if your account runs its own logic when applications are first built.
  6. Select Save Changes.

Result

Settings saved successfully appears, and the page reloads with the saved defaults in effect for memberships created or displayed from that point on.

Tip

To update the certificate's background image later, upload a new, blank version of the certificate as an asset in Portals & Microsites, copy its shareable link, then return to Setup › Other Settings and paste that link into the certificate template's Background Image URL.

Edit the Application and Renewal Forms Behind a Membership ​

The settings above choose the membership page layout, ID card template, and certificate template your account uses. The application and renewal forms members complete to get a membership are configured separately, and a few details are easy to miss:

  • You cannot directly edit a default form Rhythm provides. Before you change a question, required setting, or field label on a default application or renewal form, clone the form; you can edit the clone.
  • Whether a question on a join or renewal form is required is controlled on that form. Changing a field from required to optional affects every membership type that uses the form; you cannot make it optional for only one membership type while it stays required for others that share the same form.
  • You can rename the Renew Automatically field's label by editing the form and selecting the field. There is no matching setting to rename or configure the save-card checkbox shown at checkout.
  • If more than one form includes the auto-renew field, change it on each form separately. Editing one form does not update the others.
  • To stop an organizational membership application from being processed without its member contacts assigned, add a custom error rule to the application form's assign-member-contacts step.

Tip

To have new applicants see a choice preselected without changing anyone's existing membership, create a custom field, set its default value to the option you want, and place that field on the application form. This affects new submissions only; it does not update memberships people already hold.

Dependencies and Precedence ​

  • A page layout or 360° screen you choose here must be built for memberships. Rhythm will not save a page layout, form, or 360° screen that is not built for the membership record type.
  • The certificate template only matters when certificates generate automatically. If you choose Disabled or Manually Created, Rhythm keeps any saved template but does not use it.
  • A membership type's own overrides take precedence over these account defaults for memberships of that type; see Membership Types.
  • Membership invoices generated during order processing can use a different invoice template. Turn on Use a different template for invoices generated during order processing under Other Settings, then choose from the templates listed in Finance and Billing › Templates › Invoices.

Change Impact and How to Revert ​

  • Changing the Console or Portal page layout changes what staff or members see the next time they open a membership. It does not change stored membership data.
  • Turning off Membership ID Cards or switching certificates to Disabled stops new cards or certificates from being offered. It does not delete a card or certificate a member already has.
  • To revert a change, choose the previous option and save again. There is no separate undo for these settings beyond your account’s audit history.

Permissions ​

Changing these settings requires access to Setup › Other Settings, available to a Membership Administrator.

Validation and Errors ​

Message or symptom Cause What to do 
Unable to save settings, naming the ID card template field Membership ID Cards is on, but no Default ID Card Template: is chosen Choose a template, or turn ID cards off 
Unable to save settings, naming the custom application generation options Custom Application Generation Logic is on, but no function is chosen Choose a function, or turn the switch off 
Unable to save settings, naming a page layout, form, or 360° screen field The chosen record does not exist, or it is not built for memberships Choose a record built for the membership record type 
Members see no ID card, or no print option, in the Portal Membership ID Cards is off, printing is off, or the membership is not active Turn on cards and printing, and confirm the membership is active 
Unable to initialize web form, in either the Console or the Portal, for a new contact joining or an existing one renewing The membership package has a missing or invalid pricing or currency dependency, so the issue is not with the form itself Check the package's pricing and currency setup; contact Support with the package name if it looks correct 
The certificate template looks blank or disabled after you choose Generated Automatically No usable template has been saved yet for automatic generation Write a new certificate template with the merge fields provided and check it with Preview. If you were relying on a previous template and cannot recreate it yourself, contact Support 
  • Membership Settings: How Saving and Setup Work

    The one account-wide Membership settings record, the Setup overview checklist that leads you through configuring it, and what every save requires and protects, including the business unit and merchant account.

  • Membership Types

    Define each kind of membership your account sells, for individuals or organizations, including automatic flowdown, section requirements, page layouts, and Portal visibility, and how to reorder, retire, or delete a type.

  • Search, View, and Print a Membership

    Find a membership by owner, number, type, status, or date; open it to review; see what an organization has passed down to its people; and print a member's ID card or certificate.

  • Page LayoutsPlatform

    Settings reference for the page layout designer, covering field groups, per-field overrides, tables, conditions, and the default layout, plus where to find layouts, which one Rhythm uses, and what each error means.

  • Web FormsPlatform

    Create a form for a record type and design it in the form designer — pages, buttons and conditional page jumps, field groups, tables, text, custom errors, and CSS — then save, test, retire, or delete it, and understand why a save or delete is refused.

Rhythm Help Center© Rhythm Software

Search article titles, settings, tasks, and troubleshooting topics. Press Enter to see results.

Browse Platform Documentation