Tag: Convert Currency

Do you plan to sell goods or services online globally? If so, then you may want to think about providing users with currency conversion.

Currency conversion software lets your visitors have the cost of an international currency transaction converted into their local currency at the purchase or checkout phase. It also allows customers to view the exact amount their card or PayPal account will be charged, displayed in their own home currency.

One benefit of displaying currency conversion on your website is that it allows your customers to see and understand prices in foreign countries in their own home currency, and makes it easier for purchasers to work out their costs and expenses.

Fortunately, if you are a WordPress user, it’s simple to add currency conversion using a plugin to your web site, allowing your prospective customers to quickly and easily calculate the cost of your goods.

Currencyr – WordPress Currency Converter

Currencyr is a simple, easy-to-use and complete currency converter WordPress plugin with a visually attractive converter tooltip. Best of all, it’s free!

Some of the many features of this plugin include:

• Inline conversion tool
• Supports a number of exchange rates providers, like Yahoo!, Google, Open Exchange Rates, European Central Bank and FoxRates
• Supports Shortcodes
• Widgetized currency table and converter
• Can be integrated with a number of online store plugins like WP-eCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads.
• Automatic local currency detection
• Full language translation support

Note: This plugin needs your server to be running PHP 5.3.0 or later. Do not use this plugin if you are running an older version of PHP. Alternatively, ask your web host to update your PHP.

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You can install the plugin from your WordPress dashboard by typing in “currencyr” into the Plugins search field and clicking “Install Now” …

After installing and activating the plugin, you can access the plugin’s settings by choosing Currencyr from your administration navigation menu …

The plugin settings screen provides several configuration settings …

For example, you can choose your base currency from the ‘Base Currency’ drop-down menu if you prefer to use something other than the default option ‘United States Dollar – (USD)’ …

Similarly, you can select any supported data provider from the dropdown menu in the ‘Provider’ section. The default provider is ‘Yahoo! Finance’, but you can select one of the other options, like European Central Bank, FoxRate, Google Finance or Open Exchange Rates …

Note: If you choose Open Exchange Rates as your provider, you will need to obtain an API (Application Programming Interface) ID …

You can select how frequently you want the exchange rates to be updated by selecting an option from the ‘Update Rates’ drop-down menu …

The plugin uses jQuery, which allows web developers to add things like animation effects to web applications (e.g. WP plugins).

Unless you have a reason to edit the jQuery settings, leave this option alone …

Edit the remainder of the settings to suit your own preferences and remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button when finished …

After your plugin settings have been configured, you can easily add currency conversion to all of your WP pages and posts using shortcodes.

Refer to the ‘Additional Plugin Notes’ section at the bottom of this tutorial to learn more about using currency codes (e.g. USD, AUD, CAD, etc …) with the Currencyr plugin.

Currencyr Shortcodes

You can easily add currency conversion to posts, pages and widgets without having to mess with your web templates using shortcodes.

Below are some examples of currency shortcodes that you can add to WP pages and posts:

Let’s say that you retail an item for a set amount (e.g. $175) in US Dollars (USD), and you would like to display your conversion amount in British pounds (GBP) on your sales page.

To do this, you will need to insert the shortcode below to your page content …

Note: You can also display prices in dollars and cents (for example, 175.00, 79.45, 295.75, etc …)

The example below shows how your shortcode will look after being inserted into the post or page …

After publishing the page, the currency conversion will then appear like this …

Using the same example, let’s now display the same price into multiple currencies.

To do this, use the shortcode below (you can add as many currency symbols as you like by using vertical pipes) …

The screenshot below shows how the shortcode appears when added to a page …

After publishing your content, your currency conversion will then display as you can see below …

refer to the ‘Additional Plugin Notes’ section further below to learn how to change the currency separator symbol with the Currencyr plugin.

Now, let’s say that you want to select a different base currency than the one selected as the default.

For example, say you have specified your default base currency as EUR and you have a section on your site targeted to non-European visitors (for example, Australia or Canada), you can change the base currency using the following shortcode …

Here’s how the shortcode looks when added to a page …

Once your post or page has been published, your converted currency will then appear like this …

Currencyr Widget

You can also add currency conversion to your site’s sidebar section using the plugin’s widget.

To add the currency converter to your sidebar, choose Appearance > Widgets from your WP admin menu …

In the Widgets > Available Widgets section find the ‘Currencyr’ widget and drag it to the Active Widgets location …

Configure the widget settings as shown below (add the currency codes you want displaying on your widget separated by commas), and click Save to save your settings …

The currency converter will now show on your sidebar menu with the options you have specified …

Additional Plugin Notes

This section contains additional information about using the Currencyr plugin.

Currency Separator

The Currencyr plugin lets you specify the symbol to display as the currency separator when using several currencies.

You can change the symbol in the ‘Multiple Separator’ settings section.

So, for example, entering the default symbol “/” (forward slash) …

Displays your currency values separated by the forward slash as shown below …

If you choose another symbol and resave your plugin settings …

Your website visitors will see the new symbol being used as the currency separator …

Integration With WP e-Commerce Platforms

As described earlier, the plugin integrates with various WP-compatible e-commerce plugins such as WooCommerce, WP-eCommerce, Shopp, and Easy Digital Downloads …

(image source: plugin website)

Congratulations! Now you can go and easily add a currency converter to your e-commerce site.

To learn more about WordPress e-commerce plugins, see the tutorial below:

• WordPress e-Commerce Plugins: A Comprehensive Guide

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