Description
WooCommerce Plugin
Product Bundle Dependencies & Prerequisites
Online course platform sells courses. Basic JavaScript. Advanced JavaScript. Expert JavaScript. Makes sense. Progressive learning. Logical sequence. Customer visits site. Never took programming course. Sees Expert JavaScript. Looks interesting. Advanced topics covered. Machine learning integration. Real-time data processing. Sounds exciting. Adds to cart. Purchases immediately. $299 charged. Gets access. Opens first lesson. Completely lost. Talks about async/await. Promises. Closures. Prototype chains. Customer confused. Never learned basics. Never took prerequisite courses. Emails support. Demands refund. Explains cannot follow material. Too advanced. Needs foundational knowledge. Support checks history. Customer never purchased Basic JavaScript. Never took Advanced JavaScript. Jumped straight to Expert level. Impossible to succeed. System allowed purchase. No enforcement. No checking. No validation. Platform issues refund. Loses $299 sale. Customer leaves angry. Posts negative review. One star. “Sold me course I couldn’t take.” Platform realizes problem. Need prerequisites. Need enforcement. Need validation. Cannot manually check every purchase. Cannot trust customers to self-assess. Need automated system. Need dependency checking. Enter Bundle Dependencies. Configure Expert JavaScript. Requires Basic JavaScript in purchase history. Requires Advanced JavaScript previously owned. Customer visits Expert course. System checks purchase history. Finds nothing. No Basic course. No Advanced course. Displays requirements clearly. “Must own: Basic JavaScript, Advanced JavaScript.” Links provided. Customer understands. Buys Basic first. Then Advanced. Then Expert. Proper sequence. Proper learning. Proper success. No refunds. No complaints. No angry reviews. Pure prerequisite logic.
Purchase History Check
Bundle Requirements
Strict Enforcement
Smart Validation
The incompatible purchase disaster
Camera store sells camera bodies. Sells lenses. Sells accessories. Customer buys lens. Expensive telephoto. Professional grade. $2,400 purchase. Ships product. Customer receives package. Opens box. Tries to attach lens to camera. Does not fit. Wrong mount type. Lens is Canon EF. Customer has Nikon Z body. Completely incompatible. Physically impossible to connect. Customer calls store. Angry. Demands explanation. Why sold incompatible product. Store checks order. Only lens purchased. No camera body in order. No compatibility validation. System allowed purchase. Customer demands refund. Plus return shipping. Store loses sale. Pays shipping both ways. Customer posts review. One star. “Sold me wrong lens.” Store reputation damaged. Problem was preventable. Lens requires camera body. Should validate compatibility. Should check cart contents. Should enforce requirements. Bundle Dependencies solves this. Configure telephoto lens. Requires compatible camera body in same order. Customer adds lens to cart. System checks cart. No camera body present. Shows warning. “Must add compatible camera body.” Lists compatible models. Customer adds correct body. Both in cart. System validates. Allows checkout. Compatible purchase guaranteed. No incompatible combinations. No angry customers. No return shipping. No negative reviews. Perfect bundle logic.
Purchase History Prerequisites
Verify customer owns required products before purchase. Check complete order history. Advanced course requires Basic course purchased previously. Upgrade tier requires Standard tier owned. System validates automatically. Shows met/unmet status clearly.
Same-Order Requirements
Enforce products bought together. Frame requires canvas in same cart. Charger requires battery bundle. Installation service requires product. System validates cart contents. Prevents incomplete purchases. Shows what needs adding.
Strict Enforcement Mode
Hide “Add to Cart” button completely. Customer cannot purchase until requirements met. No cart errors. No checkout failures. Product simply unavailable. Forces proper sequence. Professional presentation. Clean user experience.
Visual Status Indicators
Show requirements clearly on product pages. Green checkmark for met prerequisites. Yellow indicator for unmet requirements. Links to required products. Complete transparency. Customer knows exactly what needed. Professional communication.
The membership tier chaos
Fitness platform sells memberships. Bronze tier. Silver tier. Gold tier. Platinum tier. Progressive benefits. Each tier builds on previous. Makes sense logically. Bronze gives basic access. Silver adds group classes. Gold adds personal training. Platinum adds nutrition planning. Tiered structure. Clear progression. Customer discovers platform. Sees Platinum membership. Most features. Best value. Wants everything. Adds to cart. Purchases immediately. $299 per month. Gets access. Tries to book personal training. System error. “Not available.” Customer confused. Platinum includes personal training. Why unavailable. Checks nutrition planning. Also unavailable. System shows error. “Prerequisites not met.” Customer emails support. Angry. Paid for Platinum. Cannot access features. Support investigates. Discovers customer never had Bronze. Never owned Silver. Never purchased Gold. Jumped directly to Platinum. System allowed purchase. But features require progression. Personal training requires relationship with trainer. Established through Silver group classes. Nutrition planning requires baseline data. Collected during Gold tier. Platinum assumes customer went through progression. Assumes foundation built. Assumptions wrong. Customer cannot use features. Demands refund. Platform loses subscriber. Customer posts review. One star. “Features don’t work.” Platform realizes mistake. Tiers have dependencies. Must own previous tier. Must progress sequentially. Cannot jump to Platinum. Bundle Dependencies enforces this. Configure Platinum membership. Requires Gold tier in purchase history. Configure Gold tier. Requires Silver previously owned. Configure Silver. Requires Bronze purchased before. Customer visits Platinum page. System checks history. Finds no tiers owned. Shows requirements. “Must own: Bronze, Silver, Gold.” Lists tiers clearly. Links provided. Customer understands. Starts with Bronze. Learns system. Upgrades to Silver. Gets group classes. Builds relationship. Upgrades to Gold. Gets personal training. Collects baseline data. Finally upgrades Platinum. Nutrition planning works. Foundation established. Customer successful. No refunds. No complaints. No progression errors. Pure tier logic.
No validation: Customers buy incompatible products
System allows any purchase combination. Advanced course without basic prerequisite. Lens without compatible camera. Premium tier without foundation tier. Customer discovers incompatibility after purchase. Features unavailable. Products useless. Demands refund. Leaves negative review. Business loses revenue and reputation. Manual checking impossible at scale.
Manual enforcement: Impossible to verify every order
Staff checks orders manually. Reviews purchase history for each customer. Verifies prerequisites met. Cancels invalid orders. Contacts customers to explain. Time-consuming. Error-prone. Scales poorly. Miss violations during busy periods. Inconsistent enforcement. Customer confusion. Some orders allowed. Others rejected. No clear pattern. Professional presentation suffers.
Bundle Dependencies: Automated validation with dual enforcement
Configure prerequisites per product. Advanced course requires Basic in history. Premium tier requires Standard owned. Platinum requires Gold purchased. Configure bundle requirements. Frame requires Canvas in cart. Charger requires Battery bundle. Installation requires Product ordered. System validates automatically. Checks history. Checks cart. Shows requirements clearly. Met items green checkmark. Unmet items yellow warning. Links to products. Customer sees path forward. Adds required items. System validates. Allows purchase. Complete automation. Zero manual checking. Scales infinitely. Perfect enforcement every time.
📊 Real Dependency Comparison: Course Platform
No Enforcement: Refund disaster
Customer buys Expert JavaScript ($299). Never took Basic JavaScript. Never took Advanced JavaScript. Opens first lesson. Completely lost. Course assumes knowledge of closures, promises, async patterns. Customer confused. Emails support demanding refund. Paid for course cannot understand. Support checks history. Zero prerequisite courses purchased. Issues refund. Loses $299 revenue. Customer leaves angry review. One star rating. “Sold me unusable course.” Platform reputation damaged. Happens repeatedly with advanced courses. Hundreds of refunds monthly.
Bundle Dependencies: Perfect progression
Configure Expert JavaScript with prerequisites. Requires Basic JavaScript in purchase history. Requires Advanced JavaScript previously owned. Customer visits Expert course page. System checks purchase history automatically. Finds zero prerequisites. Displays requirements clearly: “Must own: Basic JavaScript ($99), Advanced JavaScript ($199).” Shows green checkmarks for owned courses. Shows yellow indicators for missing courses. Links provided to each prerequisite. Customer clicks Basic JavaScript. Purchases. Completes course. Returns to platform. Now shows Basic as owned (green checkmark). Still needs Advanced. Purchases Advanced course. Completes. Returns for Expert. All prerequisites met. Green checkmarks everywhere. Adds Expert to cart. Purchase allowed. Customer properly prepared. Understands course content. No refunds needed. Successful completion. Happy customer. Positive review. Perfect sequence enforcement.
🎯 Bundle Requirement Example
Situation: Custom picture frame product. Requires canvas print in same order. Cannot sell frame without print to frame. Illogical purchase.
Configuration: Custom Frame requires Canvas Print (same order). Customer adds frame to cart. System checks cart contents. No Canvas Print found. Shows warning on product page. “Must add to cart: Canvas Print.” Links to canvas products. Customer clicks link. Adds canvas. Both items now in cart. System validates. Allows checkout.
Result: Customer receives frame with print to put in it. Logical purchase. Complete bundle. No useless frames. No confused customers. Professional shopping experience.
Complete feature set
Dual dependency enforcement with purchase history prerequisites and same-order bundle requirements. Prevents incompatible purchases and enforces logical product progression.
📋 Purchase History Prerequisites
• Verify previous purchases
• Check complete order history
• Multiple prerequisites supported
• Automatic customer validation
• Shows owned products
• Links to missing items
• Works across all orders
• Date-independent checking
🔗 Same-Order Requirements
• Enforce bundle purchases
• Validate cart contents
• Multiple products supported
• Real-time cart checking
• Shows cart status
• Add to cart prompting
• Checkout validation
• Bundle completion logic
🚫 Enforcement Options
• Strict mode available
• Hide “Add to Cart” button
• Prevent cart addition
• Force prerequisite purchase
• Soft validation option
• Warning-based approach
• Checkout blocking
• Flexible enforcement levels
💬 Custom Messaging
• Override default messages
• Per-product customization
• Explain requirements clearly
• Brand voice consistency
• HTML formatting support
• Multi-line messages
• Context-aware display
• Professional communication
✓ Visual Indicators
• Status icons on product pages
• Green checkmarks for met
• Yellow warnings for unmet
• Clear requirement lists
• Product name links
• Purchase status display
• Cart status tracking
• Professional presentation
⚙️ System Features
• WooCommerce integration
• Product data tab
• Cart validation hooks
• Checkout validation
• Order history checking
• Theme color inheritance
• Mobile responsive
• PHP 8.2+ compatible
Perfect for
Online Course Platforms
Skill progression requires proper sequence. Advanced Python requires Basic Python owned. Expert JavaScript requires Intermediate completed. Master class requires all previous levels. System enforces learning path. Prevents students jumping ahead. Ensures foundation before advancement. Reduces confused students. Eliminates refund requests.
Membership & Subscription Sites
Tiered memberships build progressively. Silver requires Bronze history. Gold requires Silver owned. Platinum requires Gold purchased. Each tier assumes previous foundation. Features depend on progression. System enforces tier sequence. Customer understands requirements. Natural upgrade path.
Product Ecosystems
Base product plus add-ons model. Camera body required for lens purchase. Software license required for plugin. Base game required for expansion pack. Add-ons useless without base. System enforces bundle logic. Prevents incomplete purchases. Customer gets working combination.
Service Bundles
Installation service requires product in cart. Extended warranty requires base product. Setup service requires hardware bundle. Service useless without product. System enforces pairing. Shows requirements clearly. Customer adds both items. Complete service delivery.
Common use cases
Use Case 1: Progressive course platform
Configure Expert JavaScript with prerequisites: Basic JavaScript + Advanced JavaScript in purchase history. Customer visits Expert course. System checks history. Shows requirements. Customer purchases Basic. Completes. Purchases Advanced. Completes. Returns to Expert. All prerequisites green. Adds to cart. Successful purchase. Proper learning sequence enforced.
Use Case 2: Camera equipment store
Configure telephoto lens requires Canon EOS R Body in same cart. Customer adds lens. System checks cart. No camera body present. Shows warning with link. Customer clicks. Adds compatible body. Both in cart. System validates. Checkout allowed. Compatible bundle guaranteed.
Use Case 3: Membership tier enforcement
Configure Platinum membership requires Gold in history. Enable strict enforcement. Customer visits Platinum page. Never owned Gold. “Add to Cart” button hidden completely. Requirements displayed. “Must own: Gold Membership.” Customer cannot proceed. Must purchase Gold first. Tier sequence enforced automatically.
Use Case 4: Combined dependencies
Premium Support product. Requires Base Software (purchase history) + Annual Maintenance (same cart). Dual enforcement. Customer must have bought Base previously AND add Maintenance to current cart. Both requirements checked. Both must be met. System validates completely. Perfect dependency logic.
🚀 Setup Process
Step 1: Install plugin (WooCommerce required)
Step 2: Edit product needing dependencies
Step 3: Go to Dependencies tab in product data
Step 4: Select prerequisites (purchase history)
Step 5: Select required products (same cart)
Step 6: Optional: Enable strict enforcement
Step 7: Requirements appear on product page automatically
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between the two dependency types?
Prerequisites check purchase history. Customer must have bought specific products before. Required products check current cart. Customer must add products together now. Can use one or both. Example: Premium Support requires Base Product (history) AND Maintenance Plan (cart).
What happens if customer doesn’t meet requirements?
Depends on strict enforcement. Without strict: customer can add to cart but gets blocked at checkout with clear error. With strict: “Add to Cart” button hidden completely until all requirements met. Choose enforcement level per product.
How do customers know what they need?
Requirements displayed clearly on product page. Each prerequisite shown with status. Green checkmark if owned. Yellow warning if missing. Links to required products. Complete transparency. Customer sees exactly what needed. Can click to add items.
Can I customize requirement messages?
Yes. Each product has custom message field. Override default messaging with product-specific instructions. Explain why requirements exist. Use brand voice. HTML formatting supported. Professional communication.
Does this work with variable products?
Yes. Configure dependencies on parent product. All variations inherit requirements. Advanced Blue Shirt and Advanced Red Shirt both require Basic Shirt purchased. Single configuration applies to all variations.
What if prerequisite order was cancelled?
System only checks successful purchases. Cancelled or refunded orders do not count. Customer loses prerequisite status if order cancelled. Must repurchase to regain access. Automatic enforcement. Zero manual intervention.
Can guests make purchases?
Prerequisites require customer account. Must be logged in for history checking. Required products work for guests. Bundle validation happens regardless. For prerequisite enforcement, customer must create account. Encourages registration. Builds customer database.
Is there really no subscription?
Correct. One-time purchase. Lifetime updates. No renewal fees. Plugin never expires. Unlimited dependencies. Use indefinitely. Fair pricing model. Simple honest business.
Technical requirements
WordPress
6.0 or higher
WooCommerce
8.0 or higher
PHP
8.2 or higher
Customer Account
Required for purchase history prerequisites
