How To Override Cart Php In Woocommerce

How to Override Cart.php in WooCommerce: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

WooCommerce is a fantastic e-commerce platform for WordPress, offering incredible flexibility. One of the most powerful aspects is the ability to customize its core functionality. This article focuses on how to override the `cart.php` template – the file responsible for rendering your shopping cart – to achieve a truly unique and branded shopping experience.

Think of it like this: WooCommerce provides the basic blueprint for your cart page (e.g., displaying the products, quantities, prices, etc.). Overriding `cart.php` allows you to change that blueprint, moving walls, adding new rooms (features!), and completely altering the aesthetics to better suit your store’s needs.

Why Override Cart.php?

There are countless reasons why you might want to override `cart.php`. Here are a few real-world examples:

• Custom Product Display: Let’s say you sell art prints. You might want to display a larger thumbnail image of the print directly in the cart, along with details about the paper stock and framing options – data WooCommerce doesn’t automatically show.
• Upselling & Cross-selling: You could add a prominently displayed section in the cart suggesting complementary products based on what’s already in the customer’s basket. “Customers who bought this also bought…”
• Unique Discount Logic: You might want to implement a highly customized discount system based on the number of items, total cart value, or even customer type. This could involve adding custom fields and calculations to the cart page.
• Simplified Checkout Process: Reduce cart abandonment by streamlining the checkout process visible directly on the cart page or modifying the display of cart totals and available payment methods.
• Improved Mobile Responsiveness: While WooCommerce is generally responsive, you might need to fine-tune the cart’s layout for specific mobile devices to improve the user experience.

In short: Overriding cart.php gives you pixel-perfect control over your WooCommerce shopping cart.

The Safe and Recommended Method: Using a Child Theme

Before we dive into the “how,” it’s crucial to understand the correct and safe method for overriding WooCommerce templates: using a *child theme*.

Why a Child Theme?

• Preserves Your Changes: When WooCommerce or your main theme updates, any modifications you made directly to the core WooCommerce files will be overwritten and *lost*. A child theme isolates your changes, ensuring they remain intact after updates.
• Maintains Theme Integrity: Messing directly with the parent theme’s files can cause unexpected errors and break your website.
• Easy to Revert: If something goes wrong, you can easily deactivate the child theme to revert to the original WooCommerce templates.

If you don’t already have a child theme, create one. You can use a plugin like “Child Theme Configurator” or create one manually by following these steps:

1. Create a new folder in your `wp-content/themes/` directory. Name it something like `your-theme-name-child`.

2. Inside that folder, create two files: `style.css` and `functions.php`.

3. Paste the following code into `style.css`, replacing the placeholder information with your own:

/*

Theme Name: Your Theme Name Child

Theme URI: http://yourwebsite.com/your-theme-name-child/

Description: Child theme for Your Theme Name

Author: Your Name

Author URI: http://yourwebsite.com

Template: your-theme-name <– Replace with your parent theme's folder name!

Version: 1.0.0

*/

@import url(“../your-theme-name/style.css”); /* Imports the parent theme’s styles */

/* Add your own CSS styles below this line */

4. Paste the following code into `functions.php`:

 <?php /** 
Enqueue parent theme styles.
 */ function your_theme_enqueue_styles() { wp_enqueue_style( 'parent-style', get_template_directory_uri() . '/style.css' ); } add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'your_theme_enqueue_styles' ); ?> 

Important: Remember to replace `your-theme-name` with the actual folder name of your parent theme.

Overriding `cart.php`: The Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you have a child theme set up, you’re ready to override `cart.php`.

1. Locate the Original `cart.php`: The original `cart.php` file is located within the WooCommerce plugin directory. You’ll find it at:

`wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/cart/cart.php`

Do not edit this file directly!

2. Copy `cart.php` to Your Child Theme: Create a directory structure within your child theme that mirrors the WooCommerce structure. Specifically, create these folders:

`wp-content/themes/your-theme-name-child/woocommerce/cart/`

Then, copy the `cart.php` file from the WooCommerce plugin folder to this newly created folder within your child theme.

3. Edit the Copied `cart.php`: Now, you can safely edit the `cart.php` file in your child theme. Open it with a text editor and make the changes you desire.

Example: Adding a Simple Message to the Top of the Cart

Let’s add a simple message to the top of the cart page. Open your copied `cart.php` file and add the following code before the existing opening `<?php` tag (or at the very top of the file, if there is no opening `<?php` tag at the very beginning):

 
Special Offer: Free shipping on orders over $50!
 

This will display a green, bold message at the top of your cart page.

Important: Be mindful of the HTML structure and WooCommerce functions used in `cart.php`. Consult the WooCommerce documentation if you’re unsure about any particular function or code snippet.

4. Activate Your Child Theme: Go to Appearance -> Themes in your WordPress dashboard and activate your child theme.

5. Check Your Cart Page: Visit your cart page. You should now see the changes you made to `cart.php`. In our example, you’ll see the “Special Offer” message at the top of the page.

Example: Adding a Related Products Section to the Cart

Let’s add a simple “Related Products” section at the bottom of the cart. This is a more practical example than just displaying a message.

1. Open your copied `cart.php` file in your child theme.

2. Add the following code snippet at the *end* of the file (before the closing `?>` tag, if it exists. If not, just add it at the bottom).

 <?php // Display Related Products (simple example - adjust query as needed) echo '
You Might Also Like...
'; 

$args = array(

‘post_type’ => ‘product’,

‘posts_per_page’ => 4, // Display 4 related products

‘orderby’ => ‘rand’, // Randomly select related products

‘post__not_in’ => array( get_the_ID() ), // Exclude the current product (just in case)

‘tax_query’ => array(

array(

‘taxonomy’ => ‘product_cat’,

‘field’ => ‘term_id’,

‘terms’ => array(), //Adjust the term list if you want to display the related from specific cat

‘operator’ => ‘IN’, // ‘IN’, ‘NOT IN’, ‘AND’

),

)

);

$related_products = new WP_Query( $args );

if ( $related_products->have_posts() ) {

echo ‘

‘;

while ( $related_products->have_posts() ) {

$related_products->the_post();

wc_get_template_part( ‘content’, ‘product’ ); // Use WooCommerce’s standard product template

}

echo ‘

‘;

wp_reset_postdata(); // Reset the global post data

} else {

echo ‘

No related products found.

‘;

}

?>

3. Save the `cart.php` file and refresh your cart page. You should now see a section at the bottom of the cart displaying related products.

Explanation of the code:

• We’re using `WP_Query` to fetch products.
• `post_type` => ‘product’ tells WordPress we want Discover insights on How To Create Shipping Zone For Different Country Woocommerce product posts.
• `posts_per_page` limits the number of related products displayed.
• `orderby` => ‘rand’ randomizes the selection.
• `post__not_in` prevents the cart’s products from showing as related Check out this post: Woocommerce Booster How To Use Custom Out Of Stock Options (if for some reason it ever did).
• `tax_query` – empty for this example, but can be updated for displaying related product based on product category for example.
• `wc_get_template_part( ‘content’, ‘product’ );` uses WooCommerce’s standard product display template to render each related product.
• `wp_reset_postdata();` is crucial after a custom query to reset the global `$post` object.

Important Notes:

• Code Quality: Always write clean, well-commented code. This makes it easier to maintain and debug.
• Testing: Thoroughly test your changes on a staging environment before deploying them to your live website.
• WooCommerce Updates: Keep an eye on WooCommerce updates. Sometimes, changes to core WooCommerce files can affect your overrides.

Troubleshooting

• Changes Not Appearing: Double-check that your child theme is activated and that the file path within your child theme is correct (`wp-content/themes/your-theme-name-child/woocommerce/cart/cart.php`). Also, clear your browser cache and any WooCommerce or WordPress caching plugins.
• Website Errors: If you Explore this article on How To Edit Woocommerce Prices In WordPress encounter errors after modifying `cart.php`, review your code carefully for syntax errors or incorrect function usage. Enable WordPress debugging by adding `define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, true );` to your `wp-config.php` file to display more detailed error messages.
• Conflicts with Plugins/Themes: Sometimes, conflicts with other plugins or your theme can cause issues. Try temporarily deactivating other plugins to see if the problem resolves.

Conclusion

Overriding `cart.php` in WooCommerce offers immense potential for creating a unique and engaging shopping experience. By following the steps outlined in this guide and using a child theme, you can safely and effectively customize your cart page to meet your specific needs. Remember to test thoroughly and stay updated with WooCommerce’s latest releases. Happy coding!