Woocommerce how to create custom api shipping method to display rates and tracking

Creating a custom API shipping method for WooCommerce involves implementing a custom shipping method class and leveraging WooCommerce’s hooks to integrate it. This process typically includes defining a new shipping method, calculating rates dynamically, and providing tracking data via an API. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you achieve this:

1. Set Up Your Plugin

Create a custom plugin for this functionality. In your WordPress plugin directory, create a new folder, e.g., custom-shipping-method, and a PHP file, e.g., custom-shipping-method.php.

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: Custom Shipping Method
 * Description: Adds a custom shipping method with API integration for rates and tracking.
 * Version: 1.0
 * Author: Your Name
 */

// Exit if accessed directly.
if (!defined('ABSPATH')) {
    exit;
}

// Include the custom shipping method class.
require_once plugin_dir_path(__FILE__) . 'includes/class-custom-shipping-method.php';

// Register the custom shipping method.
function register_custom_shipping_method($methods) {
    $methods['custom_shipping'] = 'WC_Custom_Shipping_Method';
    return $methods;
}
add_filter('woocommerce_shipping_methods', 'register_custom_shipping_method');

// Initialize the shipping method.
function init_custom_shipping_method() {
    if (!class_exists('WC_Shipping_Method')) {
        return;
    }
    include_once plugin_dir_path(__FILE__) . 'includes/class-custom-shipping-method.php';
}
add_action('woocommerce_shipping_init', 'init_custom_shipping_method');

2. Define Your Custom Shipping Method

Create a file includes/class-custom-shipping-method.php and define your custom shipping method class.

<?php

class WC_Custom_Shipping_Method extends WC_Shipping_Method {
    public function __construct() {
        $this->id = 'custom_shipping';
        $this->method_title = __('Custom Shipping', 'woocommerce');
        $this->method_description = __('Custom shipping method with API integration.', 'woocommerce');

        $this->enabled = 'yes'; // Enable the method.
        $this->title = __('Custom Shipping', 'woocommerce'); // Method title shown to users.

        $this->init();
    }

    // Initialize settings.
    public function init() {
        $this->init_form_fields();
        $this->init_settings();

        $this->title = $this->get_option('title');
        $this->enabled = $this->get_option('enabled');

        add_action('woocommerce_update_options_shipping_' . $this->id, [$this, 'process_admin_options']);
    }

    // Define settings fields.
    public function init_form_fields() {
        $this->form_fields = [
            'enabled' => [
                'title' => __('Enable/Disable', 'woocommerce'),
                'type' => 'checkbox',
                'description' => __('Enable this shipping method.', 'woocommerce'),
                'default' => 'yes',
            ],
            'title' => [
                'title' => __('Title', 'woocommerce'),
                'type' => 'text',
                'description' => __('Title shown during checkout.', 'woocommerce'),
                'default' => __('Custom Shipping', 'woocommerce'),
            ],
        ];
    }

    // Calculate shipping rates.
    public function calculate_shipping($package = []) {
        $rate = [
            'id' => $this->id,
            'label' => $this->title,
            'cost' => 10.00, // Replace with dynamic rate calculation via API.
            'calc_tax' => 'per_item',
        ];
        $this->add_rate($rate);
    }
}

3. Fetch Shipping Rates via API

To dynamically fetch rates, modify the calculate_shipping method to call an external API.

public function calculate_shipping($package = []) {
    $response = wp_remote_get('https://api.example.com/shipping-rates', [
        'body' => json_encode($package),
        'headers' => ['Content-Type' => 'application/json'],
    ]);

    if (is_wp_error($response)) {
        return;
    }

    $data = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response), true);

    if (!empty($data['rates'])) {
        foreach ($data['rates'] as $rate) {
            $this->add_rate([
                'id' => $this->id . '_' . $rate['id'],
                'label' => $rate['label'],
                'cost' => $rate['cost'],
                'calc_tax' => 'per_item',
            ]);
        }
    }
}

4. Provide Tracking Information

You can add a custom endpoint to provide tracking data.

In your main plugin file:

add_action('rest_api_init', function () {
    register_rest_route('custom-shipping/v1', '/tracking/(?P<order_id>\d+)', [
        'methods' => 'GET',
        'callback' => 'get_tracking_info',
        'permission_callback' => '__return_true',
    ]);
});

function get_tracking_info($data) {
    $order_id = $data['order_id'];
    $order = wc_get_order($order_id);

    if (!$order) {
        return new WP_Error('invalid_order', 'Invalid order ID', ['status' => 404]);
    }

    $tracking_info = [
        'order_id' => $order_id,
        'tracking_number' => get_post_meta($order_id, '_tracking_number', true),
        'carrier' => get_post_meta($order_id, '_tracking_carrier', true),
        'status' => 'In Transit', // Fetch status dynamically from an API if needed.
    ];

    return $tracking_info;
}

5. Add Tracking Data to Orders

You can extend the order meta to include tracking details when adding or editing orders. Use add_post_meta or update WooCommerce hooks to save tracking data.

6. Test Your Implementation

Ensure everything works correctly:

• Test rate calculations.
• Verify the REST API endpoint for tracking.
• Check for compatibility with WooCommerce updates.

This setup provides a basic framework to create a custom shipping method with API-driven rates and tracking information. Expand and refine it based on your specific requirements.