---
title: "WordPress"
description: "Add a seating chart to a WordPress page with a block or shortcode, and take payment through your own Stripe or Razorpay account."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.seatlayer.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# WordPress

The SeatLayer plugin puts a live seating chart on any WordPress page or post.
The
[WordPress seating chart plugin](https://seatlayer.io/integrations/wordpress/)
page covers what it does before you install it.
Visitors pick seats and pay through **your own** Stripe or Razorpay account —
SeatLayer never holds the money.

> **What this plugin is**
>
> An embed for an existing SeatLayer account. Venues, charts, and events are still
> designed in the SeatLayer dashboard; the plugin renders one of your events and
> hands buyers to checkout. It is not a standalone seating designer.

## Before you start

You need three things, in this order:

1. **A published chart and an event.** Create both at
   [app.seatlayer.io](https://app.seatlayer.io). Note the event key — it is the
   `slug` you chose, and it is what the plugin needs.

2. **A connected payment account.** In the dashboard, go to **Payments** and
   connect Stripe or Razorpay. Until you do, the chart will render but buyers will
   see "this event is not taking online payments yet".

3. **The plugin, installed and activated** on your WordPress site. Search for
   *SeatLayer Seating Charts* under **Plugins → Add New**, or install it from
   [wordpress.org/plugins/seatlayer-seating-charts](https://wordpress.org/plugins/seatlayer-seating-charts/).

## Add a chart to a page

Use the **SeatLayer seating chart** block, choose your event, and publish.

If you prefer a shortcode, or you are on the classic editor:

```text title="Shortcode"
[seatlayer_chart event="summer-fest"]
```

Optional attributes:

| Attribute | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `event` | — | Required. Your event key. |
| `height` | `640` | Container height in pixels (320–2000). |
| `max_selection` | `10` | Most seats one buyer may select (1–50). |
| `locale` | buyer's browser | Any of the 37 supported languages, e.g. `de`, `ja`, `zh-Hant`. Omit it and each buyer gets their own browser language, English if we do not ship theirs. |
| `currency` | event default | ISO code, e.g. `USD`. |

```text title="With options"
[seatlayer_chart event="summer-fest" height="720" max_selection="4"]
```

## The secret key is optional

The seating chart works with only the event key, which is not a credential — the
buyer surface is deliberately keyless.

A secret key under **Settings → SeatLayer** does exactly one thing: it lets the
block editor list your events in a dropdown instead of you pasting keys.

> **Where the key is stored**
>
> A secret key saved here lives in your WordPress database, like any other plugin
> setting, and it can create and modify events. Anyone with database or
> administrator access to that site can read it. If that is not acceptable, leave
> it blank and type event keys by hand — nothing else in the plugin needs one.

## How checkout works

The boundary is worth understanding, because it is what keeps a WordPress site out
of the payment path:

1. The buyer selects seats on your page. The widget creates a **hold** on
   SeatLayer's servers, so nobody else can take those seats.

2. On checkout, the buyer is sent to SeatLayer's hosted payment page, carrying only
   the hold id. **No amount is passed** — the server recomputes the total from its
   own hold records, so nothing on your site can change what a buyer pays.

3. They pay through your connected Stripe or Razorpay account. The money goes to
   you; SeatLayer is never the merchant of record.

4. Once the payment provider confirms, the seats are booked and the buyer is
   emailed their tickets. Replies to that email reach **you**, not SeatLayer.

Because payment confirmation comes from a signed provider webhook rather than the
buyer's browser, a closed tab or lost connection mid-payment cannot lose an order.

## Refunds

Refund in your own Stripe or Razorpay dashboard, as you would for anything else.
SeatLayer receives the webhook and puts the seats back on sale.

A **partial** refund does not release seats — a partial amount cannot say which
seat it was for — so cancel those explicitly in the dashboard.

## Performance

The chart's JavaScript loads only on pages that contain a chart, so embedding one
on a single ticket page does not add weight to the rest of the site.

## What this plugin does not do yet

> **WooCommerce**
>
> Seats are not WooCommerce products, and checkout does not run through your Woo
> gateways, cart, or order records. Buyers pay through SeatLayer's hosted checkout
> using your own payment account. A WooCommerce-native integration is planned
> separately.

Also not included: assigned-seat QR codes, door check-in, and box-office sales.
Confirmation emails carry seat labels and an order reference.

## Troubleshooting

**The chart area is blank.** Check the event key, and that the chart is
*published* — a draft chart has no buyer-facing version. Your browser console will
name the failure.

**"This event is not taking online payments yet."** No gateway is connected for
this event's mode. Connect one under **Payments** in the dashboard, and note that a
`test`-mode event needs test credentials.

**Buyers pay but never get tickets, and orders stay unconfirmed.** For Razorpay,
this is almost always a missing webhook. Copy the webhook URL shown on the
Payments screen into your Razorpay dashboard and subscribe to
`payment.captured`, `payment.failed` and `refund.processed`. Payment confirmation
depends on it.

**The event dropdown is empty in the editor.** Either no secret key is saved
(expected — type the key instead), or the saved key was rejected. The editor shows
which.

Source: https://docs.seatlayer.io/integrations/wordpress/index.mdx