This manual covers version 1.5.1. Settings and edition availability may differ in other releases.
1. Install and configure
Version 1.5.1 requires WordPress 6.4+, WooCommerce 8.0+, and PHP 7.4+. It is compatible with WooCommerce High-Performance Order Storage.
- Open Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, upload the Free or Pro ZIP, install, and activate it.
- Confirm WooCommerce is active. NextXen Booking displays a dependency notice when WooCommerce is unavailable.
- Open NextXen Booking → Settings and choose a workflow preset.
- Review labels, guest controls, time controls, inventory defaults, and date display settings.
- Create a test product and complete a test order before accepting live reservations.
This website is the canonical documentation. The plugin links here so setup guidance stays current without increasing the installed package size.
2. Choose a booking workflow
Accommodation
Uses Check in and Check out language, nights for duration, room quantity, and guest fields for adults, children, and infants.
Rental
Uses Pick up and Return language for vehicles, tools, equipment, clothing, venues, or any item rented for a period.
General booking
Uses flexible Start and End terminology for appointments, facilities, events, and services.
Presets provide sensible defaults; labels remain configurable. Enable only the guest and time fields your business needs.
3. Create a booking product
- Open Products → Add New and choose Rental / Booking in Product data.
- Enter the product title, description, image, and regular price. In daily mode, the regular price is the base daily or nightly rate.
- Configure minimum and maximum duration, advance booking rules, and optional last-minute cutoff.
- Set total inventory units, occupancy limits, buffers before and after bookings, and any blocked date ranges.
- If needed, enable start/end times and choose the interval and default times.
- Publish, open the product page, and test availability and price calculations.
Daily pricing is included in Free. The return/check-out boundary ends the charged period; for accommodation, a one-night stay runs from one calendar date to the next.
4. Availability and inventory
Pooled units
Free supports a shared quantity such as 10 identical rooms, bicycles, or projectors. Customers choose units and availability is checked against overlapping bookings.
Blocked dates and buffers
Add maintenance or closure ranges and apply turnaround time before or after reservations. The same rules are validated on the product page and at add-to-cart.
Named resources · Pro
Assign individual resources such as Room 201 or Van A when each physical unit must be tracked separately.
Pending and processing orders reserve availability. Cancelled and refunded orders release their reservations automatically.
5. Customer booking form
The booking product replaces the standard add-to-cart controls with a workflow-aware form. Depending on settings, customers can choose dates, times, units, adults, children, infants, inventory resources, locations, and add-ons.
- Availability and totals update through secured AJAX requests.
- Minimum/maximum duration, booking window, occupancy, and inventory are validated server-side.
- Booking details follow the item into the cart, checkout, order, emails, and customer account.
- The form uses the configured hotel, rental, or general terminology.
Pro also provides the
[nextxen_booking_search] shortcode for an availability
search form outside a single product page.
6. Bookings and WooCommerce orders
Open NextXen Booking → Bookings to search and filter booking snapshots by order status, product, and date range. Each row links to the real WooCommerce order and shows product, start/end, duration, units, guests, total, status, and booking date.
Order line items contain a human-readable booking summary. Internal
_nxb_* calculation metadata is hidden from
customer-facing output and ordinary order item displays.
A snapshot preserves the booked values even if the product is edited later. The list resolves the current WooCommerce order number and status for both legacy and HPOS order storage.
7. Free and Pro
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Daily or nightly bookings | Included | Included |
| Hotel, rental, and general presets | Included | Included |
| Guests and occupancy limits | Included | Included |
| Pooled multi-unit inventory | Included | Included |
| Time fields, intervals, and buffers | Included | Included |
| Hourly and monthly pricing | — | Included |
| Seasonal multiplier, weekend surcharge, and duration discount | — | Included |
| Guest pricing and fixed/percentage deposits | — | Included |
| Named inventory resources | — | Included |
| Fixed-price add-ons | — | Included |
| Pickup and return locations with fees | — | Included |
| Availability search shortcode | — | Included |
Calendar synchronization, reporting dashboards, SMS, webhooks, PDF agreements, waitlists, and automated late fees are roadmap ideas—not features in version 1.5.1.
8. Developer notes
Booking snapshots and availability records use the site database
prefix with the nxb_bookings and
nxb_availability table names. Product and order data
use protected _nxb_* metadata.
| Hook | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
nxb_calculate_total |
Filter | Adjust a calculated booking total. |
nxb_price_breakdown |
Filter | Add or adjust price breakdown lines. |
nxb_is_available |
Filter | Apply custom availability rules. |
nxb_order_booking_saved |
Action | React after a booking snapshot is stored. |
nxb_booking_released |
Action | React after cancelled/refunded dates are released. |
Always preserve nonce, capability, date, occupancy, and stock validation when extending booking requests.
9. Troubleshooting
Dates cannot be selected
Check blocked ranges, advance/cutoff rules, buffers, existing orders, selected units, and named resources.
Price is unexpected
Confirm pricing type, regular price, duration boundary, guest counts, Pro adjustments, add-ons, locations, and deposit settings.
Booking is missing from the list
Confirm the order contains a booking product, then reload NextXen Booking → Bookings and clear filters.
Pro controls are unavailable
Install the Pro package and activate an eligible license. The Upgrade action inside the plugin opens the secure Freemius checkout.
Old labels still appear
Save the selected preset and custom terminology, then clear page and object caches before retesting.
Need more help?
Send support the plugin version, WordPress/WooCommerce versions, product settings, order number, reproduction steps, and a redacted screenshot.
10. Verification checklist
- Create one accommodation product and one item-rental product.
- Test minimum/maximum duration, blocked dates, buffers, advance rules, and cutoff rules.
- Test units and guest limits at available capacity and one step beyond capacity.
- Enable time selection and verify interval/default values.
- Complete a test checkout; verify cart, order, emails, booking number, and order status.
- Cancel or refund the order and verify that availability is released.
- For Pro, test every enabled pricing adjustment, named resource, add-on, location fee, and search result.
Frequently asked questions
Can this handle both hotels and rental items?
Yes. Select Accommodation for check-in/check-out and guest language, Rental for pickup/return, or General for neutral start/end labels.
Can customers reserve multiple units?
Yes. Free includes pooled multi-unit inventory. Pro adds named resources when each unit must be assigned individually.
Are guests required?
No. Guest fields are configurable. Enable adults, children, or infants only when they apply to your business.
Does it support hourly bookings?
Hourly and monthly pricing are Pro features. Free supports daily/nightly pricing and can optionally collect start/end times.
What happens when an order is cancelled or refunded?
The related availability reservation is released automatically so the dates and units can be booked again.
Is the documentation included in the plugin ZIP?
The plugin includes concise WordPress readme and contextual links. This website remains the canonical full documentation so every edition points to one maintained documentation page.