Key concepts and terminology

A template is the design and definition of a pass. It sets the pass type, colors, images, fields, barcode and behavior. The pass type is coupon, store card, event ticket, generic pass or boarding pass. You manage templates under Templates in the sidebar.

A pass is a single Wallet pass created from a template. It usually belongs to one pass holder, the end user who saves it on their phone. You'll find all passes under Passes in the sidebar.

When you edit a template and save your changes, Passcreator creates a draft. Your pass holders keep seeing the current published version, also called the live version, until you publish changes. Publishing pushes the update to all devices that store a pass of the template. There is no automatic publishing. See Publishing changes and template versions.

An additional property is a custom data field you define on a template, for example First Name or Customer ID. Each property becomes a placeholder. You use it anywhere on the pass by wrapping its name in curly braces, for example {First Name}. When Passcreator creates a pass, it replaces the placeholder with the value for that pass holder.

Global variables work the same way but hold account wide values, such as your terms and conditions. You maintain them in one place under Settings › Global Variables.

Apple requires a certificate from an Apple Developer account to sign passes for Apple Wallet. Certificates also enable push notifications to Apple devices. Passes that share a certificate appear grouped in the Wallet app and share their push notification icon. Use a separate certificate for passes with a different purpose or icon.

If you don't have your own certificate yet, use a demo certificate for testing. A template with a demo certificate allows up to 30 passes. When a certificate expires, pass holders can no longer save passes and push notifications stop. Renew certificates in time. See How certificates work.

Two related terms describe how many devices hold your passes.

• An active pass is a pass that at least one device stores.
• An active registration counts each single installation. In Apple Wallet every device registers separately, so an iPhone plus an Apple Watch count as two registrations. In Google Wallet a registration corresponds to one Google account, which can cover several devices.

Your subscription counts the volume of active registrations. See What is an active pass? for the details.

• A sendout is a job that emails or texts pass links to the holders of existing passes. You create sendouts under Distribution › Send Passes.
• An email template defines the look of the emails you send. You manage them under Distribution › Email templates.
• A form is a public web page where customers enter their data and receive a personalized pass. Passcreator creates the pass the moment they submit the form. Forms live under Distribution › Forms.
• A bulk process creates, updates or deletes many passes at once from a CSV file. Bulk jobs run in the background, and you find them under Processes.
• Every pass has a download page. This is the public page behind the pass link where the holder saves the pass to their wallet app.

A segment is a saved search over your passes, for example all passes where {Level} equals Gold. You reuse segments to filter the pass list, target push notifications and narrow sendout recipients.

The Smart Scan app is Passcreator's mobile app for validating passes at the door or the register. An app configuration defines what happens when someone scans a pass, for example Void pass after scan or Save attendance. A configuration link sets up the app on a device without logging in. See The Smart Scan app.

• A project is a collection of templates. It lets you segment passes, bundle passes from several templates and more.
• A workflow automates processes around your passes with triggers, conditions and actions. One example is creating a pass when a new contact appears in your CRM. The Workflow Engine is an optional add on.
• Integrations connect Passcreator to external systems. They include URL integrations, iFrames, FTP jobs, webhooks and the REST API.