Flag WooCommerce orders using REST API using custom metadata so I don't sync them again

Question

I am syncing orders between my WooCommerce store and a 3rd party tool, and I am re-making the sync program using the REST API. I want to get a batch of new orders, and after inserting them into the db I want to set a status or flag so that the next time I ask for a batch of orders, I don't get the same ones.

REST API DOC

That details how to get orders, and it works. I don't want to use the STATUS field because shop managers can change it. I don't want to exclude a list of order IDs because it will become too long over time. Looking for a field that I can use to limit the orders returned to the ones I haven't seen yet, and be able to update that field after it has been successfully synced. Seem possible?

A field that already exists or a way to create one?

I want to know if there is a field to mark an order as being previously synced so that I can then request only the new orders that have yet to be synced. Seems like a common thing, and hoping someone has done this and can advise.

Answer 1

Updated

To flag an order, the only way is to add some custom metadata.

First, when an order is placed by a customer or created manually via the admin, we add our custom metadata to flag it (with a "no" value):

add_action( 'woocommerce_new_order', 'add_custom_order_metadata', 20, 2 );
function add_custom_order_metadata( $order_id, $order ) {
    $order->add_meta_data('_order_synced', 'no', true);
    $order->save();
}

Code goes in functions.php file of your child theme (or in a plugin). Tested and works.

Below, I use PHP programming language to access WooCommerce REST API.

Then we query orders to sync that have as metadata "no" value for "_order_synced" key using a GET request:

$data = [
  "meta_data": [
    {
      "key": "_order_synced",
      "value": "no"
    }
  ]
];

print_r($woocommerce->get('orders/batch', $data));

And finally, we will batch update that synced orders using a POST request, changing the metadata value:

$data = [
  'update' => [
    "meta_data": [
      {
        "key": "_order_synced",
        "value": "yes"
      }
    ]
  ]
];

print_r($woocommerce->post('orders/batch', $data));