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Troubleshooting 'Required Field' Validation Issues in Checkout Field Editor for WooCommerce

32 threads Sep 9, 2025 Plugin → Checkout field editor (checkout manager) for woocommerce

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Why Are My Required Checkout Fields Not Validating?

A common issue reported by users of the 'Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce' plugin is that custom required fields, particularly checkboxes, do not trigger validation correctly. Users often find that they can proceed to the payment step even when a required checkbox is left unchecked, only to be met with an error after submitting their payment information. This guide will help you understand why this happens and walk you through the most effective troubleshooting steps.

Common Causes and Their Solutions

1. Plugin or Theme Conflict

The most frequent cause of validation issues is a conflict with another plugin or your active theme.

How to test for a conflict:

  1. Temporarily switch your WordPress theme to a default theme like Storefront or Twenty Twenty-Four.
  2. Clear your browser and site cache.
  3. Test the checkout process again. If the validation works, the issue is with your previous theme.
  4. If the problem persists, reactivate your theme and deactivate all other plugins except for WooCommerce and Checkout Field Editor.
  5. Test the checkout. If it works, reactivate your plugins one by one, testing after each, to identify the conflicting plugin.

2. Checkbox Field Value Handling

Checkbox fields in forms have unique behavior. An unchecked checkbox does not send any value to the server, which can sometimes confuse validation logic. Some users have reported that a checkbox always returns a value of "1" regardless of its checked state.

Troubleshooting tip: Ensure the checkbox is correctly configured in the plugin's settings. If you have coding skills, you may need to add custom validation. For example, the following code snippet can be added to your child theme's functions.php file to add a red border to an invalid custom field:

.woocommerce-checkout .woocommerce-invalid input{
    border: 1px solid red;
}

3. Address Field Override (State/County Fields)

WooCommerce has default behaviors for core address fields like 'State' or 'County'. The plugin may have difficulty overriding WooCommerce's native settings for whether a field is required, which often depends on the selected country.

Solution: A common fix provided by the 'Checkout Field Editor' team is to add a specific filter to your theme's functions.php file. This forces the address fields to respect the required setting configured in the plugin's admin panel.

add_filter('thwcfd_address_field_override_required', '__return_true');

4. Field Location Matters

Validation behavior can differ based on where you place the field. Issues are more commonly reported with fields placed in the "Additional Fields" section rather than within the standard Billing or Shipping address sections. WooCommerce's native JavaScript validation may not apply to fields in these custom sections in the same way.

When to Suspect a Bug

If you have tried all the steps above and your required fields are still not validating, you may be experiencing a bug. Based on user reports, known issues include:

  • Checkbox group fields showing validation errors even when an option is selected.
  • Conditional fields that are hidden still triggering "required field" errors.
  • Duplicate asterisks (*) appearing on required field labels.

Conclusion

Validation problems with the Checkout Field Editor plugin are often resolvable by systematically checking for conflicts and ensuring your field settings are correct. Always remember to clear your cache after making changes and test the checkout process as a guest user to simulate the customer experience. If you've exhausted these steps, documenting your specific setup (theme, plugin versions, and field configurations) will be crucial for finding more targeted help from the community.

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