Placeholder tags
Placeholder tags let one template greet each customer by name and quote the right order. This article lists every tag, what it becomes in a real email and in a preview, and how to use the order link as a clickable link.
Inserting a tag
Each of Email Subject, Email Heading and Email Body has a row of tags under it, headed “Click a tag to insert it:”. Clicking one puts it into that field where your cursor is.
Point at a tag to see what it is replaced with.
You can also type a tag by hand. Type it exactly as listed, curly brackets included.
Tag reference
The last column is the value used when you preview a template or send yourself a test, since no real order is involved then.
| Tag | Replaced with | In previews and tests |
|---|---|---|
{order_number} |
The order number, such as 1234. It has no # in front, so type one before the tag if you want it. | 1234 |
{order_date} |
The date the order was placed, in your site’s date format. | Today’s date |
{order_status} |
The order’s current status, such as Processing or Completed. | Processing |
{order_total} |
The order total with its currency symbol, such as $49.00. After a partial refund, it is the total that remains. | 49 in your store’s currency |
{order_view_url} |
The address of the order’s page in the customer’s account on your site. | Your home page address |
{customer_first_name} |
The first name from the order’s billing details. | Jane |
{customer_last_name} |
The last name from the order’s billing details. | Doe |
{customer_full_name} |
The first and last name from the order’s billing details. | Jane Doe |
{billing_email} |
The billing email address. | jane.doe@example.com |
{billing_phone} |
The billing phone number. | +1 555 0100 |
{site_title} |
Your site title, from Settings → General. | Your site title |
{site_url} |
Your site’s home page address. | Your home page address |
The date format also comes from Settings → General.
Note: The page behind
{order_view_url}is only visible to a customer who is logged in to their account on your site. For an order placed without an account, the link leads to the login form.
What happens to tags when an email is sent
- Tags work in the subject, the heading and the body.
- A tag that is misspelled, or that the plugin does not know, is sent exactly as you typed it. Preview the template to catch these.
- When the order has no value for a tag, such as an order without a phone number, the tag is replaced with nothing. Read the sentence around it with that in mind.
- Values are inserted as plain text, so nothing a customer typed into their details can change the layout of your email.
Making {order_view_url} a clickable link
To turn words such as “View your order” into a link to the order:
- In the Email Body, select the words.
- Click the editor’s link button, type
{order_view_url}as the address, and press Enter. - Save the template, then preview it and click the link to check it.
WordPress puts http:// in front of an address that has none, so the editor shows the link as http://{order_view_url}. The plugin removes the http:// when it fills in the order’s address.
You can also type the link yourself on the Code tab above the Email Body (the Text tab in older WordPress versions):
<a href="{order_view_url}">View your order</a>If you just want the address to appear in the email, place {order_view_url} in the text on its own, like any other tag. In a plain text email, a link is written out as the link text followed by the address in parentheses.
Adding your own tags
A developer can add tags, such as a shipping method or a tracking number, with a few lines of code. See Adding your own placeholder tags.