Order Generator

Create fake test orders directly in the middleware database for testing sync pipelines, Business Central export, analytics reports, and bulk processing workflows.

Overview

The Order Generator is a tab within Tools → Testing that creates realistic test orders in rm_order, rm_address, and rm_lineitems tables without touching external platforms.

Key Features:

• Generate 1–100 orders per batch with 1–50 line items each
• Uses real products from the selected site's rm_items table
• Three address modes: random US, specific state, CSV upload, or manual entry
• Optional coupon codes, shipping costs, and sales tax line items
• Order numbers use the site's store prefix with -T test suffix
• Tab persistence via URL query parameter (?tab=order-generator)

Permission Required: manage_options

Version Added: 1.18.29

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When to Use

Use Case	Description
BC Export Testing	Generate orders to test Business Central insert/verify pipeline
Analytics Validation	Populate data for report development and dashboard testing
Bulk Processing	Stress-test queue processing and cron jobs
Address Validation	Test address formatting with specific regions
Training	Create sample data for demonstrations

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Interface

Navigate to GSM Middleware → Tools → Testing → Order Generator

Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Description
Site	Dropdown	Target site (must have active items from inventory sync)
Number of Orders	Number (1–100)	How many orders to generate
Items per Order	Number (1–50)	Line items per order
Coupon Code	Text (optional)	Coupon code to include
Coupon Amount	Number (optional)	Discount amount
Shipping Cost	Number (optional)	Shipping charge to add
Sales Tax	Number (optional)	Tax amount (creates SALES TAX line item)
Address Mode	Radio	Random, Specific State, Manual, or CSV Upload

Address Modes

Random (Default)

Generates realistic fake addresses from all 50 US states using the Fake_Order_Data utility class. Each order gets a unique randomly-generated customer name, email, phone, and address.

Specific State

Select a US state from the dropdown. All generated orders will use addresses from that state.

Manual Entry

Enter a specific address for all generated orders. Useful for testing address validation edge cases.

CSV Upload

Upload a CSV file of addresses. The generator creates one order per row.

Required columns:

• Zip
• State
• City
• Address
• Country

Optional columns (auto-generated if omitted):

• First_Name
• Last_Name
• Email
• Phone
• Address_2

A preview table shows parsed addresses before generation. Fields that will be auto-generated display "auto" in the preview.

Download Example CSV

Click the "Download Example CSV" link to get a properly formatted template file.

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Order Number Format

Generated orders use the site's configured store prefix:

{prefix}XXXXXXXX-T

Examples:

• GBG3K7MN2P-T (prefix: GBG)
• ST343372AB-T (prefix: ST)

The -T suffix marks them as test orders, distinguishing them from real platform orders.

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Line Items

Line items use real products from the selected site's rm_items table:

• Only items with active = 1 AND valid = 1 are used
• Excludes synthetic SKUs: COUPON, SHIPPING, SALES TAX, STORE CREDIT
• Uses each item's actual price and weight when available
• Random quantities assigned per line item

If the site has no active/valid items, the generator returns an error prompting you to run inventory sync first.

Synthetic Line Items

When optional fields are provided, the generator creates additional line items:

Field	SKU	Behavior
Coupon Amount	COUPON	Negative price line item
Shipping Cost	SHIPPING	Shipping charge line item
Sales Tax	SALES TAX	Tax line item

Synthetic SKUs are auto-ensured in rm_items if they don't already exist.

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Results

After generation, a results table shows:

Column	Description
Order Number	Generated order number with prefix
Customer	Generated customer name
Line Items	SKU, quantity, and price per line item
Tax	Sales tax amount (if provided)
Total	Order total

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REST API

Generate Orders

POST /wp-json/gsm-middleware/v1/testing/generate-orders

Authentication: Requires manage_options capability (WordPress nonce).

Request Body:

{
  "site_id": 57,
  "count": 10,
  "items_per_order": 3,
  "coupon_code": "SUMMER20",
  "coupon_amount": 20.00,
  "shipping_cost": 9.99,
  "sales_tax": 8.50,
  "address_mode": "random",
  "state": null,
  "addresses": null
}

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "orders": [
    {
      "order_number": "GBG3K7MN2P-T",
      "customer": "John Smith",
      "line_items": [
        { "sku": "PROD-001", "qty": 2, "price": 49.99 },
        { "sku": "PROD-042", "qty": 1, "price": 129.00 }
      ],
      "tax": 8.50,
      "total": 237.48
    }
  ],
  "total_orders": 10
}

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Technical Details

Files

File	Purpose
src/Data/Fake_Order_Data.php	Realistic fake data generation (names, addresses for 50 states, emails, phones)
src/API/Order_Generator_API.php	REST endpoint handler
assets/js/pages/testing/OrderGeneratorTab.jsx	React UI component

Database Writes

Orders are inserted into three tables:

• rm_order — Order header (number, site, dates, payment flags)
• rm_address — Shipping and billing addresses
• rm_lineitems — Product line items with SKU, quantity, price

Tab URL Persistence

The active Testing Tools tab is stored in the URL query parameter:

?page=gsm-testing&tab=order-generator

Uses history.replaceState so no extra browser history entries are created. Refreshing or sharing the URL returns directly to the Order Generator tab.

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Troubleshooting

"No active items found for this site"

The selected site has no products with active = 1 AND valid = 1 in rm_items.

Solution: Run inventory sync for the site first (Sites → select site → Run Inventory Sync).

Orders Not Appearing in BC Export

Test orders (with -T suffix) are inserted with standard flags and will flow through the normal BC export pipeline. If you want to prevent export, manually set imported = 1 on the generated orders.

CSV Upload Errors

• Ensure CSV has the required columns: Zip, State, City, Address, Country
• Check for encoding issues (use UTF-8)
• Verify column headers match exactly (case-sensitive)

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Related Documentation

• Test Order — Import individual orders from platforms for testing
• Queue Page — Monitor async job processing
• Data Analytics — View reports generated from test data
• BC Export — Business Central export pipeline