{"id":41959,"date":"2022-12-28T15:00:39","date_gmt":"2022-12-28T14:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=41959"},"modified":"2023-01-09T11:57:50","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T10:57:50","slug":"sequential-order-numbers-for-woocommerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/sequential-order-numbers-for-woocommerce\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Guide to Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the major upsides of using WooCommerce to power your online store is the level of control and customizability you can get. Some of it might be available with the core software, while other features rely on third-party plugins. At the end of the day, you\u2019ll be able to do almost anything you want with WooCommerce, including <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-create-woocommerce-custom-order-status\/\">setting a custom order status<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-export-orders-in-woocommerce\/\">exporting orders<\/a>. But how about setting WooCommerce sequential order numbers? Would you be able to set them up, too? [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]This has been a pet peeve of many of WooCommerce users \u2013 the fact that order numbers, as assigned by WooCommerce, don\u2019t follow a sequence. If you\u2019re one of the people who want to understand why this is so, and what\u2019s there to do about it, stick around.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]In this article, we\u2019ll show you:<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#how-are-order-numbers-in-woocommerce-assigned\">How Are Order Numbers in WooCommerce Assigned?<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#is-having-sequential-order-numbers-important\">Is Having Sequential Order Numbers in WooCommerce Important?<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#set-up-sequential-order-numbers-in-woocommerce\">How to Set Up Sequential Order Numbers in WooCommerce<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;new-top-picks-banner&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"how-are-order-numbers-in-woocommerce-assigned\"><\/a>How Are Order Numbers in WooCommerce Assigned?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder   qodef-has-border \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"509\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Numbers.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Order Numbers\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Numbers.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Numbers-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Numbers-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Numbers-620x326.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]The first thing you need to understand when talking about WooCommerce order numbers is that they were never designed to be in sequence at all. Their order has nothing to do with WooCommerce \u2013 <strong>it\u2019s entirely up to WordPress<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Most types of content you add to a WordPress website will get an ID number. Even if you don\u2019t readily see them, don\u2019t worry, these ID numbers are there. You just have to know <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/find-post-page-category-comment-uder-id-wordpress\/\">how to find them<\/a>.<strong> Your pages have them, as do posts, categories, users, products, and, of course, the orders in your WooCommerce store.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]So when an order is created in your WooCommerce store, it gets a number from the same pool these other items get numbers. <strong>If no new item \u2013 a post, user, or product, for example \u2013 is added between two orders, their numbers will be in sequence.<\/strong> Otherwise, they won\u2019t.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>This is something you can see in action fairly easily.<\/strong> Add two orders in WooCommerce manually, one after the other, and they\u2019ll have sequential order numbers. But if you then go and create a couple of new products and a new page, when you come back to create a new order, you\u2019ll notice that its number is out of sequence with the previous one.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"is-having-sequential-order-numbers-important\"><\/a>Is Having Sequential Order Numbers in WooCommerce Important?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The real question here is whether sequential order numbers are important to you. Unless there\u2019s a regulation that prescribes it, and there might be in some areas, <strong>it\u2019s really up to you and your preferences.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Having sequential order numbers might be a more practical solution for several reasons. <strong>It lets you navigate the orders more easily \u2013 finding and tracking orders is harder if there\u2019s no logic to the order numbers.<\/strong> It\u2019s also much easier to gauge the total number of orders if their numbers are sequential.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]In the end, however,<strong> if the only thing having sequential order numbers in WooCommerce does is satiate your need for orderliness in your online store, it\u2019s valid and important.<\/strong> So let\u2019s see how you can tidy up your order numbers and make them all neat and consecutive.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"set-up-sequential-order-numbers-in-woocommerce\"><\/a>How to Set Up Sequential Order Numbers in WooCommerce<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]When you want to get stuff done in WordPress, often you\u2019ll resort to using plugins. It\u2019s one of the things that make WordPress so great, after all, even though using too many plugins can lead to problems. <strong>But if having sequential order numbers is important for your store, then using a plugin is certainly the easiest way to make it happen.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Navigate over to<em> Plugins &gt; Add New<\/em> on your website\u2019s dashboard. A quick search of the term \u201csequential order number\u201d will give you more than a few suggestions. We\u2019ll show you how to use the <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wt-woocommerce-sequential-order-numbers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sequential Order Number for the WooCommerce plugin<\/a>, so go ahead and install and activate it.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;50px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder   qodef-has-border \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Sequential Order Number\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number-768x411.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number-620x331.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Once you\u2019ve installed the plugin, you can navigate to <em>WooCommerce &gt; Settings &gt; Sequential Order Number<\/em> to find its options. <strong>The first thing the plugin will let you do is to choose the order number format<\/strong> \u2013 you can keep the current, number-only format, but you can also add a date and\/or prefix to it. With the Pro version of the plugin, you\u2019ll also be able to add a custom suffix.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;50px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder   qodef-has-border \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"481\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number-Settings.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Sequential Order Number Settings\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number-Settings.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number-Settings-300x149.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number-Settings-768x381.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sequential-Order-Number-Settings-620x308.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]The next couple of options will let you set the order number length \u2013 the total number of spaces your order will have. If it\u2019s larger than the order number itself, it will use the number 0 for padding. <strong>You\u2019ll also be able to choose the starting number<\/strong>, as well as whether you want to apply the format to existing orders.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;50px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder   qodef-has-border \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Start-Number.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Order Start Number\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Start-Number.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Start-Number-300x103.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Start-Number-768x264.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Order-Start-Number-620x213.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>The final two options you can access with the free version of the plugin let you enable or disable tracking and searching orders.<\/strong> With the Pro version activated, you can create a separate sequence for free orders, choose the increment for the order counter \u2013 it\u2019s set to one by default \u2013 and set the rules for resetting the sequence of order numbers.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;50px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder   qodef-has-border \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"592\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Track-Orders.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Track Orders\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Track-Orders.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Track-Orders-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Track-Orders-768x469.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Track-Orders-620x379.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]After setting all the options to match your preference, simply click on the Save Change button, and you\u2019ll be set. Navigate to <em>WooCommerce &gt; Orders<\/em>, <strong>and you\u2019ll be able to see the changes right away if you chose to apply them to existing orders.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;50px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder   qodef-has-border \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Existing-Orders.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Existing Orders\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Existing-Orders.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Existing-Orders-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Existing-Orders-768x411.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Existing-Orders-620x331.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Your order numbers might look different or might change with the first next other. The bottom line is that, after setting up the plugin, you shouldn\u2019t have any more troubles with out-of-sequence order numbers.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\">Let\u2019s Wrap It Up!<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]When you\u2019re building an online store, setting up sequential order numbers might be the last thing on your list of priorities. Having random order numbers might not even bother, and if that\u2019s the case, there\u2019s no reason to do anything about it.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]But if you want to have the numbers in a sequence, you\u2019re just a plugin away from being able to set them just right. You can use the plugin we showed you here, or any other that does the same trick \u2013 the important thing is to know that, if you want to, you can set how the order numbers in your store look and get assigned.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]While you\u2019re at it, you might check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/qi-addons-for-elementor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Qi Addons for Elementor plugin<\/a>, if you\u2019re using Elementor, or our <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/qi-blocks-for-gutenberg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Qi Blocks for Gutenberg plugin<\/a>, if you\u2019re a fan of the block editor. Both have some brand-new elements you can use to spruce up your online store.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Need some help setting up sequential order numbers in WooCommerce? Don&#8217;t worry &#8211; we&#8217;ll explain why the numbers are out of order and how to change it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9295,"featured_media":41975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[56,4,99],"class_list":["post-41959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","tag-ecommerce","tag-tips","tag-woocommerce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}