Enter a back-office order with DataFirefly Order Creator

Overview

DataFirefly Order Creator adds an order entry page to the back office, built for orders taken by phone or by email. It follows the order of a phone order in four steps (customer, products, addresses and delivery, payment and status) and shows on the right a summary that is recalculated after every action.

The order is created with the same function as the native PrestaShop screen (PaymentModule::validateOrder), from the customer’s cart. The module runs on PrestaShop 8.0 to 9.x and its interface is translated into French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese.

Installation

1. In Modules > Module Manager, click Upload a module and drop the file dfordercreator-1.0.0.zip.
2. The page is added under Orders > Order entry.
3. By default, the Add new order buttons of the back office also open this page.

Configuration

The module configuration page has these settings:

• Replace the native “Add new order” buttons: the button of the orders list opens the module page, and the order creation button of a customer cart opens it with that cart already loaded.
• Default order status: a fixed status, or the last status used by the employee.
• Default payment method: a fixed payment module, or the last one used by the employee.
• Prices typed by employees are: tax incl. or tax excl. Each employee can switch it on the page, and their choice is remembered in their browser.
• Allow price and line discount changes.
• Show the margin, calculated tax excl. from the cost price of products and combinations.
• Allow adding out-of-stock products: shows a checkbox that lets the employee exceed the stock for a given order.
• Email the customer by default: initial state of the option when the order is created.
• Search results: maximum number of customers or products shown (5 to 50).

Entering an order

1. The customer

Type at least two characters in the search (or a customer number). The search covers the last name, first name, email, company, phone number of the addresses, VAT number and postcode. Several words can be combined, for example “dupont nice”. Pick the customer with the arrow keys and Enter, or with the mouse.

The card shows the customer’s groups (the default group in dark, with its reduction), valid orders, revenue, last order and private note. The History link expands:

• the six latest orders, with the Order again button that adds their products to the cart;
• the customer’s open carts, with the Resume this cart button.

The New customer button (or Alt + N) opens customer creation: first name, last name, email, company, group, language, guest account if the shop allows it, newsletter and first address. If the email already exists, the window offers to use the existing customer. For a standard account, the Email the customer a link to choose a password checkbox sends them the native password reset email.

Change customer keeps the products already entered in the cart.

2. The products

The / key puts the cursor in the product search. It covers the name, reference, EAN, UPC, MPN, supplier reference and ID, including those of combinations. Each result shows the image, reference, stock and price for this customer. Combinations are expanded under their product.

• ↑ ↓ to move, Enter to add, Shift + Enter to add and keep the results open.
• The Qty field next to the search sets the quantity added.
• With a barcode scanner, scan the barcode in the search: the product or combination whose EAN, UPC or reference matches is added directly.

In the lines table:

• Quantity: + and – buttons or direct entry. Setting 0 or clicking the bin removes the line.
• Unit price: entered tax incl. or tax excl. depending on the button above the table. A price entered tax incl. is converted to tax excl. with the tax rate of the line.
• Discount: a percentage applied to the price of the line.
• When the price or the discount is edited, the catalogue price is shown struck through with the Reset link, and the net price is shown under the line.
• The margin tax excl. of the line is shown under its total if the option is on.

3. Addresses and delivery

The delivery address is the customer’s first address. Change it with the drop-down list, fix it with Edit or create one with New address. Untick Invoice to the delivery address to choose another invoice address.

An address already used by a past order is never edited: PrestaShop keeps the old version on those orders and the module saves a new address, which replaces the old one in the customer’s address book.

The carriers that deliver this cart to this address are shown with their logo, delivery time and price. The first carrier offered by PrestaShop is selected automatically. If the shop offers gift wrapping or recycled packaging, the options are shown under the carriers. A cart that only contains virtual products does not need a carrier.

4. Payment and status

• Payment method: the payment modules installed and enabled on the shop.
• Order status: the note under the field tells you whether this status counts the order as paid.
• Message to the customer: visible in their account and on the order, like a message left when ordering.
• Internal note: saved in the order note, only visible in the back office.
• Email the customer: when unticked, the order confirmation and the email of the chosen status are not sent to the customer. Emails meant for the shop are sent as usual.

The order summary

The summary shows the number of items, the products total, discounts, shipping, gift wrapping, total tax excl., taxes and total tax incl., then the margin tax excl. and its percentage. A warning icon shows that a product in the cart has no cost price.

• Currency and Language: the two lists at the top of the summary. The language sets the language of the product names and of the customer’s emails.
• Voucher code: type a code or click one of the suggestions, which are the vouchers this customer can use. The cross removes a voucher.
• Order discount: an amount tax incl. or a percentage, then Apply. It is saved as a single-use cart rule reserved for the customer.
• Free shipping: creates a free shipping cart rule for this cart, like the native option.

The checklist shows the remaining steps. Create the order (or Ctrl + Enter) tells you what is missing if the order is not complete. Once the order is created, a window shows its reference and total with three choices: open the order, enter a new order for this customer, or enter a new order.

Payment link

When the customer prefers to pay online, do not create the order:

• Send by email sends the native “Process the payment of your order” email with the link to their cart.
• Copy the link puts the same link in the clipboard, for a text message or a messaging app.

The customer lands on the payment step of the shop, logged in to their account, with the prepared cart (edited prices, discounts and carrier included). The order is created by their payment.

Draft and several tabs

The current cart is kept: when you come back to the page, the module restores the employee’s last cart and shows a message about it. The cart number is in the page address, so you can enter two orders in two tabs. Start over starts a new entry, and the previous cart stays in the customer’s carts.

The My recent orders button lists the orders created by the employee with the module.

Keyboard shortcuts

• / or F2: search a product
• Alt + C: search a customer
• Alt + N: new customer
• ↑ ↓ then Enter: choose in the results
• Esc: close the results
• Ctrl + Enter: create the order
• ?: show the shortcuts help

On the order page

Each order created with the module shows an Order entry block: the employee who entered it, the date, whether the customer was not notified by email, and the number of lines whose price was edited.

Troubleshooting

No carrier is shown

No carrier covers the zone of the delivery country, or the weight and amount of the cart are outside their ranges. Check the carrier configuration, or choose another address.

The product is not added: “Only X in stock”

The product does not accept out-of-stock orders. Turn on the Allow adding out-of-stock products option in the configuration, then tick the Allow out-of-stock products for this order checkbox under the product search.

The payment link or password email was not sent

The module uses the PrestaShop emails. Check the configuration in Advanced Parameters > E-mail and send a test email.

The “Add new order” buttons still open the native screen

Check that the replacement option is on, then clear the browser cache. If the module was disabled and then enabled again, check that it is still hooked to displayBackOfficeHeader.