Welcome!
So you've decided to use PriceWise Calculator Pro for your WooCommerce store - awesome choice! Whether you're selling custom t-shirts, offering landscaping services, or running any business where prices depend on customer choices, this plugin's got your back.
I'm going to walk you through everything you need to know, and I promise to keep it simple and practical. No boring tech jargon, just real talk about how to get your calculators up and running.
What Makes This Plugin Special?
Let me tell you what you're getting here. PriceWise Calculator Pro isn't just another form builder - it's specifically designed to help your customers figure out pricing in a beautiful, modern way.
The Interface is Gorgeous
We're talking about a modern, slider-based interface that looks like it belongs in 2025. Your customers move through the calculator step-by-step, with progress tracking showing them exactly where they are.
Customization That Actually Works
You get 15+ different color controls with an enhanced color picker that lets you either click and choose visually OR type in hex codes. Whatever works for you.
It Just Works with WooCommerce
The calculator integrates seamlessly with your products. Customers configure what they want, the price updates in real-time, and when they add to cart - boom - the custom price and all their selections go right along with it.
Setting Up Your First Calculator
Alright, let's build your first calculator. I'm going to walk you through this step-by-step because honestly, the interface might look a bit different than what you're used to (in a good way!).
Head to the Dashboard
After you activate the plugin, you'll see a new "Calculators" menu in your WordPress admin. Click on Dashboard first - it's worth checking out. You'll see your stats (which will be zero for now, obviously), and some quick action buttons.
Click the big "Add New Calculator" button. You ready? Let's go!
The Basic Info Tab
First things first - the plugin uses a tabbed interface. Think of it like filling out a form in stages. You're starting on the Basic tab.
Give your calculator a name. Something descriptive like "Custom T-Shirt Calculator" or "Lawn Care Quote Calculator" - whatever makes sense for your business.
- Calculator Name - The title users will see
- Description - Optional description to help users understand what this calculator does
- Assignment Strategy - THIS IS THE BIG ONE! Choose where your calculator appears:
- Global Calculator - Available everywhere via shortcode
- Product Calculator - Tied to specific products
- Category Calculator - Applied to entire product categories
- Category Selection - When you pick "Category Calculator" above, a category selector appears right here in the Basic tab. Select which WooCommerce categories this calculator should appear on!
The Formula Tab
Now click over to the Formula tab. This is where you set up how the calculator actually calculates prices. You'll configure your base price and how different field values affect the final price.
The Fields Tab - Where the Magic Happens
This is the fun part! Click on the Fields tab and you'll see where you actually build your calculator.
- Text Input - For names, custom text, or any text info
- Number Input - For quantities, measurements, dimensions
- Dropdown - When you want to give them a list of options
- Radio Buttons - Multiple choice, but they can only pick one
- Checkboxes - Let them select multiple options
- Slider - A visual way to pick numbers
- File Upload - When customers need to upload files
Settings Tab
Last tab! This is where you control publication settings and behavior options for your calculator.
- Status - Set calculator as Active or Inactive. Only active calculators show to users.
- Priority - Control the display order when multiple calculators are assigned to the same place. Higher numbers = higher priority (1-100, default is 1)
- Hide Quantity Selector - Check this to hide the quantity input field on product pages. Useful if you're controlling quantity through your calculator fields instead.
Notice something missing? Category Assignment isn't in this Settings tab - it's actually back in the Basic Info tab under "Assignment Strategy"! We'll cover all the details about connecting your calculators to products and categories in the next section: Connecting Calculators to Your Products.
Save It!
Hit that Save Calculator button and you're done! Your calculator is now ready to assign to products.
Managing Your Calculators
Once you've created a few calculators, you'll spend time in the Calculators list page. Let me show you around.
See those two little icons in the top right? Those switch between grid view (cards) and list view (table). Use whatever you prefer - the plugin remembers your choice.
Styling Your Calculators to Match Your Brand
Here's where things get really fun. Head to Calculators > Settings and click the Design tab.
The Enhanced Color Picker System
You're going to see a LOT of color pickers. Don't let that intimidate you! Each one controls a specific part of your calculator's appearance.
Connecting Calculators to Your Products
Alright, now let's talk about the different ways you can make your calculators appear on your site. Remember that Assignment Strategy section in the Basic tab? This is where it all comes together.
You have THREE powerful ways to assign calculators:
1. Global Calculator (Default)
Set in the Basic tab: choose "Global" in Assignment Strategy. Your calculator is available everywhere via shortcode. Perfect when most of your products use the same pricing structure!
2. Product Calculator (Specific)
For individual products that need their own calculator:
- Edit your product in WooCommerce
- Go to the "Product Data" section
- Click on the "Calculator" tab (you'll see it next to General, Inventory, etc.)
- Select which calculator to assign
- Save. Done!
3. Category Calculator (Powerful)
Assign one calculator to an entire product category - every product in that category automatically gets the calculator!
To set this up: In your calculator's Basic tab, choose "Category" in Assignment Strategy. The category selector appears right there - check all the categories you want!
Product Calculator → Category Calculator → Global Calculator. So if a product has its own calculator assigned, that takes priority over everything else. You can control priority using the Priority setting in the Settings tab.
The Frontend Experience
When customers visit a product with a calculator, they see the Calculator interface instead of a fixed price. Check out a live demo on our product page: Custom T-Shirt Printing
A beautiful, modern interface that doesn't look like a basic form. It's a slider that guides them through step-by-step. "1 of 5" shows them progress. They fill in a field or make a selection, click "Next", and move to the next step. The price updates in real-time in calculator footer that stays visible. So they always know what they're about to pay.
Import and Export: Your Backup Buddy
Here's a feature you might not think you need until you really, really need it.
Once a month, export your calculators. It's the easiest backup you'll ever make.
The Dashboard: Your Control Center
Check in on Calculators > Dashboard regularly. It shows you:
- Total Calculators - How many you've created
- Active Calculators - How many are actually being used
- Connected Products - Products with calculator assignments
- Recent Calculators - Your latest creations with quick edit links
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
Okay, real talk - we get some questions more than others. Here are the most common issues people run into and exactly how to fix them:
Calculator is Assigned But Not Showing on Product Page
The Problem:
You've assigned a calculator to a product or category, but when you visit the product page on the frontend - nothing! No calculator appears. This is BY FAR the most common support question we get.
The Solution - Check These TWO Critical Things:
Your Calculator MUST Have At Least One Input Field
This catches people all the time! You can't just create a calculator and assign it - you need to go to the Fields tab and actually add some fields.
- Go to your calculator in the admin
- Click the "Fields" tab
- Add at least one field (text, number, dropdown, whatever you need)
- Save the calculator
- Refresh your product page - the calculator should now appear!
✅ Calculator with 1+ fields = Shows on frontend
❌ Calculator with 0 fields = Hidden (won't display)
Your WooCommerce Product MUST Have a Price Set
Here's something super important that trips people up: WooCommerce requires a base price to be set, even if your calculator is going to replace it. Just put ANY number in there - $1, $10, $100, whatever. The calculator will replace this price once the customer configures their options.
- Go to your WooCommerce product edit page
- Scroll to the "Product Data" section
- Click the "General" tab
- In the "Regular price" field, enter ANY number (e.g., 10)
- Save/Update the product
- The calculator will now work and replace this base price with the calculated price!
WooCommerce needs a base price to function properly. Think of it as a placeholder. Your calculator will dynamically replace this price based on the customer's selections, but WooCommerce requires SOMETHING to be there initially.
✅ Product with price ($10) + Calculator = Calculator works, replaces price
❌ Product with NO price + Calculator = Calculator won't display
Calculator not showing? Check these TWO things:
- ☑️ Does the calculator have at least 1 field added?
- ☑️ Does the WooCommerce product have a price set (any number)?
If BOTH are yes, your calculator should display. If it still doesn't, check the other issues below.
The Problem: Calculator displays fine, customer makes selections, but the price stays the same.
The Solution:
- Check your Formula tab - did you actually set up the pricing logic?
- Make sure "Enable Live Calculation" is turned ON in Settings > Calculation tab
- If using custom formula, verify the variable names match your field keys exactly
- Check browser console for JavaScript errors (F12 > Console tab)
The Problem: Calculator appears but looks weird, overlapping text, wrong colors, etc.
The Solution:
- Your theme might have conflicting CSS. Try changing your theme temporarily to test.
- Clear all caches (WordPress cache, browser cache, CDN cache)
- Check if you have any CSS minification plugins that might be breaking things
- Go to Settings > Design tab and adjust colors to match your theme better
The Problem: More than one calculator appears on the same product page.
The Solution:
- You probably have both a Product assignment AND a Category assignment for the same product
- Use the Priority setting in the Settings tab to control which calculator takes precedence
- Or remove one of the assignments so only one calculator is assigned
- Higher Priority number = that calculator shows (1-100, default is 1)
The Problem: Calculator shows correct price, but when added to cart, wrong price appears.
The Solution:
- Check if you have any other pricing plugins that might be conflicting
- Make sure the product has a base price set (see Issue #1 above)
- Disable other WooCommerce extensions temporarily to test for conflicts
- Check if your theme has custom cart/checkout modifications
The Problem: Customer tries to upload a file but it fails or nothing happens.
The Solution:
- Check your server's upload_max_filesize setting (usually in php.ini)
- Verify the WordPress uploads folder has write permissions
- Check if you have security plugins blocking uploads
- Test with a smaller file first to rule out file size issues
The Problem: Calculator works perfectly on desktop but doesn't show up on mobile devices.
The Solution:
- Check if your theme hides certain elements on mobile
- Test on different mobile browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
- Clear mobile browser cache
- Use Chrome DevTools mobile emulator to debug (F12 > Toggle Device Toolbar)
- Look in browser console for errors on mobile
The Problem: You change colors or settings, click save, but changes don't stick.
The Solution:
- Check browser console for AJAX errors (F12 > Console)
- Clear all caches (WordPress, browser, server)
- Try a different browser to rule out browser-specific issues
- Disable other plugins temporarily to check for conflicts
- Check if you have proper permissions (need admin or calculator management capability)
Still Stuck? 🤔
If you've tried everything above and your calculator still isn't working:
- Double-check you went through the TWO critical requirements at the top (fields + price)
- Make sure calculator Status is set to "Active" in the Settings tab
- Verify WooCommerce is installed and active
- Test with a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four) to rule out theme conflicts
- Check your WordPress debug.log file for PHP errors
My Top Tips for Success
After working with this plugin, here's what I've learned:
Start Simple
Create a basic calculator with 3-5 fields first. Get comfortable with the interface before building complex multi-step beasts.
Test on Mobile First
More people shop on phones than you think. Always check how your calculator looks on a small screen.
Use the Duplicate Feature
Created a great calculator? Duplicate it and modify it rather than starting from scratch each time.
Export Regularly
Once a month, export your calculators. It's the easiest backup you'll ever make.
Brand Your Colors
Take 10 minutes to set up your brand colors in the Design settings. It makes such a difference.
Keep Steps Short
3-7 steps is the sweet spot. More than that and people start dropping off.
Real-World Example: Custom T-Shirt Shop
Let me walk you through a COMPLETE, realistic example from start to finish. You're selling custom t-shirts and need dynamic pricing based on style, size, print type, quantity, and add-ons. Here's exactly how to set it up:
- Calculator Name: Custom T-Shirt Price Calculator
- Description: Configure your custom t-shirt and get an instant price quote
- Assignment Strategy: Category Calculator
- Select Categories: Check "Custom T-Shirts" and "Apparel"
Click "Add Field" for each one and configure like this:
- Field Type: Dropdown
- Label: "Choose Your T-Shirt Style"
- Field Key: tshirt_style
- Required: Yes
- Options:
- Basic Cotton (value: basic, price: 0) - This is our base
- Premium Soft Blend (value: premium, price: 5)
- Vintage Distressed (value: vintage, price: 8)
- Field Type: Dropdown
- Label: "Select Size"
- Field Key: size
- Required: Yes
- Options:
- Small (value: s, price: 0)
- Medium (value: m, price: 0)
- Large (value: l, price: 0)
- XL (value: xl, price: 2)
- 2XL (value: 2xl, price: 4)
- 3XL (value: 3xl, price: 6)
- Field Type: Radio Buttons
- Label: "Choose Print Method"
- Field Key: print_type
- Required: Yes
- Options:
- Screen Print (value: screen, price: 0) - Standard option
- Direct-to-Garment (value: dtg, price: 3) - Better quality
- Vinyl Heat Transfer (value: vinyl, price: 5) - Premium option
- Field Type: Number Input
- Label: "How Many T-Shirts?"
- Field Key: quantity
- Required: Yes
- Min Value: 1
- Max Value: 500
- Default Value: 1
- Price Per Unit: 0 (we'll handle quantity in the formula)
- Field Type: Checkbox
- Label: "Rush Order (2-Day Production)"
- Field Key: rush_order
- Required: No
- Price if Checked: 15
- Field Type: Checkbox
- Label: "Add Gift Packaging"
- Field Key: gift_packaging
- Required: No
- Price if Checked: 5
- Field Type: File Upload
- Label: "Upload Your Design (PNG, JPG, PDF)"
- Field Key: design_file
- Required: Yes
- Allowed File Types: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .pdf, .ai
- Max File Size: 10MB
- Field Type: Text Area
- Label: "Any Special Instructions? (Optional)"
- Field Key: special_notes
- Required: No
- Max Length: 500 characters
This is where the magic happens! Here's how to configure the formula:
$15 (This is the starting price for a basic t-shirt with screen print)
Enter: $15
Enter this formula using basic math operators (+, -, *, /):
(15 + {tshirt_style} + {size} + {print_type} + {rush_order} + {gift_packaging}) * {quantity}
The formula uses curly braces {} around field keys to reference their values. Here's what each part means:
15= Base price for any t-shirt{tshirt_style}= Adds $0 for Basic, $5 for Premium, or $8 for Vintage{size}= Adds $0 for S/M/L, $2 for XL, $4 for 2XL, $6 for 3XL{print_type}= Adds $0 for Screen, $3 for DTG, or $5 for Vinyl{rush_order}= Adds $15 if checked, $0 if not checked{gift_packaging}= Adds $5 if checked, $0 if not checked{quantity}= The number customer enters (multiplies the whole total)
Customer orders: Premium Soft Blend, XL, DTG Print, Quantity 3, with Rush Order
(15 + 5 + 2 + 3 + 15 + 0) * 3
= 40 * 3
= $120 TOTAL
Breakdown:
- 15 = base price
- 5 = premium t-shirt
- 2 = XL size
- 3 = DTG print
- 15 = rush order
- 0 = no gift packaging
- × 3 = quantity of 3 shirts
- Always use curly braces {} around field keys
- Field keys must match EXACTLY what you set in the Fields tab (case-sensitive!)
- You can use: + (add), - (subtract), * (multiply), / (divide)
- Use parentheses () to control order of operations
- Checkboxes return their price value if checked, 0 if unchecked
- Number fields return whatever number the customer enters
- Status: Active
- Priority: 1 (default is fine unless you have multiple calculators)
- Hide Quantity Selector: Yes (because we're handling quantity in our calculator)
- Click "Save Calculator"
- Since we chose "Category Calculator" in Step 1, it's already assigned to your Custom T-Shirts category
- Go to any product in that category and boom - your calculator is live!
Remember the TWO critical requirements from the Common Issues section:
- Your calculator HAS fields (we added 8!) ✅
- Your WooCommerce product MUST have a base price set (go to each product and set regular price to any number like $10 - the calculator will replace it) ✅
Your customers now see a beautiful, modern calculator that walks them through choosing their t-shirt style, size, print method, and quantity. The price updates in real-time as they make selections. When they hit "Add to Cart", the custom price and ALL their selections are saved with the order!
Quick Reference
Quick Actions
- Create Calculator: Calculators > Add New
- Design Settings: Calculators > Settings > Design
- Import/Export: Calculators > Import/Export
Plugin Details
- Version: 1.0.0
- Author: Devtonic Studios
- Requires: WordPress 5.8+