Articles About

Arts Active is a registered charity that supports people looking to enjoy the arts in a variety of different ways. They used our Document Library Pro plugin to create a front-end resource hub for visitors and share downloadable documents.

How our plugin solved their problem

Arts Active needed a way of allowing website users easy access to their arts resource hub. They were looking for a plugin that would allow users to easily search the resource hub to find the right document quickly.

In addition, they wanted a document library plugin that supported various forms of media for download and for linking. This allowed them to have the Download button download a PDF and link to an accompanying video. Since Arts Active puts everything out bilingually, they were able to offer multiple documents by setting the Download link as a ZIP file.

The resource hub has columns for each document’s image, title, excerpt, categories, tags, and download link.

When a visitor lands on the Resources page, they can choose from tags and categories using the filter options above the resource hub. Visitors also have the option to search the resource hub for a specific document using the search box. The document titles are clickable which means visitors can click them to learn more about the resource before downloading it.

The resource hub lists 25 documents per page and has a total of 4 pages that visitors can navigate to using the pagination options below the resource hub. The table is also sortable which means visitors can sort by any column in the table.

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Children's Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) represents Ontario's publicly funded child and youth mental health centres. Their Parents and Caregivers for Mental Health program supports parents and caregivers raising children with mental health challenges - offering peer support, webinars and a trusted resource hub. To save on costs, this nonprofit uses WordPress along with Document Library Pro to organize and share those resources.

The challenge: a laundry list that added stress instead of relieving it

Before Document Library Pro, the resource page was little more than a long, unstructured list. For parents already under pressure, scrolling through that kind of page was the last thing they needed.

"We wanted to make it as easy as possible for families to find what they're looking for," said Taylor Salisbury, Communications Specialist at CMHO. "With the modules we had, it was very laundry-list style. We didn't have a great solution to organize it or make things easy to search."

The solution: a searchable, filterable resource library

Taylor set up Document Library Pro and paired it with FacetWP to create a resource hub where visitors can filter by topic and find relevant resources in seconds. The setup was intuitive, and Barn2's tutorials helped the team get started quickly.

The real impact, though, came from how the library changed day-to-day work. CMHO's volunteer peer support facilitators can now filter the library by topic, copy the URL and send it directly to a family - so the resources they need are already selected when they open the link.

It's been life changing, actually. We're a nonprofit with a very limited budget, and we don't have budget to hire a web developer. The plugin was affordable enough for us and still had that same level of impact. It's been a true game changer for our program.

Taylor Salisbury, Communications Specialist at CMHO

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The 3D Room is a UK-based store that designs, produces and sells 3D printed tablet wall mounts, cases, and gadgets for home automation projects. They’ve used our WooCommerce Discount Manager and WooCommerce Product Options plugins to create quantity discounts and let customers choose extra options and add-ons.

How our plugin solved their problem

The 3D Room were using two different WooCommerce discount and WooCommerce product add-ons plugins from another company which suddenly stopped working together. Since the other company was not prepared to fix the issue, The 3D Room started looking for alternatives.

They found our WooCommerce Discount Manager and WooCommerce Product Options plugin which are guaranteed to be compatible and work together seamlessly.

The 3D Room has dozens of products on its website. They needed a way to let customers select extra options and add-ons before adding a product to their shopping cart. They were able to do this using the WooCommerce Product Options plugin.

For instance, if a customer wants to buy a tablet wall mount, they can select a color, add a USB-C Cable to their order, and select fixed or adjustable desk stand legs to add to their order from the product page.

The additional costs are displayed alongside each option and the total price of the order is updated dynamically as customers select add-ons.

Additionally, they wanted to offer customers discounts if they ordered in bulk. To do this, they used our WooCommerce Discount Manager plugin. For example, if a customer wants to order 5 or more tablet wall mounts, they can avail a 5% discount (if they order 5-9 units of the same wall mount) or 10% discount (if they order 10-49 units of the same wall mount).

Using the WooCommerce Discount Manager plugin, they were able to display this information in a table directly on the product page.

John from The 3D Room said: "We found the setup and configuration of both plugins to be flawless. I spent quite some time (bearing in mind I used to be an IT Manager) trying to break things but failed dismally!"

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Púróga Pebble Art is an Irish handcraft business run by artist Rebecca Maguire from County Meath. She creates personalized pebble art gifts for weddings, families, and special occasions using natural materials collected in Ireland. With WooCommerce Product Options, Rebecca now captures every personalization detail right on the product page.

The challenge: managing personalization through emails

Every Púróga piece is unique. Customers choose a frame size and color, enter names and ages, and pick a title - sometimes in Irish. Before using the plugin, standard WooCommerce fields were too restrictive for this level of detail. Buyers had to send separate emails or add personalization notes at checkout.

"It led to a lot of back-and-forth communication," said Rebecca. This slowed down production and also took time away from her creative work and teaching.

The solution: clear options on every product page

WooCommerce Product Options gave Rebecca a structured way to present her customization fields where customers are already shopping. On a product like "No Place Like Home," for instance, buyers select their frame color and choose the number of people. They then enter the names they want included - all before adding to the basket.

It has made the customer journey much more intuitive and professional. I don't have to hunt through emails to find personalisation messages.

Rebecca Maguire, Púróga Pebble Art

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Andrew Ellis Art sells high-end wildlife prints created by world-renowned artist Andrew Ellis, whose bird of prey paintings are particularly popular in the UAE and Qatar. When customer demand for framed prints grew, the company needed a way to showcase framing options visually on their website.

The challenge: displaying frame choices effectively

For years, Andrew Ellis Art shipped unframed, rolled prints worldwide. However, customers increasingly requested framing services. Richard Netherclift, who manages the website through his design agency, faced a specific challenge: standard WooCommerce couldn't display framing choices in the visual, user-friendly way needed for luxury art products.

"We knew that WooCommerce wouldn't allow the flexibility to show the frames and for people to choose the frames very easily," Richard explained. After partnering with Andrew's Scottish framer to handle framing and dispatch, they needed a solution to showcase different frame styles visually.

The solution: WooCommerce Product Options

Having used Barn2 plugins successfully before, Richard chose WooCommerce Product Options. The plugin enabled them to display framing choices as variations with sub-variations - all shown visually on product pages.

You could drill down if someone picked a certain frame, then we could actually offer another set of variations on top of that and show it visually, which was very important to us.

Richard Netherclift, Web Designer

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Vancouver Custom Earplugs is a Canadian online store that sells audiologist-designed and doctor-recommended custom earplugs. They used our WooCommerce Product Options plugin to let buyers customize earplugs.

How our plugin solved their problem

Vancouver Custom Earplugs were looking for a way to let customers customize their earplugs before placing their order. To do this, they used WooCommerce Product Options to display a variety of earplug customization options on their product pages. Customers can…

• Pick a color
• Choose which ear they’d like the earplug for
• Pick a style
• Pick venting options
• Choose to add acoustic filters, curly tubes, and filtered earplugs to the other ear
• Choose to get their order delivered faster
• Add a special request

When a customer lands on the product page, they can choose as many customization options as they’d like and click the Add to cart button to place their order. Some options cost extra and the additional costs are displayed right next to the option. This way, customers know exactly how much the custom earplugs will cost them.

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Withers Sports is a long-standing tennis equipment retailer in the UK, operating both in-store and online. As the business expanded, they needed a way to offer exclusive products to select customer groups while improving how shoppers browsed high-detail product information. Using two key Barn2 plugins – WooCommerce Protected Categories and WooCommerce Product Table – they achieved both goals.

Setting up private discounts with WooCommerce Protected Categories

One of the most exciting new opportunities for Withers came through a partnership with a major UK-wide tennis coaching company. The team wanted to offer exclusive, discounted products to over 100 affiliated coaches, but needed a secure and private solution that felt tailored to that group.

The solution was WooCommerce Protected Categories, which allowed Withers to set up a password-protected section of their online store just for the coaching company. This private store area was branded with the client’s identity and allowed coaches to browse and purchase with confidence.

Providing a range of discounted products to the 100+ coaches within the client company, in a secure environment branded specifically to their needs, was a significant step forward in the business to business relationship. A great step forward for a sports equipment retailer.

James Spence, Director of Withers Sports Ltd.

Encouraged by the results, Withers is now planning a second B2B project using the same plugin to create another private area for a different customer group.

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Rootlab, an online store specializing in organic seeds and fungus starters, needed a better way to present detailed product information on their WooCommerce site. By using custom product tabs for WooCommerce, they found a simple, structured way to display key details without clutter—improving both the look and usability of their product pages.

“Our product descriptions were getting too long and cluttered,” says Jae from Rootlab. “We wanted a more structured way to present key information. The Barn2 Product Tabs plugin made this easy—no conflicts, no issues, and it integrates perfectly. It just works seamlessly.”

Since implementing the plugin, Rootlab has added tabs for product certifications, global shipping details, and even embedded videos to guide customers through using their products.

“The plugin is incredibly easy to configure and has made our product pages so much more organized,”

The plugin is incredibly easy to configure and has made our product pages so much more organized.

Jae Patni

Jae adds. “Customers often compliment how clean and professional everything looks. It’s easier for them to find what they need, which improves the overall shopping experience.”

Rootlab also appreciates the broader experience of working with Barn2.

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When charter schools in New York needed an efficient way to manage public and private documents, Rodriguez Valle Creative turned to Barn2’s WordPress plugins - Posts Table Pro and Password Protected Categories - to get the job done.

“Our client needed a portal for their school’s board of directors to access board documents,” explained Ignacio Rodriguez, founder of Rodriguez Valle Creative. “By law, New York City charter schools must publish public documents like meeting agendas and minutes, but they also needed a secure area for private board materials. We found Barn2’s plugins offered the perfect combination of simplicity and functionality.” (See an example of this document management on the LION Charter School website).

Posts Table Pro made it easy to create a clean, searchable table layout to display over 100 public documents, while Password Protected Categories restricted access to sensitive files for board members. Each committee could access only the documents relevant to them.

We didn’t even look at alternatives. Barn2’s plugins work seamlessly and don’t get in the way of what we need to accomplish.

Ignacio Rodriguez

Rodriguez Valle Creative has since used these plugins on multiple school projects. “It’s always a solution for us when we have that amount of content to showcase,” Ignacio added. “If you need to manage public and private documents, these plugins make life a lot easier.”

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