Keep a living record of what was customized in your store, and why

Turn the installed inventory into a maintenance record

WooCommerce’s system status report lists software versions, active plugins, the theme, template overrides and the assigned checkout page. These give the register a factual starting point. Keep a dated report reference and use its entries to identify components that alter the storefront or checkout. The report is a snapshot of the installation, not a complete account of every customization or why it exists.

For each customization, record a locator another authorized maintainer can follow: a template path, a settings screen and setting name, a page or template identifier, or a repository and file reference. A broad entry such as “checkout changes” does not tell someone where to investigate. The register should connect the visible behavior to that location without copying an entire codebase or report into a cell.

Add items discovered outside the report, including documented code changes and integration configuration. Label an item’s source honestly. A note supplied by the original developer is useful history, but it is not confirmation that the described version is deployed. If nobody has located the implementation, retain the item with its location unresolved.

Preserve the reason and the compatibility constraint

The next maintainer needs the business reason as well as the technical location. Record the real requirement or decision that led to the change, the behavior it supplies and the record supporting that decision. If the reason is no longer known, say so. An old customization should not acquire a new justification simply because it remains installed.

Checkout is a useful place to make this distinction precise. WooCommerce’s checkout-customization documentation describes different editing paths for block and non-block themes and a Classic Shortcode transform. Record the assigned checkout’s actual type and the surface where its customization lives. Do not infer the editing location from the public appearance or the store’s age, and do not convert the page just to complete the register.

WooCommerce’s Cart and Checkout blocks documentation says an incompatible gateway may not appear in the Checkout block; if all enabled gateways are incompatible, no payment method may be available. It also identifies block compatibility information on extension product pages. If a customization or checkout choice was retained for compatibility, preserve the exact extension, installed version, source of the compatibility statement and the dependency it protects. That record explains why a later edit needs investigation; it does not prove that a future version will behave the same way.

Record connections without recording the secrets

For an integration, identify the systems it connects, the purpose of the connection, the non-sensitive configuration location and the person responsible for it. Note which authorized role can manage the connection and where the approved secret-storage record is held. Record references only. API keys, passwords, authentication codes and private payment-link tokens do not belong in the customization register.

Keep technical maintenance ownership separate from the business decision. The person who can edit a gateway connection may not be authorized to replace the payment relationship. A record of an installed payment extension does not establish provider eligibility, and access to a settings screen does not establish permission to change it.

If a contractor is the only person who knows how a connection is maintained, record that dependency while the contractor can still explain it. This page records the missing knowledge and its owner. Account recovery, ownership transfer and permission changes require their own authorized process; a register entry does not complete them.

Update the entry when the underlying work changes

Make the register part of the actual change record. When a maintainer edits a setting, changes a template or deploys code, update the affected location and version, the reason for the change and any dependency it alters. Keep a reference to the previous version and the change decision. When a customization is removed, mark it retired with the actual removal date rather than deleting the history another maintainer may need.

Keep the date the note was edited separate from the date the configuration was last confirmed. Confirmation means someone checked the relevant current location and recorded what they could establish. Copying an old entry into a new document does not refresh its evidence. A configuration inspection can confirm that a setting exists; it cannot by itself prove a real payment, order or message completed. Link existing operational evidence only where it actually demonstrates the described behavior.

The practical handoff question is whether another authorized maintainer can locate the item, understand why it exists and identify the dependency before changing it. An entry with a known location but an unknown purpose needs clarification; one with an outdated version needs a targeted recheck. You do not need to declare the whole store undocumented because one item remains open.

For a Prism checkout consultation, summarize the affected customization, observed checkout issue and specific missing fact. The related checkout-review service anchors that discussion. Confirm scope, responsibilities, fees and terms before work, including any proposed implementation assistance. Keep the private register, credentials and raw customer records out of the public inquiry.

Customization register

Use each row as a category for entries about the actual store. For every individual customization, preserve its location, purpose, dependency, maintainer and genuine last-confirmed date. Enter document or configuration references, never secrets. Treat a missing location, reason or confirmation as a specific maintenance gap; do not invent an explanation to complete the row.

Worksheet entries are not submitted by Prism’s worksheet and are not saved by the site. Use record types, availability, anonymized observations, or match/mismatch results. Do not enter government identifiers, customer names or addresses, customer messages, receipt-access links, card or bank details, passwords, or keys. Send sensitive documents only through the provider’s verified secure channel.

These are temporary notes. Leaving or reloading this page may clear them. Worksheet entries are not sent automatically. If you copy notes into the consultation message and submit the form, Prism receives them as part of your request.