Follow the complete workflow, or jump to the step you are on. This guide covers the current plugin available on WordPress.org.
01Install & start your trial
In WordPress, open Plugins → Add New Plugin, search for PotoSales Order Entry, install and activate it.
Open WooCommerce → PotoSales Order Entry, or click Get started in the plugin list.
An administrator reviews the trial allowance, terms and privacy notice, ticks the consent box and clicks Get started.
The connection is created automatically. No service URL, site ID or API key is needed.
Before installing
WordPress 6.6+, WooCommerce 9.0+, PHP 8.1+, MySQL/MariaDB with InnoDB, and PHP sodium/OpenSSL. The store must be publicly reachable over HTTPS. SQLite and private local sites cannot run the service workflow.
Click Upload purchase order and select the customer’s document. When it shows Needs review, click View / edit.
PDF, JPG/JPEG or PNG, at most 5,000,000 bytes per file and 5 pages per PDF.
One purchase order per file. Use a complete document with clearly readable text.
Upload only documents your store is authorized to process. Files are sent to the cloud service and AI provider.
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Uploading prepares a draft. It does not create, charge or mark a WooCommerce order as paid.
03Choose the customer
Check who placed the PO. If they already have a WooCommerce customer profile, select it rather than creating a duplicate.
A repeat customer
Choose the existing customer. If they are new, click New customer and save a profile with their real email address.
A one-off order or no email
Use a guest order. You do not have to create an account or invent an email just to enter the PO.
Why save a repeat customer? You can find them again, reuse saved addresses and keep product-code mappings for that customer. It also enables customer-based duplicate PO-number checks. Guest orders do not save those customer-specific mappings.
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How does the current version recognize customers?
The plugin first looks for one saved customer with the buyer’s exact email. If none is found, it checks the buyer’s name against customer display names and billing company names, ignoring case and extra spaces. It fills a customer only when exactly one matches, with a reminder to check. Otherwise select the customer yourself, save a new profile, or continue as a guest.
Why is an email required for a new customer?
WooCommerce customer accounts require an email. If none is available, use a guest order. Creating a customer through this plugin does not send an account invitation email.
Does editing this order’s address change the profile?
No. Address edits apply to this order only. Billing and shipping addresses are optional and can be changed or cleared separately. Unrecognized countries or states remain as entered and show a warning; they do not prevent saving, previewing or creating the order. A billing email must still meet WooCommerce’s format requirements.
04Match the products
Check that every line points to the correct store product. For a variable product, choose the specific variation.
Review any matches from store SKUs or existing customer product mappings.
For an unmatched line, click Select product and search your catalogue.
Select the customer, then choose the correct product for each buyer item code. When that edit is automatically saved, the plugin remembers the correspondence for that customer. You do not need to create an order first.
Example: a buyer calls an item PNL-30 while your SKU is AIOE-PANEL-30. Save that correspondence for the buyer instead of expecting their codes to match yours.
Will saving the draft already remember the mapping?
Yes. Selecting a product and saving the edit remembers its item-code mapping for the selected customer. Deleting or re-uploading the recognition record does not remove it. Later imports can fill that mapping, but do not overwrite a product you selected or cleared yourself. Check all matches before creating an order.
What do stock or product warnings mean?
Low or unavailable stock, sold-individually settings and combined quantities produce warnings, but do not block preview or order creation. Check the quantities. Select an available published or private simple product, or an enabled specific variation; drafts and disabled variations cannot be selected.
05Check quantities & amounts
Keep the original beside the draft. Check the product, selling unit, quantity, currency, unit price and line amount.
Quantity: enter a whole number of at least 1. Check case or box conversions yourself; the plugin does not infer pack sizes.
Line amount: an entered value takes precedence, including zero. If empty, quantity × unit price is used.
Tax: the plugin does not automatically add or extract tax from the confirmed amounts.
Currency: check it against the store. Changing a currency label does not convert amounts.
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Catalogue prices are a reference. Check differences against the agreement with your customer. A higher or lower store price does not automatically replace the confirmed PO price.
06Create & view the order
Click Preview order and check the customer, products and final amount.
Use Back to editing if anything needs changing.
Click Confirm and create order. After success, click View order to continue in WooCommerce.
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The new order is pending payment. Creating it does not collect money, mark it paid or complete fulfilment. Continue with your normal store process.
What if another plugin changes the completed order?
Open the created WooCommerce order and check the actual total and details. A difference from the confirmed amount is highlighted. The completed order is retained.
Does deleting a recognition record delete the order?
No. A WooCommerce order already created remains in your store. Manage that order separately in WooCommerce.
07If you need help
Extraction has not finished. What should I do?
Return to the purchase-order list and check its latest status. If no result is available within 30 minutes, the record becomes failed automatically. You can retrieve the result again or delete the record and upload the file again. Contact support if the problem continues.
Order creation returned an error or was interrupted.
Reopen the record. The plugin checks whether the order was completed: if so, it shows the order link; otherwise the PO stays editable and the error is shown. Correct the issue and try again. The plugin handles interrupted creation automatically; no manual result-check or unlock step is required.
What if deleting a record is unavailable?
A record cannot be deleted while extraction is in progress. Records that are ready for review, failed, completed or cancelled can be deleted, and any created WooCommerce order is retained. A service outage or pending internal notification does not block local deletion. If processing has no result for 30 minutes, it becomes failed and can then be deleted.
What happens after the trial ends?
New cloud extraction pauses without a valid allowance. Existing extracted drafts can still be reviewed and made into orders, subject to file retention. An administrator can buy a monthly plan or top-up under Plans and help in the plugin.