How to Create Products Programmatically in WordPress

In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of programmatically creating different types of products in WooCommerce using code. This method leverages WooCommerce’s CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) objects, which were introduced in WooCommerce 3.0, ensuring compatibility with the latest versions of WooCommerce.

CRUD Objects in WooCommerce

The CRUD objects we will use are:

WC_Product_Simple – for simple products
WC_Product_External – for external products
WC_Product_Grouped – for grouped products
WC_Product_Variable – for variable products

These objects and their methods allow us to configure our product data easily.

Simple Products

Let’s start by creating a simple product. A simple product typically includes a product name, slug (for URL), price, and an image.

$product = new WC_Product_Simple();

$product->set_name('Simple Product'); // Product title
$product->set_slug('how-to-add-simple-product-programmatically'); // URL slug
$product->set_regular_price(100.00); // Regular price
$product->set_short_description('<p>This is a sample product!!</p>'); // Short description
$product->set_image_id(123); // Replace Image ID with yours

// Suppose the 'Coding' category has ID = 111
$product->set_category_ids(array(111)); // Category ID

$product->save(); // Save the product

The code above is enough to create a simple product. There are additional methods you might find useful:

set_featured() – Mark the product as featured.
set_gallery_image_ids() – Set multiple image IDs as an array.
set_menu_order() – Set manual product order.
set_status() – Set post status (e.g., ‘draft’).
set_total_sales() – Set product total sales.
set_catalog_visibility() – Set catalog visibility (e.g., ‘hidden’, ‘visible’).

Products on Sale

To create a product on sale, add the following methods before the $product->save(); line:

$product->set_regular_price(100.00);
$product->set_sale_price(75.00); // Sale price
$product->set_date_on_sale_from('2024-05-01'); // Sale start date
$product->set_date_on_sale_to('2024-05-31'); // Sale end date

Inventory Settings

The configuration of inventory settings can also be done by using these methods:

$product->set_sku('sample-hat'); // Unique SKU
$product->set_stock_status('instock'); // Stock status ('instock', 'outofstock', 'onbackorder')
$product->set_manage_stock(true); // Manage stock
$product->set_stock_quantity(10); // Stock quantity
$product->set_backorders('no'); // Backorders ('yes', 'no', 'notify')
$product->set_low_stock_amount(3); // Low stock amount
$product->set_sold_individually(true); // Sold individually

Dimensions and Shipping

You can set the product dimensions and shipping class by using the below code.

$product->set_weight(0.5); // Weight
$product->set_length(50); // Length
$product->set_width(50); // Width
$product->set_height(30); // Height
$product->set_shipping_class_id('sample-shipping'); // Shipping class ID

Linked Products

Set upsell and cross-sell products:

$product->set_upsell_ids(array(111, 122)); // Upsell product IDs
// $product->set_cross_sell_ids(array(121, 137, 119, 110)); // Cross-sell product IDs

Attributes

Add product attributes using the WC_Product_Attribute class:

$attributes = array();

// Custom attribute
$attribute = new WC_Product_Attribute();
$attribute->set_name('Sample');
$attribute->set_options(array('Yes', 'No'));
$attribute->set_position(0);
$attribute->set_visible(true);
$attribute->set_variation(true);
$attributes[] = $attribute;

// Predefined taxonomy-based attribute
$attribute = new WC_Product_Attribute();
$attribute->set_id(wc_attribute_taxonomy_id_by_name('pa_color'));
$attribute->set_name('pa_color');
$attribute->set_options(array(29, 31));
$attribute->set_position(1);
$attribute->set_visible(true);
$attribute->set_variation(false);
$attributes[] = $attribute;

$product->set_attributes($attributes); // Set attributes

Virtual and Downloadable Products

To create a virtual and downloadable product:

$product->set_virtual(true); // Virtual product
$product->set_downloadable(true); // Downloadable product

$downloads = array();
$download = new WC_Product_Download();
$file_url = wp_get_attachment_url($attachment_id); // Attachment ID
$download->set_name('sample-product-download');
$download->set_id(md5($file_url));
$download->set_file($file_url);
$downloads[] = $download;

$product->set_downloads($downloads); // Set downloads
$product->set_download_limit(1); // Download limit
$product->set_download_expiry(7); // Download expiry (days)

External and Grouped Products

For external products:

$product = new WC_Product_External();
$product->set_name('External Product');
$product->set_product_url('https://externalproducturl.com'); // External product URL
$product->set_button_text('Buy Now'); // Button text
$product->save();

For grouped products:

$product = new WC_Product_Grouped();
$product->set_name('Grouped Product');
$product->set_children(array(110, 120, 130)); // Child product IDs
$product->save();

Variable Products

Creating a variable product involves setting up variations:

$product = new WC_Product_Variable();
$product->set_name('Variable Product');
$product->set_image_id(190); // Image ID

$attribute = new WC_Product_Attribute();
$attribute->set_name('Sample');
$attribute->set_options(array('Yes', 'No'));
$attribute->set_position(0);
$attribute->set_visible(true);
$attribute->set_variation(true);
$product->set_attributes(array($attribute)); // Set attributes
$product->save();

$variation = new WC_Product_Variation();
$variation->set_parent_id($product->get_id());
$variation->set_attributes(array('sample' => 'Yes'));
$variation->set_regular_price(1000000); // Price for sample
$variation->save();

$variation = new WC_Product_Variation();
$variation->set_parent_id($product->get_id());
$variation->set_attributes(array('sample' => 'No'));
$variation->set_regular_price(500); // Price for non-sample
$variation->save();

Set a default variation with:

$product->set_default_attributes(array('sample' => 'No'));

Conclusion

Creating different types of products programmatically in WooCommerce can streamline your store management, especially for large inventories or integrations with external systems. By using the CRUD objects and methods provided by WooCommerce, you can create simple, external, grouped, and variable products efficiently and customize them to fit your needs.

Feel free to modify the functions and product data arrays to suit your specific requirements. Happy coding!