Additional Order Notes add-on for CS-Cart

Keep a running, time-stamped log of internal notes on every order

Additional Order Notes adds a simple notepad to every order in your CS-Cart admin panel. Unlike CS-Cart’s built-in “Order notes” field — a single box that gets overwritten every time someone edits it — this add-on keeps a running log of separate, time-stamped comments, each carrying the author’s name. Jot down things like “customer called to confirm delivery address”, “wrap in red paper”, or “left a voicemail about a backordered item”, and every comment stays attached to that order as its own entry.

Notes live in a new “Additional Notes” tab on the order details page and are shown oldest first. They are strictly internal — never displayed on the storefront or in any email to the buyer. On Multi-Vendor stores, vendors can optionally read (but not edit) the notes on their own orders, so you can share handling instructions like gift wrap requests or VIP flags. Works on CS-Cart Store Builder and Multi-Vendor, single or multiple storefronts.

Key Features

• Time-Stamped Note Log — a running history of separate comments instead of one box that gets overwritten
• Author Attribution — every note shows the staff member’s full name (linked to their admin profile) and a timestamp in your store’s date format
• Unlimited Notes per Order — add as many as you need, shown in the order they were written
• Dedicated Order Tab — a new “Additional Notes” tab appears on every order detail page automatically
• Internal Only — notes never appear on the storefront or in order emails to customers
• Read-Only Vendor Access — on Multi-Vendor, vendors can view notes on their own orders (on by default; switchable)
• One-Click Delete — remove any note with a confirmation prompt so nothing is lost by mistake (admins only)
• Included in Order Export — an “Additional Order Notes” column travels with your order data into reports, spreadsheets and backups
• Multi-Line Notes — line breaks you type are preserved exactly when the note is shown

How It Works

1. Install and activate the add-on — the “Additional Notes” tab appears on every order right away, no further setup
2. Open any order from the orders list and click the “Additional Notes” tab
3. Existing notes show in a table with the note text, author name and timestamp (or a friendly “No notes found” message)
4. Type a message in the text box and click “Add Note” — it appears at the bottom of the list instantly
5. To remove a note, click the trash icon next to it and confirm the prompt (admins only)
6. With vendor visibility on, vendors see the same tab on their own orders in read-only mode — no text box, no delete buttons
7. When you export orders, an “Additional Order Notes” column holds each order’s full note history, joined with line breaks

Typical Uses

• Customer service log — record calls, refund discussions, or special requests so the next person has the full picture
• Shipping instructions — flag fragile items, gift wrap, or “leave at side door” notes that don’t fit standard fields
• Internal handoffs — a clear paper trail when an order passes from sales to warehouse to dispatch
• Vendor instructions — on Multi-Vendor with visibility on, leave guidance for the seller
• Audit history — each note’s author and timestamp let you see exactly who did what, and when

Requirements

• CS-Cart Store Builder or Multi-Vendor (single or multiple storefronts) 4.6.3 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher (tested up to PHP 8.3)

Installation

1. Go to Add-ons > Manage add-ons, click Manual installation, and upload the addon zip file
2. Activate the addon and enter the license key
3. Open any order from Orders > View orders and click the new Additional Notes tab to start adding notes — no further setup is needed

Configuration Options

The add-on works out of the box. It has a single setting, found by clicking the addon name (or its gear icon) under Manage add-ons.

Adding and deleting notes is always limited to admin users — vendor accounts never see the editing controls. There are no per-user permission settings; any admin who can view orders can add and delete notes.

Support

For questions, issues, or feature requests, contact us at www.cartmodules.com.