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How to Generate a WooCommerce Extension with Claude 3.5 Sonnet

Sarah Developer

2 min read

How to Generate a WooCommerce Extension with Claude 3.5 Sonnet

Building a WooCommerce extension from scratch can take hours of boilerplate configuration, hook registration, and class structuring. In this tutorial, we will show you how to generate a complete WooCommerce Payment Gateway extension using Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet in just a few minutes.

1. Understanding the Goal

Before writing your prompt in WPCoder AI, it's crucial to understand what WooCommerce expects from a payment gateway. A standard gateway requires:

  • A main plugin file with standard WordPress headers.
  • A class extending WC_Payment_Gateway.
  • A filter hook to inject the gateway into the woocommerce_payment_gateways array.
  • Settings API integration for API keys and configuration.

2. The Perfect Prompt

To get the best result out of Claude 3.5 Sonnet, you need to be explicit about these requirements. Here is a sample prompt you can use directly in the platform:

Create a WooCommerce Payment Gateway plugin called "Custom Crypto Pay".
Requirements:
1. The main file should check if WooCommerce is active before loading.
2. Create a class extending WC_Payment_Gateway.
3. Include settings fields for: Enable/Disable, Title, Description, and API Key.
4. Implement the process_payment() function to mark the order as 'on-hold' and return a success redirect.
5. Use proper escaping, internationalization (__), and sanitization.

3. Generating and Reviewing

Once you submit the prompt, WPCoder AI routes it to Claude. The platform then parses the returned code, running it through automated WordPress coding standards checks. You'll be presented with a full codebase preview in your dashboard.

Look out for the init_form_fields() method inside the generated class. Claude is exceptionally good at scaffolding these settings arrays correctly.

The ability to generate the entire boilerplate and Settings API array in one prompt saves me at least an hour per client project. — A happy agency user.

4. Downloading and Testing

After reviewing the code in the editor, click the Download Plugin button. WPCoder AI packages the files into an installable ZIP archive.

Important: Always install the generated plugin on a local or staging environment first. Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments to verify your new "Custom Crypto Pay" gateway appears and that the settings fields save correctly.

Next Steps

Once you have the foundation, you can iteratively prompt WPCoder AI to add webhook listener endpoints or custom API integrations for the actual payment processing logic.