How To Use A Template For Woocommerce Cart

How to Use a Template for Your WooCommerce Cart: A Guide to Customization

Introduction:

Your WooCommerce cart is a crucial touchpoint in the customer journey, and its design can significantly impact conversion rates. While WooCommerce provides a functional default cart page, it often lacks the visual appeal and personalized experience needed to truly engage your customers. This is where using a custom template comes in. By implementing a custom WooCommerce cart template, you can take control of the look and feel of this essential page, enhancing branding, improving user experience, and ultimately boosting sales. This article will guide you through the process of using a template for your WooCommerce cart, covering the necessary steps and considerations.

Understanding the Need for a Custom Cart Template

Before diving into the how-to, let’s explore why you might want to customize your cart page:

• Branding: Align the cart page with your overall website design and brand identity. A cohesive aesthetic strengthens brand recognition and builds trust.
• User Experience (UX): Improve the user experience by streamlining the checkout process. Custom templates allow you to highlight important information, simplify navigation, and minimize distractions.
• Upselling & Cross-selling: Strategically place product recommendations and promotions within the cart to increase average order value.
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): A well-designed cart page reduces cart abandonment rates by addressing customer concerns and making the checkout process seamless.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure your cart page looks and functions perfectly on all devices, catering to the growing number of mobile shoppers.

Implementing a Custom WooCommerce Cart Template

There are several ways to implement a custom cart template in WooCommerce. Here’s a common and effective approach:

1. Creating a Child Theme (Recommended)

Always use a child theme when making modifications to your WordPress theme. This prevents your changes from being overwritten when the parent theme is updated.

• Why Use a Child Theme? Updates to the parent theme will overwrite any modifications you make directly to its files. A child theme allows you to safely customize your site without fear of losing your changes.
• Creating a Child Theme: Create a new folder for your child theme (e.g., `your-theme-child`). Inside that folder, create a `style.css` file with the following content (replace with your theme and child theme names):

/*

Theme Name: Your Theme Child

Theme URI: http://example.com/your-theme-child/

Description: Child theme for Your Theme

Author: Your Name

Author URI: http://example.com

Template: your-theme (replace with your parent theme’s folder name)

Version: 1.0.0

*/

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

/* Add your custom CSS styles below */

• Activate your child theme in the WordPress admin panel under Appearance > Themes.

2. Copying the Default Cart Template

WooCommerce provides default templates that you can override in your child theme. To customize the cart page:

• Locate the original template: The default cart template is located in `wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/cart/cart.php`.
• Copy the file: Copy the `cart.php` file to your child theme directory, creating the following path: `wp-content/themes/your-theme-child/woocommerce/cart/cart.php`. It is crucial to keep the file structure identical to that of the plugin folder.

3. Modifying the Template

Now you can edit the `cart.php` file in your child theme.

• Open the file: Open the `cart.php` file in your preferred code editor.
• Customize the HTML and PHP: You can modify the HTML structure and PHP code to change the layout, styling, and functionality of the cart page. Make sure to understand the existing code before making changes. Incorrect modifications could break the cart functionality.

 <?php /** 
Cart Page
 
* This template can be overridden by copying it to yourtheme/woocommerce/cart/cart.php.
 
* HOWEVER, on occasion WooCommerce will need to update template files and you
 
(the theme developer) will need to copy the new files to your theme to
 
maintain compatibility. We try to do this as little as possible, but it does
 
happen. When this occurs the version of the template file will be bumped and
 
the readme will list any important changes.
 
* @see https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/template-structure/
 
@package WooCommerceTemplates
 
@version 7.9.0
 */ 

defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) || exit;

do_action( ‘woocommerce_before_cart’ ); ?>

<form class="woocommerce-cart-form" action="” method=”post”>

<?php

foreach ( WC()->cart->get_cart() as $cart_item_key => $cart_item ) {

$_product = apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_product’, $cart_item[‘data’], $cart_item, $cart_item_key );

$product_id = apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_product_id’, $cart_item[‘product_id’], $cart_item, $cart_item_key );

if ( $_product && $_product->exists() && $cart_item[‘quantity’] > 0 && apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_visible’, true, $cart_item, $cart_item_key ) ) {

$product_permalink = apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_permalink’, $_product->is_visible() ? $_product->get_permalink( $cart_item ) : ”, $cart_item, $cart_item_key );

?>

<tr class="woocommerce-cart-form__cart-item “>

<td class="product-name" data-title="”>

<?php

if ( ! $product_permalink ) {

echo wp_kses_post( apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_name’, $_product->get_name(), $cart_item, $cart_item_key ) . ‘ ‘ );

} else {

echo wp_kses_post( apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_name’, sprintf( ‘%s‘, esc_url( $product_permalink ), $_product->get_name() ), $cart_item, $cart_item_key ) );

}

do_action( ‘woocommerce_after_cart_item_name’, $cart_item, $cart_item_key );

// Meta data.

echo wc_get_formatted_cart_item_data( $cart_item ); // PHPCS: XSS ok.

// Backorder notification.

if ( $_product->backorders_require_notification() && $_product->is_on_backorder( $cart_item[‘quantity’] ) ) {

echo wp_kses_post( apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_backorder_notification’, ‘

‘ . esc_html__( ‘Available on backorder’, ‘woocommerce’ ) . ‘

‘, $product_id ) );

}

?>

<td class="product-price" data-title="”>

<?php

echo apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_price’, WC()->cart->get_product_price( $_product ), $cart_item, $cart_item_key ); // PHPCS: XSS ok.

?>

<td class="product-quantity" data-title="”>

<?php

if ( $_product->is_sold_individually() ) {

$product_quantity = sprintf( ‘1 ‘, $cart_item_key );

} else {

$product_quantity = woocommerce_quantity_input(

array(

‘input_name’ => “cart[{$cart_item_key}][qty]”,

‘input_value’ => $cart_item[‘quantity’],

‘max_value’ => $_product->get_max_purchase_quantity(),

‘min_value’ => ‘0’,

‘product_id’ => $product_id,

),

$_product,

false

);

}

echo apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_quantity’, $product_quantity, $cart_item_key, $cart_item ); // PHPCS: XSS ok.

?>

<td class="product-subtotal" data-title="”>

<?php

echo apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_subtotal’, WC()->cart->get_product_subtotal( $_product, $cart_item[‘quantity’] ), $cart_item, $cart_item_key ); // PHPCS: XSS ok.

?>

<?php

}

}

?>

<?php echo apply_filters( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped ‘woocommerce_cart_item_remove_link’, sprintf( ‘ב, esc_url( wc_get_cart_remove_url( $cart_item_key ) ), esc_html__( ‘Remove this item’, ‘woocommerce’ ), esc_attr( $product_id ), esc_attr( $_product->get_sku() ) ), $cart_item_key ); ?>	<?php $thumbnail = apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_cart_item_thumbnail’, $_product->get_image(), $cart_item, $cart_item_key ); if ( ! $product_permalink ) { echo $thumbnail; // PHPCS: XSS ok. } else { printf( ‘%s‘, esc_url( $product_permalink ), $thumbnail ); // PHPCS: XSS ok. } ?>
<input type="text" name="coupon_code" class="input-text" id="coupon_code" value="" placeholder="” /> <button type="submit" class="button” name=”apply_coupon” value=””> <button type="submit" class="button” name=”update_cart” value=””>

<?php

/

* Cart collaterals hook.

*

* @hooked woocommerce_cross_sell_display

* @hooked woocommerce_cart_totals – 10

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_cart_collaterals’ );

?>

• Remember: This is a complex file. Consult the WooCommerce documentation and use caution when making changes.

4. Adding Custom CSS

• You can add CSS to the `style.css` file in your child theme to further customize the appearance of the cart page.
• Example:

.woocommerce-cart-form table.shop_table th {

background-color: #f0f0f0;

font-weight: bold;

}

.woocommerce-cart-form table.shop_table td {

border: 1px solid #ddd;

}

5. Testing and Troubleshooting

• After making changes, carefully test your cart page to ensure it’s functioning correctly and displays as intended.
• Troubleshooting tips:
• Enable WP_DEBUG in your `wp-config.php` file to display errors.
• Check your browser’s developer console for JavaScript errors.
• Clear your browser cache and WooCommerce transients.
• Review your code for syntax errors.

Alternatives to Direct Template Editing

While editing the template files directly offers the most control, other options might be more suitable depending on your needs and technical expertise:

• WooCommerce Plugins: Many plugins provide features for customizing the cart page through a user-friendly interface. These can offer a less technical approach for simpler modifications.
• Page Builders: Page builders like Elementor or Beaver Builder can be used to design custom cart pages with drag-and-drop functionality.

Potential Issues and Considerations

• WooCommerce Updates: When WooCommerce updates its core files, your custom template may become outdated or incompatible. Keep an eye on WooCommerce release notes and regularly update your custom template as needed.
• Plugin Conflicts: Custom templates or plugins that modify the cart page may conflict with other plugins. Test thoroughly and resolve any conflicts that arise.
• Performance: Poorly optimized custom templates can negatively impact website performance. Ensure your code is clean and efficient.