How to Add a Color Code Box to WooCommerce Orders: A Simple Guide for Beginners
Want to add a little visual flair to your WooCommerce orders and make them easier to manage at a glance? Adding a color code box can be a game-changer, especially if you’re dealing with different product types, order priorities, or fulfillment stages. Imagine, instead of reading through each order, you instantly know which ones need immediate attention based on a color! This guide will walk you through how to add a color code box to your WooCommerce orders in a simple, newbie-friendly way.
Think of it like this: In a physical warehouse, you might use colored stickers on boxes to indicate different destinations or contents. This digital color code box achieves the same goal for your online store.
Why Add a Color Code Box to WooCommerce Orders?
Before we dive into the how-to, let’s quickly cover why you might want to do this:
- Improved Order Management: Quickly identify order status or product type at a glance. No more digging through details!
- Enhanced Visual Organization: Color-coding allows for better visual categorization of orders. Easier to prioritize and manage.
- Streamlined Workflow: Accelerate your fulfillment process by instantly recognizing order needs. Faster picking, packing, and shipping.
- Reduced Errors: Minimizes the risk of mistakes by clearly distinguishing between different order types. Less chance of sending the wrong item.
- A WordPress website with WooCommerce installed and activated.
- A code snippet plugin (like “Code Snippets”
- free and widely used) or the ability to edit your theme’s `functions.php` file (with caution!). We strongly recommend using a code snippet plugin to avoid breaking your site if you make a mistake.
- Basic understanding of copying and pasting code.
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for “Code Snippets”.
- Install and activate the “Code Snippets” plugin by Shea Bunge.
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Snippets > Add New.
- Give your snippet a descriptive title, such as “WooCommerce Order Color Code”.
For example, imagine you sell both regular t-shirts and custom-printed t-shirts. You could use a green color code for regular t-shirts (ready to ship) and a yellow color code for custom-printed t-shirts (requiring design approval and printing).
What You’ll Need
Step-by-Step Guide: Adding the Color Code Box
Here’s how to add a color code box to your WooCommerce order admin pages, using the “Code Snippets” plugin (our recommended method).
1. Install and Activate the Code Snippets Plugin:
2. Create a New Snippet:
3. Paste the Code:
Copy and paste the following PHP code into the “Code” area of the snippet:
<?php /**
/**
- Output the color code meta box content.
*/
function woocommerce_order_color_code_callback( $post ) {
wp_nonce_field( ‘woocommerce_order_color_code’, ‘woocommerce_order_color_code_nonce’ );
$color_code = get_post_meta( $post->ID, ‘_order_color_code’, true );
?>
<option value="" >
<option value="#FF0000" >
<option value="#00FF00" >
<option value="#0000FF" >
<option value="#FFFF00" >
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<?php
}
/**
- Save the color code meta box data.
*/
add_action( ‘save_post’, ‘save_woocommerce_order_color_code_data’ );
function save_woocommerce_order_color_code_data( $post_id ) {
if ( ! isset( $_POST[‘woocommerce_order_color_code_nonce’] ) || ! wp_verify_nonce( $_POST[‘woocommerce_order_color_code_nonce’], ‘woocommerce_order_color_code’ ) ) {
return;
}
if ( ! current_user_can( ‘edit_post’, $post_id ) ) {
return;
}
if ( isset( $_POST[‘order_color_code’] ) ) {
$color_code = sanitize_hex_color( $_POST[‘order_color_code’] );
update_post_meta( $post_id, ‘_order_color_code’, $color_code );
}
}
/**
- Add the color code to the admin order list.
*/
add_filter( ‘manage_edit-shop_order_columns’, ‘add_color_code_column’ );
function add_color_code_column( $columns ) {
$columns[‘order_color_code’] = __( ‘Color Code’, ‘woocommerce’ );
return $columns;
}
add_action( ‘manage_shop_order_posts_custom_column’, ‘add_color_code_column_content’, 10, 2 );
function add_color_code_column_content( $column, $post_id ) {
if ( ‘order_color_code’ === $column ) {
$color_code = get_post_meta( $post_id, ‘_order_color_code’, true );
if ( $color_code ) {
echo ‘
‘;
} else {
echo ‘-‘;
}
}
}
?>
4. Activate the Snippet:
- Scroll down to the “Activation” section.
- Choose “Run snippet everywhere” (or customize as needed).
- Click “Save Changes and Activate”.
Understanding the Code
Let’s break down what this code does:
- `add_meta_boxes`: This function adds a new meta box (the color code box) to the WooCommerce order edit page.
- `woocommerce_order_color_code_callback`: This function generates the HTML for the color code box, including a dropdown select box with color options (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and None). You can customize these colors as needed by changing the hex codes.
- `save_post`: This function saves the selected color code to the order’s meta data.
- `manage_edit-shop_order_columns`: This function adds a new “Color Code” column to the WooCommerce order list in the admin area.
- `manage_shop_order_posts_custom_column`: This function displays the selected color code (as a small colored square) in the “Color Code” column of the order list.
Using the Color Code Box
1. Edit an Order: Go to WooCommerce > Orders and click on an order to edit it.
2. Find the “Order Color Code” Box: On the right-hand side of the order edit page, you’ll see a new meta box labeled “Order Color Code”.
3. Select a Color: Choose a color from the dropdown menu.
4. Update the Order: Click the “Update” button to save your changes.
Now, when you go back to WooCommerce > Orders, you’ll see a new column labeled “Color Code” with a small colored square representing the color you selected for that order. If no color is selected, a dash will appear.
Customizing the Colors
Want to add more colors or change the existing ones? Here’s how:
1. Edit the Snippet: Go to Snippets > All Snippets and find your “WooCommerce Order Color Code” snippet. Click “Edit”.
2. Modify the `woocommerce_order_color_code_callback` function: Look for the “ elements within the `woocommerce_order_color_code_callback` function. Each “ represents a color choice.
- To add a new color: Copy and paste an existing “ line and modify the `value` attribute (the hex code) and the text between the tags (the color name). For example:
<option value="#FFA500" >
- To change an existing color: Modify the `value` attribute (the hex code) and the text between the tags.
3. Save the Snippet: Click “Save Changes” to update the snippet.
Important: Make sure you use valid hex color codes (e.g., #FF0000 for red, #00FF00 for green). You can find a hex code for any color using a color picker tool online.
Alternative Method: Editing `functions.php` (Not Recommended for Beginners)
While using a code snippet plugin is highly recommended, you *could* add this code directly to your theme’s `functions.php` file. However, this is risky. A single error in your `functions.php` file can break your entire website. We strongly advise against this method unless you are comfortable debugging PHP code. If you choose to do this:
1. Backup Your Website: Before making any changes to your `functions.php` file, create a complete backup of your website.
2. Access Your `functions.php` File: You can access your `functions.php` file through your hosting provider’s file manager or using an FTP client. It’s typically located in `/wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/`. Replace `your-theme-name` with the name of your active theme.
3. Add the Code: Carefully paste the code from step 3 of the “Code Snippets” method into your `functions.php` file. Add it at the *end* of the file, *before* the closing `?>` tag (if one exists).
4. Save the File: Save the `functions.php` file.
5. Test Your Website: Visit your website and check if everything is working correctly. If you encounter any errors, restore your backup.
Conclusion
Adding a color code box to your WooCommerce orders is a simple yet powerful way to improve your order management workflow. By using the “Code Snippets” plugin and following the steps outlined in this guide, you can quickly and easily implement this feature and start enjoying the benefits of visual order organization. Remember to customize the colors to suit your specific needs and enjoy a more efficient and organized WooCommerce store! Don’t forget to always test your changes on a staging environment before implementing them on your live site!
