Creating A Custom Plugin For WooCommerce Using WC_Integration Class

I also explained how WooCommerce allows merchants to extend its functionality with plugins. WooCommerce is a comprehensive and accessible eCommerce solution, making it an excellent choice for your online store.

Creating an online store is a personal journey, and plugins are crucial. A plugin is software that contains a set of functions and can be added to your WordPress site, allowing you to add or enhance the functionality of your store.

While millions of free and premium plugins are available online, you can contribute to the eCommerce community by developing your own custom WooCommerce plugin. This lets you tailor your store’s features to your needs and stand out in the competitive market.

With WooCommerce, the possibilities are endless, and creating custom plugins is a great way to make your online store unique and fully functional. Dive in and start enhancing your eCommerce site today!

Basics of WooCommerce Plugin Development

WooCommerce plugins are built on the WordPress platform, just like other plugins. If you’re familiar with developing WordPress extensions, you’ll find creating a WooCommerce plugin straightforward. The critical difference is that WooCommerce offers features you can use and extend to build solutions for online sellers.

To develop WooCommerce extensions, you must use WordPress hooks to modify WooCommerce’s behaviour. Understanding how these hooks work is essential. Let’s dive into hooks and how they function to help you start with WooCommerce plugin development.

A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website.

Steps for creating a plugin for WooCommerce :

One of the easiest ways to create a settings page is by taking advantage of the WC_Integration class. Using the Integration class will automatically create a new settings page under WooCommerce > Settings > Integration and automatically save and sanitize your data.

1) Download and activate the latest version of WooCommerce from here:

2) create new folder for our new plugin in wp-content/plugin/ directory.

e.g, wp-content/plugin/my-custom-plugin

3) WC_Integration class file. e.g, class-wc-integration-demo-integration.php.

/**
 * Integration Demo.
 *
 * @package   Woocommerce My plugin Integration
 * @category Integration
 * @author   Addweb Solution Pvt. Ltd.
 */
if ( ! class_exists( 'WC_My_plugin_Integration' ) ) :
class WC_My_plugin_Integration extends WC_Integration {
  /**
   * Init and hook in the integration.
   */
  public function __construct() {
    global $woocommerce;
    $this->id                 = 'my-plugin-integration';
    $this->method_title       = __( 'My Plugin Integration');
    $this->method_description = __( 'My Plugin Integration to show you how easy it is to extend WooCommerce.');
    // Load the settings.
    $this->init_form_fields();
    $this->init_settings();
    // Define user set variables.
    $this->custom_name          = $this->get_option( 'custom_name' );
    // Actions.
    add_action( 'woocommerce_update_options_integration_' .  $this->id, array( $this, 'process_admin_options' ) );
  }
  /**
   * Initialize integration settings form fields.
   */
  public function init_form_fields() {
    $this->form_fields = array(
      'custom_name' => array(
        'title'             => __( 'Custom Name'),
        'type'              => 'text',
        'description'       => __( 'Enter Custom Name'),
        'desc_tip'          => true,
        'default'           => '',
        'css'      => 'width:170px;',
      ),
    );
  }
}
endif;

4) plugin file. e.g, woocommerce-my-custom-plugin.php

/**
 * Plugin Name: My custom plugin
 * Plugin URI: http://www.addwebsolution.com
 * Description: A plugin demonstrating how to add a new WooCommerce integration.
 * Author:  Addweb Solution Pvt. Ltd.
 * Author URI: http://www.addwebsolution.com
 * Version: 1.0
 */
if ( ! class_exists( 'WC_my_custom_plugin' ) ) :
class WC_my_custom_plugin {
  /**
  * Construct the plugin.
  */
  public function __construct() {
    add_action( 'plugins_loaded', array( $this, 'init' ) );
  }
  /**
  * Initialize the plugin.
  */
  public function init() {
    // Checks if WooCommerce is installed.
    if ( class_exists( 'WC_Integration' ) ) {
      // Include our integration class.
      include_once 'class-wc-integration-demo-integration.php';
      // Register the integration.
      add_filter( 'woocommerce_integrations', array( $this, 'add_integration' ) );
    }
  }
  /**
   * Add a new integration to WooCommerce.
   */
  public function add_integration( $integrations ) {
    $integrations[] = 'WC_My_plugin_Integration';
    return $integrations;
  }
}
$WC_my_custom_plugin = new WC_my_custom_plugin( __FILE__ );
endif;

Now, you can see the My custom plugin in the list of all plugins.

5) create settings link for the plugin. Add this in init() method of your plugin.

// Set the plugin slug
 define( 'MY_PLUGIN_SLUG', 'wc-settings' );

// Setting action for plugin
add_filter( 'plugin_action_links_' . plugin_basename( __FILE__ ), 'WC_my_custom_plugin_action_links' );

Now add the function after object creation in the plugin file.

function WC_my_custom_plugin_action_links( $links ) {

    $links[] = '<a href="'. menu_page_url( MY_PLUGIN_SLUG, false ) .'&tab=integration">Settings</a>';
    return $links;
  }

Now you are able to see the settings link for the plugin. It is dependent on the WooCommerce plugin activation and deactivation.

6) Click on the settings link. You are now able to save data also.

Hope this blog helps you out. Feel free to share any questions; we are ready to help always 🙂 If you need more assistance regarding WordPress Development Service then get in touch.

Why Consider WooCommerce Plugin Development?

WooCommerce plugin development is highly valuable for meeting unique customization or dynamic requirements, providing distinct features that align with specific business workflows to ensure brand consistency and optimal performance.

Tailored plugins offer flexibility by seamlessly integrating with third-party systems, adapting to scalability needs, addressing security concerns, and seizing monetization opportunities.

Engaging in WC plugin development not only helps businesses stand out in a competitive market but also fosters community visibility, collaboration, and the ability to stay current with evolving industry trends. This ultimately contributes to a more resilient and personalized e-commerce experience.

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