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How to use WooCommerce Hooks? Guides & Examples

Last updated: April 01, 2024
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Sam

Author

Daniel

Researcher

The success of a WooCommerce store does not merely depend on the accomplishment of its structure or your WooCommerce store’s base. It seems that what makes it outstand the others lies in additional crucial features which might turn your online stores to be more attractive and appealing to customers. To do this, WooCommerce hooks undoubtedly become one of the not-to-be-missed parts of the development of WooStores.

By designing your store with good use of hooks, you are facilitating the true possibilities as well as the potential of your ideal store. With WooCommerce hooks, you can now increase the level of customization, edit the tiniest features, or utilize its open-source ads.

Let’s get started with our below guides on How to use WooCommerce hooks? Guides & Examples for your reference so that you could have a deeper understanding of what they are, how to use them, and what you are about to do with them.

What are WooCommerce hooks?

Like WordPress kooks, WooCommerce hooks are specifically used to customize your stores on the WooCommerce platform. To be more specific, it functions by adding extra contents and features to the default file of WooCommerce with no change of the principle code. It is highly effective in the improvement or extension of core programs’ features without manipulating them.

WooCommerce hooks

The amazing thing is that WooCommerce hooks boost the customization level for your store. They let you filter and add even the tiniest details to the store processes and pages.

Type of WooCommerce hooks

The classification of WooCommerce hooks is determined by how they work. Therefore, they come with two types: Filter Hooks and Action Hooks. Let’s keep scrolling down to explore all details of these two types.

1. Filter Hooks

Filter hooks are known for modifying one existing content of your WooStore. They work by selecting a set among other possibilities. Moreover, you can also get an opportunity to change the content’s existing behavior. As the name indicates, filter hooks do not have the function to add new features or content. Instead, they let you filter your data one out of several possibilities. This is the way to show how they get their name.

2. Action Hooks

While Filter hooks are useful in modifying existing contents or features, Action hooks are utilized to put a new thing to the principle file. It is your choice to add what you want from numbers, paragraphs, icons, images to text. This type of hook provides you a chance to implement one action on core codes.

How to use WooCommerce hooks?

Here, we mention three ways that you can use your WooCommerce hooks. Firstly, we provide you instructions with adding function code or using action and filter hooks to put in new content or filter any existing feature. In a second way, we recommend using Code Snippets. And the third way is to use HookMeUp.

1. Write codes for action hooks and filter hooks

As previously mentioned, it is very easy to use these hooks with a code. Those codes aim at adding corresponding functions where defined hooks are located. If you want to use those codes, you could do them in the “functions.php” of the active theme or the disparate “plugin’s file”.

Step 1: Construct the code for action hooks

Follow the below code for your action hooks.

Construct the code for action hooks

Step 2: Construct the code for filter hooks

Follow the below code for your filter hooks.

Construct the code for filter hooks

2. Add content by applying HookMeUp

In the above section, we have suggested how to use WooCommerce hooks using code for your action hooks and filter hooks. So, if you follow this way, you do not need to rely on any developer to write code for your hooks. However, there is a simpler method to put in content by applying HookMeUp.

Let’s thrive with HookMeUp to know a pro-level in customizing your WooStore without coding. Now, using hooks seems far easier. Nevertheless, not all hooks are accessible using HookMeUp. Hence, do not be hesitant to have a try; hopefully, these hooks could make sense.

Step 1: Access particular WooCommerce hooks

To use hooks, navigate to the section “Customize”. Once you have clicked it, one page will appear and you can notice the menu named “WooCommerce Hooks”.

The menu named “WooCommerce Hooks”

Proceed to choosing this menu. Then, a page list opens up on the above picture’s right side. This plugin functions to let you get into particular WooCommerce hooks, which are shown from these listed pages.

Step 2: Customize an attractive look

After you are done with the first step in this method, you can see how to present products. And it is time to reward it with a more appealing and worthy look. Therefore, you could enable products on your WooCommerce store to be more promising for sales.

Start with checking your available hooks. You can use these four hooks:

There are four necessary things to add when we use those hooks correspondingly. The first and foremost thing is to return to the link of product categories, the second thing involves the value of the free-shipping threshold. The third is to consider the logo of payment gateways. And the last one is to link to the store’s refund policy.

To add these things, go to your left panel, you will see a down arrow. Choose it and the editor panel would open up. Then, you will employ the editor for adding tables, media, links, text and modifying in the way you want by utilizing available options. As soon as you finished editing, the product page looks like below:

The product page

3. Use WooCommerce hooks by relying on Code Snippets

Step 1: Add Code Snippets

In order to use your WooCommerce hooks, it is a requirement to add codes to the website. You could add this kind of code to a similar spot. But there is no need to modify template files.

In particular, two places that you could add the code are the “functions.php” file of the child theme and the management plugin like Code Snippets. While it is a good idea to apply the “functions.php” file of the child theme, it is recommended to use the plugin Code Snippets.

There are several reasons that you should go with Code Snippets. This plugin is extremely useful in controlling many various hook Snippets as you could allow these snippets their entry. Furthermore, you might enable or disable particular hooks easily. Especially even when you edit themes, these code snippets still come along automatically.

Approach the section “Snippets”, then choose “Add New”.

Approach the section “Snippets”

After that, it is time for you to give a name to your hook so that you can remember it easily and help it to be found later. Go to your code editor and add this code to the hook.

Step 2: Select where you are about to run snippets

Right after adding code to your hook, you will select where you will run your snippets. If you are in doubt, your task is just to choose “Run snippets everywhere”.

Step 3: Save what you have made, then Activate

Now, it is time to save some changes that you have made, click “Activate” to enable it.

You could add myriad hooks within the similar entry of Code Snippets. However, it seems to be more convenient if you build a separate entry for every hook.

5 Examples of WooCommerce Hooks

1. Put in logos right at your Checkout pages

Putting logos right at your Checkout pages is a perfect way to increase conversion rates for your WooCommerce store. The reason is that Checkout pages are where a consumer goes through his/her order. Hence, it is a great place to displace trust logos.

Not every WooCommerce themes provide testimonials and trust badges below the button “Place order”, the theme from Shoptimizer does. In case your theme does not offer conversion-boosting features, you could apply the hook “woocommerce_review_order_after_submit” to add on your own. Let’s have a glance at the below example.

The hook “woocommerce_review_order_after_submit”

You can notice in the trust badges’ first row. It originates from the WooCommerce hook, whereas the second one is shown in the theme of Shoptimizer.

The second one

2. Showcase Shop page’s description

Your Shop page will not display the description by default. Conversely, you can use WooCommerce hooks to enable it. And the hook is used: “woocommerce_archive_description”. See below to understand how you will use this hook.

Showcase Shop page’s description

3. Modify the breadcrumb text

In the first example of WooCommerce hooks, putting in logos right at your Checkout pages means using action hooks to add a new feature. And, in this example, we introduce a real-world instance using filter hooks.

So, what you could do with filter hooks is to modify the text of your WooCommerce store. To be more specific, this kind of text is breadcrumbs to show up on your store’s product page. For example, you wish to modify the page default “Home” and change it to “All Products”.

You can rely on the below filter to change the text:

Change the text

Change the text

And there you are, congratulation, you have successfully changed your breadcrumb text:

Finish the change

4. Insert information text after the button “Add-to-cart”

One more useful example of WooCommerce hooks is to insert information text right after your button “Add-to-cart”. Hooks of WooCommerce let you add custom scripts to myriad sections of your cart page. Follow the below image to know how you will be adding a text right after the button “Add-to-cart”.

This kind of script aims at printing one custom text that comes after the button “Add-to-cart”. The purpose of this script is for discounts promotion, requiring free delivery or minimum spending. Let us explain a bit about these codes:

Insert information text after the button “Add-to-cart”

  • The “woocommerce_after_add_to_cart_form” hook will print the code HTMN following the button.
  • Echoed content lets variables, HTML tags, and so on within the PHP scope.
  • The category slug is used within one array. Then, you could check some categories

5. Display logos of credit cards on the Cart page

Suppose you are questioning whether current payment methods cause the abandonment of shopping carts. As a result, you could insert PayPal badges or credit cards on the shopping cart page to specify what type of payment method they can use. Hence, there is a much easier way to help shoppers perceive which payment methods your WooCommerce store supports.

Apply hook “woocommerce_after_cart_totals” below the button “Proceed to checkout”:

woocommerce_after_cart_totals

woocommerce_after_cart_totals

You could notice the logos of the credit card under the button “Proceed to Checkout”:

The credit cart under the button “Proceed to Checkout”

Conclusion

There is no denying that WooCommerce Hooks make your store better with their ability to add content or modify behavior at the store’s specific parts. What wonderful hooks! Because they allow you to do those things without editing underlying template files. So, let’s customize your WooStore functions and looks with WooCommerce hooks and share these tips with others who need them.


Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.

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