WordPress T&C Acceptance for Developers: a Practical, Audit-Ready Approach (Login + WooCommerce)

Why devs care (and what to require)

When legal asks for “proof the user accepted,” a checkbox isn’t enough. You need:

• DB-logged proof (user ID + timestamp + context) you can query later
• Enforcement points: login, wp-admin, checkout (and optionally “every login”)
• WooCommerce order reference (so support/finance can resolve disputes)
• Email confirmations (admin and/or user)
• Reset all / single user after policy updates
• Exportable logs (CSV) for audits or client handoffs
• Role targeting (only the roles that need it)
• A developer hook to decide exactly when/where to show
• Lightweight UI that’s mobile-safe, accessible, and cache-friendly

Not legal advice—treat this as implementation guidance and confirm requirements with counsel.

What this plugin does (dev-first overview)

• Legal-grade consent: writes a proof string to your WordPress DB
• WooCommerce integration: block checkout until acceptance; Pro links consent to the order
• Email confirmations: optional emails to user/admin (Pro)
• Resets: one-click reset all or reset single user (Pro)
• CSV export: audit-ready logs in seconds (Pro)
• Role targeting + “show on every login” mode
• Developer control via tpul_override_show_popup filter

Install the free version to gate login and store responses; upgrade to Pro for logs/CSV, resets, Woo order reference, emails, and advanced controls.

Quick start (5 minutes)

1. Install & activate the plugin
2. Pick enforcement points: Login, wp-admin, WooCommerce (product/cart/checkout)
3. Add your Terms (rich text, links, shortcodes supported)
4. Choose behavior: decline → log + logout, accept → redirect (optional), show on every login (optional)
5. (Pro) Toggle email confirmations, reset options, and CSV export
6. (Pro) For WooCommerce, confirm order reference is enabled so consent attaches to orders

You’re live.

Developer control: when the popup should (not) appear

You get a filter to override default logic and precisely gate the popup by role, route, meta, or querystring.

/**
 * Decide when to show the T&C popup.
 * Return true to force showing, false to suppress, or $show to keep default behavior.
 */
add_filter('tpul_override_show_popup', function ($show) {

  // 1) Never show to admins
  if ( is_user_logged_in() && current_user_can('manage_options') ) {
    return false;
  }

  // 2) Don’t show on home/blog archive
  if ( is_home() || is_front_page() ) {
    return false;
  }

  // 3) Force-show on checkout even if accepted before (edge case)
  if ( function_exists('is_checkout') && is_checkout() ) {
    return true;
  }

  // 4) Allow QA to disable via querystring: ?tpul=disable
  if ( isset($_GET['tpul']) && $_GET['tpul'] === 'disable' ) {
    return false;
  }

  return $show;
});

Reading consent for an order (Pro)

If you need to surface consent in support tooling, you can read the order meta:

add_action('add_meta_boxes_shop_order', function() {
  add_meta_box('tpul_consent_box', 'T&C Consent', function($post) {
    $consent = get_post_meta($post->ID, '_tpul_consent_ref', true); // example key
    if ($consent) {
      echo '<p><code>'.esc_html($consent).'</code></p>';
    } else {
      echo '<p>No consent reference found.</p>';
    }
  }, 'shop_order', 'side');
});

UX details that reduce drop-off

• Mobile first: big tap targets, focus outlines, never trap scroll; keep “Accept” primary, “Decline” safe but obvious
• Performance: inline the modal’s critical styles, lazy-load extras; avoid blocking fonts; keep modal under ~12KB CSS
• Accessibility: role="dialog", proper aria-labelledby/aria-describedby, focus trap, ESC to close (when allowed), and readable contrast
• Copy: single plain-language sentence + link to full terms; add a one-liner about what happens on decline

Common deployments (copy/paste framing)

• Membership sites: require re-acceptance on next login after policy changes; export CSV for compliance
• WooCommerce stores: gate checkout; attach consent reference to order; email confirmations for paper trail
• Agencies: standardize consent across portfolios; give clients exportable logs; use one hook for custom gating
• Internal portals: block wp-admin until security/IT policies are accepted

Troubleshooting & edge cases

• Caching/CDN: the popup is user-specific; bypass cache for logged-in users and checkout endpoints
• Ajax logins: if you use a custom login form, test that the popup still fires after auth
• Role migrations: when users change roles, confirm your tpul_override_show_popup logic still holds
• Terms updates: use Reset all so everyone re-accepts; verify in logs/CSV
• Localization: set <html lang="…"> and translate the modal strings; consider RTL layout if needed

Example policy update flow (playbook)

1. Update Terms page (version/date at top)
2. In plugin settings, Reset all users (Pro)
3. Turn on email confirmations for a week (optional)
4. Monitor dashboard/CSV for re-acceptance rates
5. After 7–14 days, export CSV and store with your change log

FAQ (dev-focused)

Where is consent stored?

A proof string in your WordPress DB with timestamp and user ID. Pro adds CSV export and Woo order reference.

Can I limit by role or only on admin?

Yes—built-in role targeting, plus a hook to gate by any context you need.

What happens on decline?

Configurable: log the decline, optionally log the user out and/or redirect to a policy page.

Can I force re-acceptance after changes?

Yes—reset all users or a single user. Next login/checkout requires acceptance.

Performance impact?

It’s lightweight and cache-friendly. The modal styles are small; no page-builder lock-in.

Ready to implement?

• Free version: enforce at login/admin and log responses to DB
• Pro: CSV exports, resets, Woo order reference, email confirmations, advanced logging, dev hook

Stay compliant without custom code.

→ Get the plugin | → Read the docs

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