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Import Product Costs From Another Meta Key

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The Import Costs tool copies product costs from one meta key into the cost of goods meta, so you can bring costs across from another plugin without re-entering them. It is a free feature of Cost of Goods: Product Cost & Profit Calculator for WooCommerce, and it is the standard way to migrate from a different cost-of-goods plugin.

Tools / Import Costs page and the Import tool options on the Tools sub-tab

How it works #

The tool reads a value from a meta key you name (the “from” key) and writes it into the plugin’s own cost meta (_alg_wc_cog_cost) on every matching product. By default it imports from _wc_cog_cost, the key used by another common cost plugin, into _alg_wc_cog_cost. You can swap the two keys to run the migration in the opposite direction, or point it at any other meta key.

Where to configure it #

Go to WPFactory > Cost of Goods (also reachable at WooCommerce > Settings > Cost of Goods), open the Tools sub-tab, and find the Product import costs tool group. The tool page itself runs at Tools > Import Costs (tools.php?page=wpfcogs-import-costs).

Options reference #

Label Option ID Default What it does
Key to import from alg_wc_cog_tool_key _wc_cog_cost The meta key the cost value is read from.
Meta key replaced alg_wc_cog_tool_key_to _alg_wc_cog_cost The meta key the value is written to. This is the plugin’s own cost meta.
Check if key exists alg_wc_cog_import_tool_check_key Yes Only replaces the value when the “from” key exists on the product.
Check key value alg_wc_cog_import_tool_check_value Yes Only replaces when the “from” value is not empty, null or zero.
WooCommerce Import alg_wc_cog_import_tool_sync_wc_import No Runs the tool automatically whenever you run the WooCommerce Product Importer.
Import page table alg_wc_cog_import_tool_display_table No Shows a table on the Import Costs page. Turn it off if that page is slow to open.
Run automatically alg_wc_cog_import_tool_cron No Runs the import on a recurring schedule.
Frequency alg_wc_cog_import_tool_cron_frequency Daily How often the recurring import runs: hourly, daily, twice daily or weekly.

Step-by-step #

  1. Go to WPFactory > Cost of Goods > Tools and set Key to import from to the meta key that holds your existing costs.
  2. Leave Meta key replaced as _alg_wc_cog_cost unless you are exporting in the opposite direction.
  3. Decide whether to keep Check if key exists and Check key value on. Both are on by default and protect products that have no cost from being overwritten with a blank.
  4. Click Save changes.
  5. Open Tools > Import Costs and run the tool.

Notes #

  • You are not limited to cost keys. The tool copies any meta value from one key to another, so it also works as a general meta-migration helper.
  • If you change the frequency after enabling Run automatically, turn the option off and on again so the new schedule takes effect.
  • Migrating from ATUM Inventory Management? The Compatibility sub-tab has a dedicated ATUM “Import costs tool” option that pulls purchase price directly.

Get more from Cost of Goods #

The Import Costs tool is free. Cost of Goods: Product Cost & Profit Calculator for WooCommerce Pro adds cost and profit in WooCommerce Analytics, order-email cost and profit, and multicurrency support. See what Pro unlocks.