> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://codebeans-customer-cart-manager.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Draft orders

> Turn a shopper's cart into a Shopify draft order — instantly, or after customising it — and keep the two in sync.

A **draft order** is an order you prepare on the shopper's behalf. From Shopify you can then send them an invoice with a checkout link, or mark it as paid. Cart Manager lets you build draft orders straight from a shopper's cart, so nobody has to re-type products, quantities or attributes.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Draft orders need the **Basic** plan or above, and each plan has a monthly allowance. See [Plans & billing](https://codebeans-customer-cart-manager.mintlify.site/plans-and-billing.md).

## Three ways to create one

> **Instant, from a cart**
>
> On a cart page, click **Convert to Draft Order**. The draft order is created in Shopify immediately.

> **Customised, from a cart**
>
> On a cart page, click **Create Customize Cart** to open the [builder](https://codebeans-customer-cart-manager.mintlify.site/draft-orders/builder.md) with the cart pre-filled.

> **From the Draft Orders page**
>
> Click **Create New Draft** and start from scratch or pick an existing cart.

### What's copied from the cart

| From the cart | Into the draft order |
| - | - |
| Products, variants and quantities | Line items |
| Line item properties (e.g. engraving text) | Line item properties |
| Cart attributes, including ones you added | Draft order attributes |
| Cart note / your **Notes & Instructions** | Draft order note |
| The cart's customer | Customer — plus their email, phone, tags and metafields |

If the cart has no customer but the app knows the shopper's email, that email is used.

> [!TIP]
>
> Attach a customer to a guest cart first (**Add customer** on the cart page). The draft order then carries the customer's details, and the invoice goes to the right person.

## Instant conversion

**1. Open the cart**

From the [dashboard](https://codebeans-customer-cart-manager.mintlify.site/carts/dashboard.md), click **View Details** on the cart.

**2. Convert**

Below the cart items, click **Convert to Draft Order**. You'll see *Draft order created!* and the **Conversion Summary** links to the new draft order.

**3. Send the invoice**

Click **Go to Draft Order** to open it in Shopify admin, then use Shopify's **Send invoice**.

## Keep a draft order in sync with the cart

Shoppers often keep changing their cart after you've created a draft order. When that happens, **Update draft order** on the cart page becomes clickable. Click it to copy the cart's latest items, note and attributes into the existing draft order.

The button is also enabled if someone edits the draft order directly in Shopify after the last sync, so you can bring it back in line with the cart. The **Conversion Summary** shows when it was **Last synced**.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **Update draft order** replaces the draft order's items with the cart's current items. If you deliberately changed the draft order (for example, added a discounted item), make further changes in the [builder](https://codebeans-customer-cart-manager.mintlify.site/draft-orders/builder.md) instead.

If the draft order was deleted in Shopify, the app tells you *"Draft order no longer exists in Shopify"* and unlinks it, so you can create a new one.

## The Draft Orders page

Open **Draft Orders** from the app menu to see every draft order created through the app.

| Column | Description |
| - | - |
| **Cart ID** | The cart it came from, or **New** if it was started from scratch. |
| **Customer** | Email or name, or **Guest**. |
| **Draft Order** | A green **#number** once it exists in Shopify, or an amber **Building** badge while you're still working on it in the app. |
| **Value** | Draft order total. |
| **Created** | When it was last saved. |

**Actions:**

* **View Cart** — opens the source cart.
* **View Draft** — opens the draft order in Shopify admin.
* **Customize Draft** — opens it in the [builder](https://codebeans-customer-cart-manager.mintlify.site/draft-orders/builder.md) to change and re-sync.
* **Continue Editing** — for drafts still marked **Building**.

The search box looks through Cart IDs, customer names and emails, draft order numbers, product titles, tags, notes and totals. Type `building` to list drafts you haven't sent to Shopify yet, or `guest` for drafts with no customer.

Edits made to a draft order directly in Shopify (items, tags, note, email) are copied back to this list automatically.

### Create New Draft

**1. Click Create New Draft**

It's the primary button at the top of the Draft Orders page.

**2. Choose how to start**

* **Start from Scratch** — a blank draft order; add products yourself.
* **Pick from Existing Cart** — choose from recent carts that have items. Search by cart #, customer name or email.

**3. Build it**

The [builder](https://codebeans-customer-cart-manager.mintlify.site/draft-orders/builder.md) opens. Finish the draft and click **Create Draft Order**.

## Monthly allowance

Each draft order created through the app counts towards your plan's monthly **Draft Order Cap** (shown on the [home page](https://codebeans-customer-cart-manager.mintlify.site/carts/home.md)). When you reach it, a **Monthly Limit Reached** banner appears and **Create New Draft** is disabled until the 1st of next month — or until you upgrade.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.