Price History Manager

Installation

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Requirements

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  • WordPress 5.8 or higher
  • WooCommerce 7.0 or higher
  • PHP 7.4 or higher
  • MySQL 5.6 or higher

Installation Steps

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  1. Upload Plugin
  • Download the plugin ZIP file
  • Navigate to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New
  • Click “Upload Plugin” and select the ZIP file
  • Click “Install Now”
  1. Activate Plugin
  • After installation, click “Activate Plugin”
  • Or navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins and activate “Price History Manager”
  1. Database Setup
  • Upon activation, the plugin automatically creates necessary database tables
  • No manual database configuration required

Initial Setup

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Quick Start Guide

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  1. Navigate to Settings
  • Go to WooCommerce → Settings
  • Click on the “Products” tab
  • Select “Price History” sub-tab
  1. Enable Price Tracking
  • Toggle “Enable Price Tracking” to ON
  • Choose your preferred tracking method
  • Save changes
  1. Configure Display
  • Select display format (Text, Badge, or Graph)
  • Choose display position on product pages
  • Configure display conditions
  1. Test Configuration
  • Visit a product page to verify price history displays correctly
  • Adjust settings as needed

Configuration

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General Settings

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Enable Price Tracking

  • Description: Master switch to enable/disable price tracking
  • Default: Disabled
  • Note: Must be enabled for plugin to function

Track Variable Products

  • Description: Enable tracking for product variations
  • Default: Enabled
  • Impact: Each variation tracked separately when enabled

Include Taxes

  • Description: Track prices with or without taxes
  • Default: Follow WooCommerce tax display settings
  • Options: Yes, No, Use WooCommerce Settings

Tracking Period

  • Description: How long to retain price history
  • Default: 90 days
  • Range: 7-365 days

Display Settings

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Display Format

Choose how price history appears on product pages:

  • Text: Simple text display with customizable template
  • Badge: Styled badge with price information
  • Graph: Interactive chart showing price trends

Display Position

  • Before Add to Cart: Shows above the add to cart button
  • After Add to Cart: Shows below the add to cart button
  • After Price: Shows immediately after the product price
  • Custom: Use shortcode for manual placement

Display Conditions

  • Always: Show on all products
  • On Sale Only: Show only when product is on sale
  • Price Drop Only: Show only when current price is lower than historical

Compliance Settings

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Omnibus Directive Mode

  • Description: Enable EU Omnibus Directive compliance
  • Default: Disabled
  • Effect: Shows lowest price in last 30 days before discount

Compliance Period

  • Description: Number of days to check for lowest price
  • Default: 30 days
  • Note: EU Omnibus requires 30 days

Display Options

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Text Display

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Template Variables

  • {price}: The price of the product
  • {days}: Number of days tracked
  • {date}: Date of the price change

Badge Display

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Badge Styles

  • Default: Standard rectangular badge
  • Rounded: Rounded corners
  • Circle: Circular badge
  • Banner: Full-width banner style

Color Options

  • Background Color
  • Text Color
  • Border Color
  • Hover Effects

Badge Content

  • Customizable text template
  • Icon support (optional)
  • Animation effects

Graph Display

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Chart Types

  • Line Chart: Shows price trends over time

Chart Features

  • Interactive tooltips

Modal Settings

  • Trigger: Click on badge/text or automatic

Admin Interface

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Dashboard Overview

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The admin interface provides:

  • Quick statistics summary
  • Recent price changes
  • System health status
  • Quick action buttons

Statistics Tab

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Database Statistics

  • Total products tracked
  • Total price records
  • Average prices per product
  • Storage space used

Price Analytics

  • Most volatile products
  • Biggest price drops
  • Price change frequency
  • Seasonal patterns

Data Management Tab

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Export Data

  • Formats: CSV, JSON
  • Options:
  • Date range selection
  • Product selection
  • Include/exclude fields

Import Data

  • Supported Formats: CSV, JSON
  • Validation: Automatic data validation
  • Conflict Resolution: Skip, Update, or Replace

Clear Data

  • Clear all price history
  • Clear by date range
  • Clear by product
  • Warning: Action cannot be undone

Shortcodes

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Basic Price History Shortcode

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[price_history]

With Parameters

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[price_history product_id="123" format="badge" days="30"]

Parameters

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  • product_id: Specific product ID (default: current product)
  • format: text, badge, or graph (default: plugin setting)

Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

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Price History Not Showing

  1. Check if tracking is enabled
  • Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Price History
  • Ensure “Enable Price Tracking” is ON
  1. Verify display settings
  • Check display format is selected
  • Verify display position is configured
  • Ensure display conditions are met
  1. Clear cache
  • Clear WordPress cache
  • Clear browser cache
  • Clear any CDN cache

Database Errors

  1. Check table creation
  • Deactivate and reactivate plugin
  • Check error logs for database errors
  1. Verify permissions
  • Ensure WordPress has CREATE TABLE permissions
  • Check database user privileges

Performance Issues

  1. Optimize settings
  • Reduce tracking period if not needed
  • Enable statistics caching
  • Limit number of displayed records
  1. Database optimization
  • Run cleanup to remove old records
  • Optimize database tables
  • Consider increasing PHP memory limit

FAQ

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General Questions

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Q: Does the plugin work with variable products?
A: Yes, each variation can be tracked separately when enabled in settings.

Q: How often are prices tracked?
A: Prices are tracked in real-time when they change, and a daily cron job ensures accuracy.

Q: Can I import historical price data?
A: Yes, use the Data Management tab to import CSV or JSON files with historical prices.

Q: Does it work with multi-currency plugins?
A: The plugin tracks prices in the store’s base currency. Multi-currency display depends on your currency plugin.

Compliance Questions

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Q: Is this compliant with EU Omnibus Directive?
A: Yes, when Omnibus mode is enabled, it displays the lowest price in the last 30 days as required.

Q: Can I customize the compliance period?
A: Yes, though EU law requires 30 days, you can adjust this for other regions.

Q: What happens if I have no price history?
A: The plugin won’t display anything until sufficient price history is collected.

Technical Questions

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Q: Will this slow down my site?
A: No, the plugin uses optimized queries and caching to minimize performance impact.

Q: How much database space does it use?
A: Approximately 100 bytes per price record. A store with 1000 products tracking daily would use about 3MB per month.

Q: Can I use it with page builders?
A: Yes, use the shortcode in any page builder that supports shortcodes.

Q: Is the data GDPR compliant?
A: Yes, only product pricing data is tracked, no personal information is collected.

Troubleshooting Questions

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Q: Why isn’t price history showing?
A: Check that tracking is enabled, display settings are configured, and the product has price history.

Q: How do I reset all data?
A: Use the Clear Data option in Data Management tab (warning: irreversible).

Q: Where are the log files?
A: Logs are stored in WooCommerce logs directory, viewable at WooCommerce → Status → Logs.