Multiple default wishlists for all users

Hi @namespending,

Registering the user from the backend is fine – the snippet runs for users created there too. So before changing anything, can you tell me where exactly you’re checking for the wishlists? I suspect the snippet may already be working and the lists just aren’t showing where you’re looking.

The admin Wishlists screen hides empty wishlists belonging to regular users by default, and the lists the snippet creates start out empty. Two ways to confirm:

1. The most reliable check: log in as the newly created user (or use a user-switching plugin) and open the wishlist page. All three lists should be there, with the first one marked as the default.
2. Or on the admin Wishlists screen, change the visibility dropdown from “Hide empty (non-admin)” to “Show all wishlists”, then look for your test user’s lists.

If you still see nothing after checking as the user, then it’s the snippet setup, so it’s worth verifying in WPCode:

1. The code type is “PHP Snippet”.
2. The snippet is toggled “Active”. One WPCode quirk to know about: if you edit and re-save a snippet that’s already active, or save the same code as a second snippet, WPCode can detect an error and quietly switch it off. So if you saved it more than once while testing, re-check the toggle.
3. Under Insertion, Auto Insert is set to “Run Everywhere” (not “Frontend Only”, since you’re registering users in the backend).
4. Open the snippet and check the line near the top still reads \SaveToWishlist\Classes\Factories\Collections with all the backslashes intact. If they get lost in copy-paste (some apps strip them), the snippet runs without errors but does nothing.
5. Test with a brand-new user each time. Users registered while the snippet wasn’t running don’t get the lists retroactively.

I’ve also improved the snippet since my first post, so please replace your copy with this version. It shows your first-named list at the top of the wishlist page (the original put it at the bottom), and it’s now safe to edit and re-save in WPCode:

/**
   * Create a set of default wishlists for every new user.
   *
   * Remove this snippet if the wishlist plugin adds this feature natively.
   */
  add_action( 'user_register', 'my_seed_default_wishlists', 20 );

  if ( ! function_exists( 'my_seed_default_wishlists' ) ) {
  function my_seed_default_wishlists( $user_id ) {

      // Bail if the wishlist plugin is not active.
      if ( ! class_exists( '\SaveToWishlist\Classes\Factories\Collections' ) ) {
          return;
      }

      // Edit these names. The FIRST one becomes the user's default wishlist.
      $wishlist_names = array( 'Wishlist', 'Backlog', 'Played' );

      // Only ever seed a user once.
      if ( get_user_meta( $user_id, '_my_default_wishlists_seeded', true ) ) {
          return;
      }

      $collections = \SaveToWishlist\Classes\Factories\Collections::instance();

      // Create in reverse order so the first name is the newest wishlist,
      // which puts it at the top of the wishlist page (sorted newest first).
      $default_id = 0;
      foreach ( array_reverse( $wishlist_names ) as $name ) {
          $created = $collections->save_collection(
              array(
                  'user_id'     => $user_id,
                  'name'        => $name,
                  'description' => '',
                  'status'      => 'publish',
                  'is_default'  => 0,
                  'is_public'   => 0,
              )
          );

          if ( ! empty( $created->id ) ) {
              $default_id = (int) $created->id;
          }
      }

      // Make sure the first-named wishlist (created last) is the default one.
      if ( $default_id ) {
          $collections->update_default_wishlist( $user_id );
          $collections->update_default_wishlist( $user_id, 1, $default_id );
      }

      update_user_meta( $user_id, '_my_default_wishlists_seeded', 1 );
  }
  }

I re-tested this exact version today on a fresh site running the current plugin version, installed through WPCode with the user registered from the backend, and it works: the new user gets all three lists with “Wishlist” on top as the default.

Let me know what you find and we’ll get you sorted!