Create Tickets

Topics

This documentation provides a list of acceptable arguments for programmatically creating tickets using the ORM API.

When creating tickets using the ORM, the e-commerce repository must be passed as a parameter to tribe_tickets() and the minimum argument required is the title.

If one of these requirements is missing, false will be returned from tribe_tickets('[e-commerce]')->set_args( $args )->create(); and a new ticket will not be created.

E-commerce Repositories

These are the expected repository parameters that can be passed to tribe_tickets():

RSVP = 'rsvp'
Tickets Commerce = 'tickets-commerce'
Easy Digital Downloads = 'edd'
WooCommerce = 'woo'
Tribe Commerce = 'tribe-commerce' (note: this has been deprecated, use Tickets Commerce instead)

RSVP

Example with Minimal Arguments

$args = [
    'title'                 => 'Simple ORM RSVP',
    'status'                => 'publish',
    '_tribe_rsvp_for_event' => 718,
];

$ticket = tribe_tickets( 'rsvp' )->set_args( $args )->create();

While you can simply create an RSVP in the database by only passing a title as an argument, in order to immediately see the RSVP on the frontend, you will need to set the post_status to publish and tell the ORM which post or event to attach the RSVP ticket (in this example, we’re assigning the new RSVP ticket to the event with the post_id 718). Under the hood, this assignment is done using the _tribe_rsvp_for_event meta_key in the wp_postmeta table.

Example with Complete Arguments

// Set the start date to yesterday and the end date to a week from today.
$start_date = date( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime('-1 day') );
$end_date = date( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime( '+7 days' ) );

$args = [
    'title'                          => 'ORM Created RSVP',
    'status'                         => 'publish',
    '_tribe_rsvp_for_event'          => 718,
    'excerpt'                        => 'This RSVP was created using the ORM!',
    '_tribe_ticket_show_description' => true,
    '_tribe_ticket_capacity'         => 500,
    '_tribe_ticket_show_not_going'   => true,
    '_ticket_start_date'             => $start_date,
    '_ticket_end_date'               => $end_date,
];

$ticket = tribe_tickets( 'rsvp' )->set_args( $args )->create();

These are all the arguments available when creating a new RSVP. This diagram shows what each key represents if you were to create an RSVP using the classic editor admin dashboard:

Note that the event ID and publication status only need to be specified if using the ORM to create an RSVP since that information is assumed and available when creating an RSVP from the dashboard.

Tickets Commerce

The Tickets Commerce repository is the modern e-commerce solution for Event Tickets. It provides a flexible way to create and manage tickets with payment processing capabilities.

Example with Minimal Arguments

$args = [
    'title'          => 'Ticket Created with ORM',
    'status'         => 'publish',
    'event'          => 945,
];

$ticket = tribe_tickets( 'tickets-commerce' )->set_args( $args )->create();

Same as with RSVPs, you can simply create a new ticket in the database by only passing a title as an argument, however in order to immediately see the ticket on the frontend, you will need to set the post_status to publish and tell the ORM which post or event to attach the Tickets Commerce ticket (in this example, we’re assigning the new Tickets Commerce ticket to the event with the post_id 945). The Tickets Commerce repository has an alias event for _tec_tickets_commerce_event.

Example with Complete Arguments

// Generate start date as the current time and end date as 30 days from now
$start_date = date( 'Y-m-d H:i:s' );
$end_date = date( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime( '+30 days' ) );

$args = [
    'title'                    => 'Premium Event Ticket',
    'status'                   => 'publish',
    'event'                    => 945,
    'price'                    => 29.99,
    'show_description'         => true,
    'excerpt'                  => 'This ticket includes premium seating and a meet-and-greet.',
    '_manage_stock'            => 'yes',
    '_stock'                   => 100,
    '_stock_status'            => 'instock',
    '_backorders'              => 'no',
    '_tribe_ticket_capacity'   => 100,
    '_global_stock_mode'       => 'own',
    'tribe_ticket_type'        => 'default',
    '_sku'                     => 'PREMIUM-945',
    '_ticket_start_date'       => $start_date,
    '_ticket_end_date'         => $end_date,
];

$ticket = tribe_tickets( 'tickets-commerce' )->set_args( $args )->create();

WooCommerce

Event Tickets Plus allows you to use WooCommerce to sell tickets. This documentation provides a list of acceptable arguments for programmatically creating WooCommerce tickets using the ORM API. It is important to note that you must have Event Tickets, Event Tickets Plus, and WooCommerce installed and activated to use this feature.

Example with Minimal Arguments


$args = [
    'title'                      => 'Simple WooCommerce Ticket',
    'status'                     => 'publish',
    '_tribe_wooticket_for_event' => 718,
];

$ticket = tribe_tickets('woo')->set_args($args)->create();

While you can create a WooCommerce ticket in the database by only passing a title, to ensure it works correctly and is immediately visible on the frontend, you need to set the post_status to publish and specify the event ID to attach the ticket to (in this example, we’re assigning the ticket to the event with post_id 718). The association is stored using the _tribe_wooticket_for_event meta key in the wp_postmeta table.

Example with Complete Arguments


	// Set the start date to yesterday and the end date to a month from now.
	$start_date = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime('-1 day'));
	$end_date = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime('+1 month'));

	$args = [
		'title'                          => 'Premium WooCommerce Ticket',
		'status'                         => 'publish', 
		'_tribe_wooticket_for_event'     => 1221,
		'_price'                         => 49.99,
		'excerpt'                        => 'This premium ticket includes VIP seating and a merchandise package.',
		'_tribe_ticket_show_description' => true,
		'_manage_stock'                  => 'yes',
		'_stock'                         => 100,
		'_stock_status'                  => 'instock',
		'_backorders'                    => 'no',
		'_tribe_ticket_capacity'         => 100,
		'_global_stock_mode'             => 'own',
		'_sku'                           => 'WOOTICKET-VIP-' . time(),
		'_virtual'                       => 'yes',
		'_downloadable'                  => 'no',
		'_ticket_start_date'             => $start_date,
		'_ticket_end_date'               => $end_date,
		'_regular_price'                 => 49.99,
		'_sale_price'                    => '',
		'product_type'                   => 'simple',
	];

	$ticket = tribe_tickets('woo')->set_args($args)->create();

Important Note About Stock and Capacity

Since WooCommerce tickets are WooCommerce products, it’s essential to properly set stock management and capacity fields. Here are two common configurations:


// For limited stock tickets (100 capacity in this example):
$args = [
    // ... other fields
    '_manage_stock'          => 'yes',      // Required for stock management
    '_stock'                => 100,         // Available stock quantity  
    '_stock_status'         => 'instock',   // Must be 'instock' for available tickets
    '_backorders'           => 'no',        // Required setting
    '_tribe_ticket_capacity'=> 100,         // Total capacity
    '_global_stock_mode'    => 'own',       // Stock mode must match capacity settings
];

// For unlimited tickets:
$args = [
    // ... other fields 
    '_manage_stock'          => 'no',        // No stock management for unlimited
    '_tribe_ticket_capacity' => -1,          // -1 indicates unlimited capacity
    '_global_stock_mode'     => 'unlimited', // Set mode to unlimited
];

If your tickets are showing as “Sold Out” immediately after creation, ensure you’ve set all of these stock and capacity fields correctly:

_stock_status must be set to 'instock'
_manage_stock must be set to 'yes' for limited capacity tickets
_global_stock_mode must match your capacity intent (use 'own' for independent ticket capacity)
Both _stock and _tribe_ticket_capacity should be set to the same value for independent capacity tickets

WooCommerce Arguments Reference

title

Type: string
Description: The ticket name
Meta Key: Post title
Notes: Required

status

Type: string
Description: Ticket status
Meta Key: Post status
Notes: Set to ‘publish’ to make immediately available

_tribe_wooticket_for_event

Type: int
Description: Associated event ID
Meta Key: _tribe_wooticket_for_event
Notes: Links the ticket to an event

_price

Type: float
Description: Ticket price
Meta Key: _price
Notes: Should match _regular_price if both are specified

_regular_price

Type: float
Description: Regular ticket price
Meta Key: _regular_price
Notes: Should match _price if both are specified

_sale_price

Type: float
Description: Sale price (if on sale)
Meta Key: _sale_price
Notes: Leave empty if not on sale

_tribe_ticket_show_description

Type: boolean
Description: Whether to show description
Meta Key: _tribe_ticket_show_description
Notes: Boolean value

excerpt

Type: string
Description: Ticket description
Meta Key: Post excerpt
Notes: Description text

_manage_stock

Type: string
Description: Enable stock management
Meta Key: _manage_stock
Notes: ‘yes’ for limited tickets, ‘no’ for unlimited

_stock

Type: int
Description: Available stock
Meta Key: _stock
Notes: Current available quantity

_stock_status

Type: string
Description: Stock status
Meta Key: _stock_status
Notes: ‘instock’ or ‘outofstock’

_backorders

Type: string
Description: Allow backorders
Meta Key: _backorders
Notes: Usually set to ‘no’

_tribe_ticket_capacity

Type: int
Description: Total capacity
Meta Key: _tribe_ticket_capacity
Notes: Total number of tickets or -1 for unlimited

_global_stock_mode

Type: string
Description: Stock mode
Meta Key: _global_stock_mode
Notes: ‘own’, ‘global’, ‘capped’, ‘unlimited’

_sku

Type: string
Description: Stock Keeping Unit
Meta Key: _sku
Notes: Unique identifier (consider adding timestamp)

_virtual

Type: string
Description: Whether the product is virtual
Meta Key: _virtual
Notes: Usually ‘yes’ for tickets

_downloadable

Type: string
Description: Whether the product is downloadable
Meta Key: _downloadable
Notes: Usually ‘no’ for tickets

_ticket_start_date

Type: string
Description: Sale start date
Meta Key: _ticket_start_date
Notes: Format: ‘YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS’

_ticket_end_date

Type: string
Description: Sale end date
Meta Key: _ticket_end_date
Notes: Format: ‘YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS’

product_type

Type: string
Description: WooCommerce product type
Meta Key: Product type taxonomy term
Notes: Usually ‘simple’ for tickets

Adding Attendee Information Fields

Event Tickets Plus includes the Attendee Information feature (formerly called “Attendee Meta”) which lets you add custom fields to the ticket purchase form. When creating tickets programmatically, you can define these fields using the _tribe_tickets_meta_enabled and _tribe_tickets_meta parameters.

Basic Implementation

Here’s a basic example of creating a WooCommerce ticket with a single additional text field for attendees:

$args = [
    // Basic ticket information
    'title'                      => 'Ticket with Attendee Field',
    'status'                     => 'publish',
    '_tribe_wooticket_for_event' => 718,
    '_price'                     => 20,
    
    // Enable attendee information collection
    '_tribe_tickets_meta_enabled' => 'yes',
    
    // Define a single attendee field
    '_tribe_tickets_meta' => [
        [
            'type'        => 'text',
            'label'       => 'Company Name',
            'required'    => 'on',
            'slug'        => 'company',
            'extra'       => [],
            'classes'     => [],
            'attributes'  => [],
            'placeholder' => '',
            'description' => '',
            'field_order' => 0,
        ]
    ],
    
    // Standard ticket configuration needed for frontend display
    '_virtual'                   => 'yes',
    '_manage_stock'              => 'yes',
    '_stock'                     => 100,
    '_stock_status'              => 'instock',
    '_tribe_ticket_capacity'     => 100,
    '_global_stock_mode'         => 'own',
    '_ticket_start_date'         => date('Y-m-d H:i:s'),
    '_ticket_end_date'           => date('Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime('+1 year')),
];

$ticket = tribe_tickets('woo')->set_args($args)->create();

The key parts for attendee fields are:

_tribe_tickets_meta_enabled: Set to ‘yes’ to enable attendee information fields
_tribe_tickets_meta: An array of field definitions

Available Field Types

The following field types are supported:

text: Single-line text input
textarea: Multi-line text area
radio: Radio button selection (single choice)
checkbox: Checkbox options (multiple choices)
select: Dropdown select menu
email: Email address field with validation
date: Date picker field
telephone: Phone number field
url: URL field with validation

Example with Multiple Field Types

Here’s an example of creating a ticket with multiple different field types. The rest of the ticket is set up the same, this is just showing examples of the different types of fields you can create.


$args = [
    // [other args ...]
    '_tribe_tickets_meta_enabled' => 'yes',
    '_tribe_tickets_meta' => [
        [
            'type'        => 'text',
            'label'       => 'Nickname',
            'required'    => 'on',
            'slug'        => 'full-name',
            'extra'       => [],
            'classes'     => [],
            'attributes'  => [],
            'placeholder' => '',
            'description' => '',
            'field_order' => 0,
        ],
        [
            'type'        => 'email',
            'label'       => 'Email TEST',
            'required'    => 'on',
            'slug'        => 'email-address',
            'extra'       => [],
            'classes'     => [],
            'attributes'  => [],
            'placeholder' => '',
            'description' => '',
            'field_order' => 1,
        ],
        [
            'type'        => 'radio',
            'label'       => 'T-Shirt Size',
            'required'    => 'on',
            'slug'        => 'tshirt-size',
            'extra'       => [
                'options' => [
                    'S',
                    'M',
                    'L',
                    'XL',
                    'XXL'
                ],
            ],
            'classes'     => [],
            'attributes'  => [],
            'placeholder' => '',
            'description' => '',
            'field_order' => 2,
        ],
        [
            'type'        => 'checkbox',
            'label'       => 'Dietary Restrictions',
            'required'    => '',
            'slug'        => 'dietary',
            'extra'       => [
                'options' => [
                    'Vegetarian',
                    'Vegan',
                    'Gluten-free',
                    'Nut allergy'
                ],
            ],
            'classes'     => [],
            'attributes'  => [],
            'placeholder' => '',
            'description' => '',
            'field_order' => 3,
        ],
        [
            'type'        => 'select',
            'label'       => 'Job Role',
            'required'    => 'on',
            'slug'        => 'job-role',
            'extra'       => [
                'options' => [
                    'Developer',
                    'Designer',
                    'Manager',
                    'Marketing',
                    'Other'
                ],
            ],
            'classes'     => [],
            'attributes'  => [],
            'placeholder' => '',
            'description' => '',
            'field_order' => 4,
        ],
        [
            'type'        => 'date',
            'label'       => 'Arrival Date',
            'required'    => '',
            'slug'        => 'arrival-date',
            'extra'       => [],
            'classes'     => [],
            'attributes'  => [],
            'placeholder' => '',
            'description' => '',
            'field_order' => 5,
        ]
    ],
    
    // [other args ...]
];

For fields with options (radio buttons, checkboxes, select dropdowns), the extra parameter contains each option on a new line.

The same approach works for Tickets Commerce tickets, you would just change the repository from tribe_tickets('woo')to tribe_tickets('tickets-commerce')

Field Parameters Reference

Each field in the _tribe_tickets_meta array supports the following parameters:

type

Type: string
Description: The type of input field
Options: text, textarea, radio, checkbox, select, email, date, telephone, url
Required: Yes

label

Type: string
Description: The field label displayed to attendees
Required: Yes

required

Type: string
Description: Whether the field is required
Options: ‘on’ for required, empty string for optional
Default: ” (optional)

slug

Type: string
Description: A unique identifier for the field (used in the database)
Required: Yes
Notes: Must be unique, use only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens

extra

Type: string
Description: For radio, checkbox, and select fields, contains the options separated by newlines
Required: For radio, checkbox, and select fields
Default: Empty string

field_order

Type: int
Description: The order in which the field appears in the form
Required: No
Default: 0

disabled

Type: boolean
Description: Whether the field is disabled
Required: No
Default: false