DEBUT Bookings puts your Checkfront inventory on your own pages instead of in an embedded widget. Visitors see a calendar of what's on, pick a date, and choose a session, all in your site's fonts, colours and layout. When they click Book now, they go straight to that item and date on your Checkfront booking page to pay, so your payments, deposits, emails and reports keep working exactly as they do now.<\/p>\n\n
Every template can be overridden from your theme, and everything the plugin shows is available in PHP:<\/p>\n\n
$item = debut_bookings_get_item( 435 );\necho $item->name; \/\/ White Water Tubing\necho $item->formatted_price(); \/\/ \u00a364.99\n\nforeach ( $item->sessions( '2026-11-14' ) as $session ) {\n echo $session->time(); \/\/ 09:30 \u2013 12:00\n echo $session->spaces; \/\/ 10\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\nAlso: debut_bookings_get_items()<\/code>, debut_bookings_get_sessions()<\/code>, debut_bookings_next_available()<\/code>, debut_bookings_get_categories()<\/code>, template hooks around every card, row and time slot, and filters on the data. See the FAQ.<\/p>\n\nDEBUT Bookings is an independent plugin by DEBUT Studio. It is not made, endorsed or supported by Checkfront.<\/p>\n\n
Need more?<\/h4>\n\n
DEBUT Studio builds custom Checkfront booking journeys on WordPress, and can set the plugin up and style it for you. debut.studio<\/a><\/p>\n\nExternal services<\/h3>\n\n
This plugin uses Checkfront, the booking system you connect it to. It only works with a Checkfront account, and only connects to the account you enter in the settings.<\/p>\n\n
From your website's server to the Checkfront API<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n- What is sent:<\/strong> your Checkfront API key and secret (to authenticate), and the item IDs, category IDs and dates being looked up. The list of categories and items customers can book online is fetched without your key, as a customer would see it. Nothing about your site's visitors is sent this way.<\/li>\n
- When:<\/strong> when a page showing plugin content is viewed or a visitor picks a date or category, and the answer isn't already cached; and when you connect, test the connection or open the Categories screen in the settings.<\/li>\n
- Where:<\/strong>
https:\/\/{your-account}.checkfront.com\/api\/3.0\/<\/code> (or .checkfront.co.uk<\/code>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nFrom your visitors' browsers to Checkfront<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n- Images:<\/strong> activity images are the ones you uploaded to Checkfront and load directly from Checkfront's servers, so a visitor's browser shares its IP address and browser details with Checkfront when it shows them. Turn images off with
show_image=\"0\"<\/code> if you'd rather not.<\/li>\n- Book now:<\/strong> clicking Book now takes the visitor to your Checkfront booking page, where Checkfront's own terms apply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
With Pro: meeting point maps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n- If you turn on Booking \u2192 Meeting point<\/strong>, the review step of a booking shows a map of the coordinates in the item's chosen Checkfront field, embedded from OpenStreetMap (
https:\/\/www.openstreetmap.org\/<\/code>) or Google Maps (https:\/\/maps.google.com\/<\/code>) as you choose. The visitor's browser loads the map from that service, sharing its IP address and browser details with it. Three-word addresses link to what3words (https:\/\/what3words.com\/<\/code>) and load nothing until clicked. Off by default.<\/li>\n- OpenStreetMap: Privacy Policy<\/a>. Google: Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
Checkfront is provided by Checkfront Bookings Inc.: Terms of Service<\/a>, Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n- Install and activate the plugin, then go to DEBUT Bookings<\/strong>. The setup steps open automatically.<\/li>\n
- Connect:<\/strong> enter your Checkfront address, then create an API key in Checkfront (Manage \u2192 Developer \u2192 New Application<\/strong>, choosing Token<\/strong>) and paste in the key and secret. The connection is tested before anything is saved.<\/li>\n
- Categories:<\/strong> untick anything customers shouldn't browse, such as add-ons or gift vouchers.<\/li>\n
- Look:<\/strong> pick an accent colour and a layout.<\/li>\n
- Pages:<\/strong> pages that already show the planner or What's on are found for you. Tick any you'd like created, or add the Bookings planner<\/strong> block or
[debut_bookings]<\/code> shortcode yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\nFor an activity page, add the Item availability<\/strong> block or [debut_bookings_availability id=\"123\"]<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDo I need a Checkfront account?<\/h3><\/dt>\nYes. The plugin shows the inventory and availability you've set up in Checkfront. Your Checkfront plan needs API access.<\/p><\/dd>\n
Does it take bookings or payments?<\/h3><\/dt>\nNo. Customers choose a session on your site, then complete the booking and payment on your Checkfront booking page, so nothing changes in how you take payments.<\/p><\/dd>\n
Which shortcodes are there?<\/h3><\/dt>\nDEBUT Bookings \u2192 Help<\/strong> lists them all with examples and copy buttons, along with your own items and categories and their IDs, so you don't have to look anything up in Checkfront.<\/p>\n\n\n[debut_bookings]<\/code> \u2013 the calendar and sessions. Attributes: category<\/code> and ids<\/code> (limit to category or item IDs), layout<\/code> (cards<\/code> or list<\/code>), times<\/code> (1<\/code> or 0<\/code> for the time of day filter), pills<\/code> (0<\/code> hides the category filter), show_price<\/code>, show_image<\/code>, button<\/code> (button text).<\/li>\n[debut_bookings_upcoming]<\/code> \u2013 What's on: every upcoming session as a list, grouped by date, with filters. Attributes: category<\/code>, months<\/code>, filter_label<\/code>.<\/li>\n[debut_bookings_card item=\"123\"]<\/code> \u2013 a booking card for an activity page or sidebar: switch activity, pick a month and session, Continue. Attributes: items<\/code>, category<\/code>, switcher<\/code>, months<\/code>, title<\/code>, label<\/code>, button<\/code>, sticky=\"1\"<\/code> (a bar at the bottom on phones).<\/li>\n[debut_bookings_item id=\"123\"]<\/code> \u2013 one item with its details and upcoming sessions.<\/li>\n[debut_bookings_availability id=\"123\"]<\/code> \u2013 the calendar and sessions for one item, for an activity page (no image or title on the sessions, since the page has them). Attributes: layout<\/code>, times<\/code>, button<\/code>.<\/li>\n[debut_bookings_book_now id=\"123\"]<\/code> \u2013 a Book now button for one item. Optional date=\"20261114\"<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/dd>\nDoes it work with Google Analytics?<\/h3><\/dt>\nYes. Under Advanced \u2192 Tracking<\/strong>, choose Google Tag Manager or the Google Analytics tag, and the plugin sends GA4 ecommerce events to the tag already on your site: view_item_list<\/code>, view_item<\/code>, select_item<\/code> and begin_checkout<\/code>. It never adds Google's script itself. Every event is also dispatched in the browser as debut-bookings:track<\/code>, for other analytics tools.<\/p><\/dd>\nHow do I change the look?<\/h3><\/dt>\nUnder Appearance<\/strong>: an accent colour (with preset swatches), corners, card style, layout and which parts of the cards to show, with a live preview in your own theme. Developers can override any of the --dbk-*<\/code> CSS custom properties listed there.<\/p><\/dd>\nHow do I change the templates?<\/h3><\/dt>\nCopy any file from the plugin's templates<\/code> folder to a debut-bookings<\/code> folder in your theme and edit it there. Templates receive Debut_Bookings_Item<\/code> and Debut_Bookings_Session<\/code> objects.<\/p><\/dd>\nWhich hooks are there?<\/h3><\/dt>\nActions: debut_bookings_before_card<\/code>, debut_bookings_card_body_end<\/code>, debut_bookings_after_card<\/code>, debut_bookings_before_row<\/code>, debut_bookings_after_row<\/code>.\nFilters: debut_bookings_template<\/code> (template path), debut_bookings_template_vars<\/code>, debut_bookings_theme_vars<\/code> (CSS custom properties), debut_bookings_format_price<\/code>, debut_bookings_periods<\/code> (morning, afternoon and evening boundaries).<\/p><\/dd>\nWhy does a date show nothing when Checkfront looks open?<\/h3><\/dt>\nIf Checkfront has no sessions published for that date, or bookings aren't open that far ahead, the plugin shows the next date that has availability instead. Add ?dbk_debug=1<\/code> to the page while logged in as an administrator to see exactly what Checkfront returned and why each item was shown or hidden.<\/p><\/dd>\nHow far ahead does the calendar go?<\/h3><\/dt>\n12 months by default. Change it under Settings \u2192 Availability window<\/strong> (up to 24). Dates past that aren't shown, and categories with nothing on before then don't get a button. This matters because Checkfront treats dates with no season or rates set up as open: without a limit, a category with nothing on for a while would jump to \"available every day\" a year or two away.<\/p><\/dd>\nHow up to date is availability?<\/h3><\/dt>\nVery. Spaces for the date a visitor is looking at are at most a minute old, and a session that's nearly full is checked with Checkfront live. The calendar and what customers can see (hidden items and categories) update every 5 minutes, and item details and prices every 30 (change this under Advanced<\/strong>). To update everything straight away, click Refresh from Checkfront<\/strong> at the top of the plugin's screens. Bookings are always checked by Checkfront itself, so a customer can never book a place that's gone.<\/p><\/dd>\nWhy are some categories greyed out?<\/h3><\/dt>\nThey're hidden from customers in Checkfront, so they can't be booked on your Checkfront booking page: Book now would show \"No results found\". The plugin checks what customers can book (using Checkfront's public API, the same view your customers get) and leaves those categories and their items out. To show one, make the category visible to customers in Checkfront. The Categories screen shows the change as soon as you reload it, and your site picks it up within a few minutes.<\/p><\/dd>\n
Will it work with page caching?<\/h3><\/dt>\nYes. Pages with a date or category in the address are excluded from full-page caches automatically, and the calendar corrects itself if a cached page is from an earlier day.<\/p><\/dd>\n\n<\/dl>\n\n\n
1.5.1<\/h4>\n\n\n- Updated Freemius SDK to the latest version.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.5.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- New: Help page with every shortcode, examples and copy buttons, plus your own activity and category IDs.<\/li>\n
- New: setup finds or creates your Bookings and What's on pages, opens on first activation and ends with a checklist.<\/li>\n
- New: Appearance has a live preview in your theme, preset accent colours, and show or hide images, prices and spaces left.<\/li>\n
- New: Google Analytics 4 events (view_item_list, view_item, select_item, begin_checkout) for Tag Manager or gtag.<\/li>\n
- New (Pro): meeting point map or what3words link on the review step, from the item's Details or Summary.<\/li>\n
- New (Pro): add_payment_info event when a booking goes to Checkfront to pay.<\/li>\n
- New (Pro): guests chosen per cabin, and the review lists each cabin with who's in it.<\/li>\n
- Improved: the booking card shows the same steps, wording, months and badges as the Endless widget.<\/li>\n
- Improved: availability for a month loads several days at once, so cold loads are about 3x faster.<\/li>\n
- Improved: accent text darkens automatically when the accent is too pale to read.<\/li>\n
- Fixed: demo totals include extras.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.4.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- New: booking card. [debut_bookings_card] lets people switch activity, pick a month and session, and book, with a phone bar (sticky=\"1\").<\/li>\n
- New (Pro): the booking steps carry on inside the card, and it can ask for the group size first.<\/li>\n
- Improved (Pro): the booking popup matches the card's look.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.3.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- New (Pro): More info on extras, with a description and image for each, edited under DEBUT Bookings \u2192 Extras.<\/li>\n
- Improved (Pro): extras follow Checkfront's maximum, or one per person.<\/li>\n
- Improved: the What's on filter is called Activities, and can be renamed with filter_label.<\/li>\n
- Improved: listed prices leave out paid extras.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.2.7<\/h4>\n\n\n- Improved: calendar month arrows are SVG icons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.2.6<\/h4>\n\n\n- Changed: What's on dates use plain divs, so theme section styles don't apply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.2.5<\/h4>\n\n\n- Fixed: What's on lists every session on live Checkfront accounts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.2.4<\/h4>\n\n\n- Fixed: What's on lists every activity's sessions on live Checkfront accounts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.2.3<\/h4>\n\n\n- Fixed: scripts no longer clash with other scripts on the page (filters and Show more not working on some themes).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.2.2<\/h4>\n\n\n- Fixed: What's on rows lay out properly at desktop width.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.2.1<\/h4>\n\n\n- Fixed: What's on rows lay out properly at desktop width.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.2.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- New: What's on list. [debut_bookings_upcoming] shows every session over the next few months, grouped by date, with category filters and Show more.<\/li>\n
- Improved: booking spaces update live as people are added, and the spaces count is never served from a cache.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.1.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- New: What's on list. [debut_bookings_upcoming] shows every session over the next few months, grouped by date, with category filters and Show more.<\/li>\n
- New: demo data. Try the plugin, style your theme or take screenshots with a made-up outdoor centre before connecting Checkfront (Advanced tab, or the link on the Setup screen).<\/li>\n
- New: multi-day items booked as one span (a 2-day course) show \"2 days\" and the full price, and only their start days are offered.<\/li>\n
- New: Book now opens Checkfront's booking popup on the chosen date.<\/li>\n
- Improved: time slots are shown as labels; Book now is the one link on each card.<\/li>\n
- Improved: live re-checks of nearly full sessions are limited to one every 30 seconds.<\/li>\n
- New: optional, opt-in connection to Freemius for updates and the Pro upgrade.<\/li>\n
- Developers: debut_bookings_admin_tabs filter for add-on settings tabs; debut_bookings_slot_url filter for time slot links.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
1.0.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- First release.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","raw_excerpt":"Show Checkfront activities, prices and live availability on your WordPress pages, in your theme's style. Book now goes straight to Checkfront.","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin\/381830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/plugin"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381830"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/debutstudio"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"plugin_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_section?post=381830"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_tags?post=381830"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_category?post=381830"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_contributors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_contributors?post=381830"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_business_model","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bal.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_business_model?post=381830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}