fluent-cart-simulator
FluentCart Order Simulator
Automatically generate realistic test orders for FluentCart on a configurable schedule. A developer tool for testing reports, emails, exports, and performance at scale.
You will get every update from the latest version:
Requirements
- WordPress 5.6+
- PHP 7.4+
- FluentCart 1.2.5+
Installation
- Download the latest release zip from the button above (or from Releases)
- In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
- Upload the zip file and click Install Now
- Activate the plugin
Or manually:
- Extract the zip to
/wp-content/plugins/fluent-cart-simulator/ - Run
composer install --no-devinside the plugin directory - Activate the plugin from the WordPress Plugins screen
How to Use
1. Open the Simulator
Navigate to Tools > FC Simulator in your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Configure Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Orders per Hour | Number of orders to generate automatically. Set to 0 to disable. |
| Product IDs | Comma-separated list of product IDs to include. Leave blank for all published products. |
| Items per Order | Minimum and maximum number of line items in each generated order. |
| Status Distribution | Percentage of orders in each status: Completed, Processing, Failed, On Hold. |
| Create New Customers | Check to generate fake customers with realistic names/addresses. Uncheck to assign orders to existing customers. |
| Payment Methods | Select which payment methods to randomly assign (COD, Stripe, PayPal, etc.). |
3. Start Generating
- Click Save Settings to start automatic generation at the configured rate
- Orders are generated in batches every 5 minutes (e.g., 60/hr = ~5 orders every 5 minutes)
- A warning banner appears across admin pages while the simulation is active
4. Quick Generate
Click Generate 5 Orders Now to instantly create 5 test orders without enabling the scheduler.
5. Stop the Simulation
Click Stop Simulation or set orders per hour to 0 and save. Deactivating the plugin also stops all scheduled generation.
6. Clean Up
Click Purge All Simulated Orders to permanently delete all simulator-created orders and their related data (items, transactions, etc.). Real orders are never affected.
How It Works
- Uses Action Scheduler (bundled with FluentCart) for reliable background generation, with WP-Cron as fallback
- All generated orders are tagged with
mode=testand asimulatedconfig flag - Orders include realistic data: line items from real products, proper totals, payment transactions, and customer records
- Invoice and receipt numbers are generated through FluentCart’s native system
- The purge function targets only simulator-tagged orders — your real data is safe
Important Notes
- Disable outgoing emails or use an SMTP service in test mode while the simulator is running
- Designed for development and staging environments — not recommended for production use
- Simulated orders appear identical to real orders in the FluentCart admin (by design, for realistic testing)
- When the plugin is deactivated, all scheduled events are cleared; existing simulated orders remain until purged
License
GPLv2 or later