WooCommerce Plugin Development | Chapter 9 | Discount Plugin

Prepping Your WooCommerce Discount Rules Plugin for Publish

You’ve now built a functional, real-world WooCommerce discount rules plugin.
Whether you want to:

• Share it on your blog

• Upload it to GitHub

• Include it inside client projects

• Or submit it to the WordPress Plugin Directory

…this chapter walks you through creating a professional, production-ready plugin package.

✅ 1. Final Folder Structure

Your plugin should have a clean, organized folder layout like this:

simple-discount-rules/
│
├── simple-discount-rules.php <– main plugin bootstrap
├── readme.txt <– WordPress.org format (optional)
├── README.md <– GitHub documentation file
├── assets/
│ ├── banner-772×250.png <– WordPress.org banner
│ ├── icon-256×256.png <– plugin icon
│ └── screenshot-1.png <– admin screenshot
└── uninstall.php <– cleanup logic (optional)

A clear structure makes your plugin easy to maintain and publish.

✅ 2. Polished Plugin Header

Update the top of simple-discount-rules.php:

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: Simple Discount Rules for WooCommerce
 * Plugin URI:  https://yourwebsite.com/simple-discount-rules/
 * Description: A lightweight WooCommerce extension for creating custom discount rules with coupon code, conditions, and usage limits.
 * Version:     1.0.0
 * Author:      Your Name / Your Company
 * Author URI:  https://yourwebsite.com
 * Text Domain: simple-discount-rules
 * Domain Path: /languages
 * Requires at least: 5.8
 * Requires PHP: 7.4
 * License: GPLv2 or later
 * WC requires at least: 5.0
 * WC tested up to: 9.0
 */

Tips:

• Use your own URL and name.

• Start with version 1.0.0.

• Include WooCommerce compatibility tags if publishing publicly.

✅ 3. Create uninstall.php (Professional Touch)

This file removes the plugin’s custom options when the user deletes the plugin from WordPress.

Create: uninstall.php

<?php 
/** 
* Uninstall script for Simple Discount Rules. 
*/
 if ( ! defined( 'WP_UNINSTALL_PLUGIN' ) ) 
{ exit; 
} 
delete_option( 'sdr_checkout_message' ); 
delete_option( 'sdr_enable_discount' ); 
delete_option( 'sdr_coupons' );
// Optional: Remove user coupon usage 
$users = get_users( array( 'fields' => 'ID' ) );
foreach ( $users as $user_id ) {
    delete_user_meta( $user_id, 'sdr_coupon_usage' );
}

If performance is a concern, you may skip cleaning user meta.

✅ 4. Create a Clean README.md (For GitHub)

Here is a finished, polished README.md:

Simple Discount Rules for WooCommerce

A lightweight WooCommerce extension that lets you create custom discount rules with:

– Multiple coupon codes
– Flat or percentage discounts
– Min/max cart value checks
– New/existing customer targeting
– Per-customer usage limits
– Active/inactive status control

Perfect for simple promotional campaigns without heavy plugins.

🔧 Features

– Add unlimited custom coupons
– User-friendly admin UI
– Works with WooCommerce cart totals
– Automatic validation + messages
– Tracks per-customer usage
– Clean, optimized PHP code

📦 Installation

1. Download the ZIP.
2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
3. Activate the plugin.
4. Open
WooCommerce → Simple Discount Rules
to configure your coupons.

🧪 Compatibility

– WordPress 5.8+
– WooCommerce 5.0+
– PHP 7.4+ (recommended: 8.1+)

📘 How It Works

1. User enters coupon code at checkout.
2. Plugin checks:
– Coupon activation status
– Discount type/value
– Min/max cart value
– Customer type
– Usage limit
3. Applies discount as a negative cart fee.

🔒 GDPR / Cleanup

Deleting the plugin removes all stored plugin data.

🧑‍💻 Developer Notes

Hook into discount application:

           woocommerce_cart_calculate_fees

Order tracking uses:

           woocommerce_checkout_create_order

           woocommerce_order_status_completed

📄 License

GPLv2 or later.

✅ 5. Create a WordPress.org-Compatible readme.txt (If Needed)

If you plan to publish your plugin on WordPress.org, the readme.txt format is mandatory.
Below is a clean and ready-to-use template:

=== Simple Discount Rules for WooCommerce ===
Contributors: your-username
Tags: woo commerce, discount, coupons, cart rules, offers
Requires at least: 5.8
Tested up to: 6.7
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 1.0.0
License: GPLv2 or later

Lightweight WooCommerce discount rules plugin that supports multiple coupons, min/max order value, customer-type restrictions, and usage limits per customer.

== Description ==

Simple Discount Rules for WooCommerce helps store owners create basic promotional rules without heavy plugins.

Features include:
* Multiple custom coupon codes
* Flat or percentage discounts
* Min/max order value conditions
* New/existing customer targeting
* Per-customer usage limits
* Active/inactive coupon status

== Installation ==

1. Upload the plugin files to `/wp-content/plugins/simple-discount-rules/`
2. Activate the plugin from the 'Plugins' menu
3. Go to WooCommerce → Simple Discount Rules

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does it override WooCommerce coupons? =
No. This is an independent system.

= Does it work with guest checkout? =
Yes, except for “per-customer usage” rules (requires login).

== Screenshots ==
1. Admin settings page with coupon list
2. Add new coupon form
3. Checkout page displaying custom message

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.0 =
Initial release.

== License ==
GPLv2 or later.

✅ 6. Add Plugin Assets (Optional but Recommended)

If you’re publishing on WordPress.org, prepare:

• icon-256×256.png

• banner-772×250.png

Place them inside your plugin’s /assets/ folder.

If using GitHub, add promotional screenshots to improve visibility.

✅ 7. Do a Final Code Cleanup

Before packaging your plugin for release, ensure that:

• All var_dump(), print_r(), debug logs are removed

• No hardcoded file paths remain

• No temporary or commented test code is left

• Inline comments are clean and meaningful

• Spacing follows WordPress coding standards

Search your plugin for leftover debug markers:

TODO
NOTE:
DEBUG
error_log

✅ 8. Zip Your Plugin Correctly

Your final plugin folder must be:

simple-discount-rules/

Not a parent folder with extra layers.

Mac/Linux:

cd wp-content/plugins/
zip -r simple-discount-rules-1.0.0.zip simple-discount-rules

Windows PowerShell:

Compress-Archive -Path simple-discount-rules -DestinationPath simple-discount-rules-1.0.0.zip

✅ 9. Test a Fresh Install

Install the ZIP into a fresh WordPress with WooCommerce:

1. Activate plugin
2. Create sample coupons
3. Test:

• Flat discount
• Percentage discount
• Min/max cart value
• New/existing customers
•  Usage limit per customer4. Test with guest checkout

5. Test multiple logins
6. Test order completion updates usage correctly
7. Ensure deactivate/reactivate keeps settings

Ensure uninstall removes all data (if intended)

 🎉 Your Plugin Is Now Ready for Distribution!

You have built a complete WooCommerce discount rules engine:

• Modular
• Safe
• Extendable
• Production-ready
• Easy to publish