How To Modify WooCommerce

January 29, 2023
WooCommerce Customization

Don't make changes directly to the WooCommerce code

Like WordPress itself, WooCommerce requires regular new feature and security updates. Those updates overwrite all the previous coding and that any changes you have made directly to WooCommerce are lost after the update. But there is a way to go about code customization without losing everything when you update. See WordPress Customization for more information.

Use WooCommerce 'hooks' to change WooCommerce

Hooks allow you to create your own coding independent of the core WooCommerce coding.  See this page for more information about hooks, WordPress Customization

WooCommerce has tons of action and filter hooks.  Click this link for a list of WooCommerce hooks, https://woocommerce.github.io/code-reference/hooks/hooks.html

Your custom coding, like in the example below, can be placed in the functions.php file of a child theme or in its own plugin. Here is a link to the WordPress plugin documentation, https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/intro/

Here's an example of a WooCommerce action hook:


/** 
* Add an order note to the WooCommerce admin order 
*/
function 1dd_woocommerce_thankyou( $order_id ) {
    $order->add_order_note('Hold If Backordered' );
}
add_action('woocommerce_thankyou', '1dd_woocommerce_thankyou', 10, 1);
  

This action uses a WooCommerce predefined hook called 'woocommerce_thankyou' . That action hook allows you to add an admin order note, a custom message or some special functionality to the “thank you” page that appears after a customer has completed their order. In this case, 'Hold If Backordered' is added as a note the admin order view.

This code: 'add_action('woocommerce_thankyou', '1dd_woocommerce_thankyou', 10, 1);' tells WooCommerce to use the function called '1dd_woocommerce_thankyou' after WooCommerce processes the order.

Customize WooCommerce with a Plugin

WooCommerce can also be modified by other plugins. If no other plugin exists that does what you need a new custom plugin can be created for that purpose. See this link WordPress Plugin Developers for more information.

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