Woocommerce How To Add Shipping Fields

WooCommerce: Adding Shipping Fields Like a Pro (Even if You’re a Newbie!)

So, you’ve got your WooCommerce store up and running, fantastic! You’re ready to start selling your amazing products, but wait… You need to collect the right shipping information from your customers. What if you sell fragile items that require specific handling instructions, or you’re offering different shipping options based on location? That’s where adding custom shipping fields comes in.

This guide will walk you through adding custom shipping fields to your WooCommerce checkout page, even if you’re completely new to this! We’ll break it down into easy-to-understand steps with real-life examples.

Why Add Custom Shipping Fields?

Think about it. The default WooCommerce fields are pretty basic: name, address, city, zip code, country. That’s great for a lot of products, but what if you’re selling…

• Delicate Artwork: You might need a field for “Special Handling Instructions” where the customer can specify “Fragile, do not stack” or “Deliver only on weekdays.”
• Local Honey: You might want to add a “Preferred Delivery Time” field so you can coordinate with the customer for local deliveries.
• Custom Built Furniture: A “Delivery Access Information” field can be crucial to understand potential difficulties like narrow doorways or apartment stairs.

The key takeaway here is that custom fields allow you to gather information *specific to your products and shipping needs*, leading to smoother deliveries and happier customers!

Method 1: Using a Plugin (Easiest for Beginners)

The easiest way to add shipping fields, especially if you aren’t comfortable with code, is to use a plugin. There are several excellent plugins available, both free and paid. Here’s how to generally use them (we’ll use “Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce” as an example, but the process is similar for others):

1. Install and Activate the Plugin:

• Go to Plugins -> Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
• Search for “Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce”.
• Click “Install Now” and then “Activate”.

2. Access the Checkout Field Editor:

• Usually, you’ll find the settings under WooCommerce -> Checkout Form (or something similar, depending on the plugin).

3. Add a New Field:

• Look for a button that says “Add Field” or “Add Custom Field.”
• You’ll typically be presented with options like:
• Type: Select the type of field you want (text, textarea, select dropdown, checkbox, etc.).
• Name: This is the internal name for the field (e.g., `shipping_special_instructions`). Use only lowercase letters and underscores.
• Label: This is what the customer will see (e.g., “Special Handling Instructions”).
• Placeholder: A hint that appears inside the field (e.g., “Enter specific instructions here”).
• Required: Whether the field is mandatory.
• Order: Determines the field’s position on the checkout page.
• Conditional Logic: (Often a premium feature) Show or hide the field based on other field values (e.g., only show the “Delivery Access Information” field if “Large Furniture” is selected in the cart).

4. Configure Discover insights on How To Free Sell Tickets With Woocommerce the Field:

• Fill out the settings appropriate for your needs. For our “Special Handling Instructions” example, you might choose:
• Type: “Textarea” (allows multiple lines of text)
• Name: “shipping_special_instructions”
• Label: “Special Handling Instructions”
• Placeholder: “Fragile? Deliver only on weekdays? Tell us here.”
• Required: Maybe, depending on how crucial the information is.
• Order: Choose a position that makes sense on the checkout page (e.g., after the address).

5. Save the Changes:

• Save your new field.

6. Test the Checkout:

• Go to your website and add a product to your cart. Proceed to the checkout page and verify that your new field is visible and working as expected.

Example using the “Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce” plugin for a “Preferred Delivery Date” field:

• Type: Date Picker (if available, otherwise use “Text” and inform users of the date format)
• Name: shipping_preferred_date
• Label: Preferred Delivery Date
• Placeholder: YYYY-MM-DD
• Required: No

Why use a plugin? It’s the fastest, most user-friendly method, especially if you’re not comfortable with coding. It avoids potentially breaking your site by directly editing core files.

Method 2: Adding Fields with Code (For the More Technically Inclined)

Important Note: Before you start editing code, back up your website! Mistakes in code can break your site. It’s also recommended to use a child theme to avoid losing Learn more about How To Use Woocommerce Storefront Theme your changes when your theme updates.

This method involves adding code to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a custom plugin).

1. Find Your Theme’s `functions.php` File:

• Go to Appearance -> Theme Editor in your WordPress dashboard.
• Select your child theme (if you’re using one).
• On the right-hand side, find the `functions.php` file.

2. Add Learn more about How To Scale Woocommerce the Code: Use the following code snippets. We’ll explain each part.

 /** 
Add a custom shipping field to the checkout page.
 */ add_filter( 'woocommerce_shipping_fields', 'custom_shipping_field' ); 

function custom_shipping_field( $fields ) {

$fields[‘shipping’][‘shipping_special_instructions’] = array(

‘label’ => __(‘Special Delivery Instructions’, ‘woocommerce’),

‘required’ => false,

‘class’ => array(‘form-row-wide’),

‘priority’ => 30

);

return $fields;

}

/

* Display field value on the order edit page

*/

add_action( ‘woocommerce_admin_order_data_after_shipping_address’, ‘my_custom_shipping_field_display_admin_order_meta’, 10, 1 );

function my_custom_shipping_field_display_admin_order_meta($order){

echo ‘

‘.__(‘Special Delivery Instructions’).’: ‘ . get_post_meta( $order->get_id(), ‘_shipping_special_instructions’, true ) . ‘

‘;

}

/

* Update the order meta with field value

*/

add_action( ‘woocommerce_checkout_update_order_meta’, ‘custom_shipping_field_update_order_meta’ );

function custom_shipping_field_update_order_meta( $order_id ) {

if ( ! empty( $_POST[‘shipping_special_instructions’] ) ) {

update_post_meta( $order_id, ‘_shipping_special_instructions’, sanitize_text_field( $_POST[‘shipping_special_instructions’] ) );

}

}

/

* Display field value on the order details page

*/

add_action( ‘woocommerce_order_details_after_customer_details’, ‘my_custom_shipping_field_display_order_meta’, 10, 1 );

function my_custom_shipping_field_display_order_meta($order){

$value = get_post_meta( $order->get_id(), ‘_shipping_special_instructions’, true );

if($value){

echo ‘

‘.__(‘Special Delivery Instructions’).’: ‘ . $value . ‘

‘;

}

}

3. Explanation of the Code:

• `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_shipping_fields’, ‘custom_shipping_field’ );`: This line tells WooCommerce to use our custom function (`custom_shipping_field`) to modify the shipping fields.
• `function custom_shipping_field( $fields ) { … }`: This function defines the new field.
• `$fields[‘shipping’][‘shipping_special_instructions’] = array(…);`: This adds a new field to the `shipping` array, named `shipping_special_instructions`. Remember to use a unique name!
• `’label’ => __(‘Special Delivery Instructions’, ‘woocommerce’),`: Sets the label for the field. `__(‘…’, ‘woocommerce’)` is for translation.
• `’required’ => false,`: Makes the Read more about How To Export Volusion Cart And Import Into Woocommerce field optional.
• `’class’ => array(‘form-row-wide’),`: Sets the CSS class to make the field wide. You can use `form-row-wide` or `form-row-first` or `form-row-last` for positioning.
• `’priority’ => 30`: Controls the position of the field. Lower numbers appear higher up.
• The code then uses actions `woocommerce_admin_order_data_after_shipping_address` and `woocommerce_order_details_after_customer_details` to display the value of the added field in the admin order page and order details page for customers respectively.
• The action `woocommerce_checkout_update_order_meta` makes sure the field is saved to the order metadata.

4. Customize the Code:

• Change the `’shipping_special_instructions’` name to something unique for your field.
• Adjust the `’label’`, `’required’`, `’class’`, and `’priority’` values to your liking.
• Consider adding a `’type’` key if you want a different type of field (e.g., `’type’ => ‘textarea’` for a multi-line text area). The default type is a text input.

5. Update the `update_post_meta` function:

• The `update_post_meta( $order_id, ‘_shipping_special_instructions’, sanitize_text_field( $_POST[‘shipping_special_instructions’] ) );` line saves the value of the field.
• Make sure the `’shipping_special_instructions’` matches the name you gave your field.

6. Test the Checkout:

• Same as before: Add a product to your cart, proceed to checkout, and verify the new field. Place a test order to see if the data is saved correctly.

Important Considerations When Using Code:

• Sanitize Input: The `sanitize_text_field()` function is *crucial* for security. It removes potentially harmful HTML and other code that could be injected by malicious users. Always sanitize user input!
• Error Handling: In a production environment, you’d want to add more robust error handling to check if the field is present and handle potential errors during saving.
• Child Themes: *Always* use a child theme when modifying theme files. This prevents your changes from being overwritten when the main theme is updated.
• Unique Field Names: Using unique field names prevents conflicts with other plugins or themes. Prefix your custom field names with something unique to your store (e.g., `my_store_special_instructions`).