Retrieving Tracking Information from Orders

The ast_get_tracking_items() function returns every tracking entry recorded on an order, with the carrier name, tracking link and carrier icon already resolved. Use it to read tracking data programmatically — for example, to pass tracking info to an SMS or email plugin, show it in a custom template, export it to a CSV, or send it to a third-party system.

The function is defined in includes/tracking-info.php and works with both the classic posts table and HPOS, because it reads the order through wc_get_order().

Function reference

ast_get_tracking_items( int $order_id ): array

Tracking entry fields

Each entry is an associative array. The first group is what AST PRO stores on the order; the second group is added at read time by the formatter, so it always reflects your current carrier settings.

Stored fields

Formatted fields (added at read time)

Code snippet

<?php
if ( function_exists( 'ast_get_tracking_items' ) ) {

    $order_id = 123; // Replace with your order ID

    $tracking_items = ast_get_tracking_items( $order_id );

    foreach ( $tracking_items as $tracking_item ) {

        $tracking_id       = $tracking_item['tracking_id'];
        $tracking_number   = $tracking_item['tracking_number'];
        $provider_slug     = $tracking_item['tracking_provider'];           // e.g. usps
        $tracking_provider = $tracking_item['formatted_tracking_provider']; // e.g. USPS
        $tracking_url      = $tracking_item['ast_tracking_link'];           // what the customer sees
        $carrier_icon      = $tracking_item['tracking_provider_image'];
        $date_shipped      = date_i18n( get_option( 'date_format' ), $tracking_item['date_shipped'] );

        // Per-item tracking (only an array when Tracking Per Item was used)
        if ( ! empty( $tracking_item['products_list'] ) && is_array( $tracking_item['products_list'] ) ) {
            foreach ( $tracking_item['products_list'] as $item ) {
                $product_id = $item->product; // WooCommerce product ID
                $qty        = $item->qty;     // Quantity in this shipment
                $product    = wc_get_product( $product_id );
                if ( $product ) {
                    $product_name = $product->get_name();
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Example: add tracking to a WooCommerce email

A common use is printing every shipment, with a link, inside an order email. Add this to your theme’s functions.php or a code-snippets plugin:

<?php
add_action( 'woocommerce_email_order_details', 'my_email_tracking_list', 5, 4 );

function my_email_tracking_list( $order, $sent_to_admin, $plain_text, $email ) {

    if ( ! function_exists( 'ast_get_tracking_items' ) ) {
        return;
    }

    $tracking_items = ast_get_tracking_items( $order->get_id() );

    if ( empty( $tracking_items ) ) {
        return;
    }

    foreach ( $tracking_items as $tracking_item ) {

        $provider = $tracking_item['formatted_tracking_provider'];
        $number   = $tracking_item['tracking_number'];
        $link     = $tracking_item['ast_tracking_link'];
        $shipped  = date_i18n( get_option( 'date_format' ), $tracking_item['date_shipped'] );

        if ( $plain_text ) {
            echo "{$provider}: {$number} ({$shipped}) {$link}\n";
        } else {
            printf(
                '<p>%s: <a href="%s">%s</a> - %s</p>',
                esc_html( $provider ),
                esc_url( $link ),
                esc_html( $number ),
                esc_html( $shipped )
            );
        }
    }
}

Filtering the result

Before the list is returned it passes through the ast_get_tracking_items filter. Anything you change there is also picked up by AST PRO’s own emails and templates, and by third-party email builders that read tracking through the same function.

<?php
/**
 * @param array $tracking_items The tracking entries.
 * @param int   $order_id       The order ID.
 * @param bool  $formatted      Whether the formatted fields were added (true for ast_get_tracking_items()).
 */
add_filter( 'ast_get_tracking_items', function ( $tracking_items, $order_id, $formatted ) {
    // Example: hide entries that have no tracking number
    return array_values( array_filter( $tracking_items, function ( $item ) {
        return '' !== $item['tracking_number'];
    } ) );
}, 10, 3 );

Notes

• Always wrap the call in function_exists( 'ast_get_tracking_items' ) so the code fails gracefully when AST PRO is not active.
• tracking_provider is the carrier slug. For the name customers see, read formatted_tracking_provider; for the link customers see, read ast_tracking_link.
• products_list is an array only when Tracking Per Item is enabled in General Settings and the entry was added with SKU/quantity data. For standard tracking it is an empty string, so check is_array() before looping.
• Read $item->qty from the raw product object in products_list — not from the WC_Product returned by wc_get_product(), which has no qty property.
• The formatted fields are built on every call from your current carrier settings. If you rename a carrier or change its tracking URL, existing entries pick up the change the next time they are read.
• The same data is also available from the REST API at GET /wp-json/wc-ast/v3/orders/{id}/shipment-trackings — see Shipment Tracking API.

Related: Adding Tracking Info to Orders