B2C Commerce Hooks Skill

B2C Commerce Hooks

Hooks are extension points that allow you to customize business logic by registering scripts. B2C Commerce supports two types of hooks:

OCAPI/SCAPI Hooks - Extend API resources with before, after, and modifyResponse hooks
System Hooks - Custom extension points for order calculation, payment, and other core functionality

Hook Types Overview

| Type | Purpose | Examples | |------|---------|----------| | OCAPI/SCAPI | Extend API behavior | dw.ocapi.shop.basket.afterPOST | | System | Core business logic | dw.order.calculate | | Custom | Your own extension points | app.checkout.validate |

Hook Registration

File Structure

my_cartridge/
├── package.json           # References hooks.json
└── cartridge/
    └── scripts/
        ├── hooks.json     # Hook registrations
        └── hooks/         # Hook implementations
            ├── basket.js
            └── order.js

package.json

Reference the hooks configuration file:

{
  "name": "my_cartridge",
  "hooks": "./cartridge/scripts/hooks.json"
}

hooks.json

{
  "hooks": [
    {
      "name": "dw.ocapi.shop.basket.afterPOST",
      "script": "./hooks/basket.js"
    },
    {
      "name": "dw.ocapi.shop.basket.modifyPOSTResponse",
      "script": "./hooks/basket.js"
    },
    {
      "name": "dw.order.calculate",
      "script": "./hooks/order.js"
    }
  ]
}

Hook Script

Export functions matching the hook method name (without package prefix):

// hooks/basket.js
var Status = require('dw/system/Status');

exports.afterPOST = function(basket) {
    // Called after basket creation
    // Returning a value would skip system implementation
};

exports.modifyPOSTResponse = function(basket, basketResponse) {
    // Modify the API response
    basketResponse.c_customField = 'value';
};

HookMgr API

Use dw.system.HookMgr to call hooks programmatically:

var HookMgr = require('dw/system/HookMgr');

// Check if hook exists
if (HookMgr.hasHook('dw.order.calculate')) {
    // Call the hook
    var result = HookMgr.callHook('dw.order.calculate', 'calculate', basket);
}

| Method | Description | |--------|-------------| | hasHook(extensionPoint) | Returns true if hook is registered or has default implementation | | callHook(extensionPoint, functionName, args...) | Calls the hook, returns result or undefined |

Status Object

Hooks return dw.system.Status to indicate success or failure:

var Status = require('dw/system/Status');

// Success - continue processing
return new Status(Status.OK);

// Error - stop processing, rollback transaction
var status = new Status(Status.ERROR);
status.addDetail('error_code', 'INVALID_ADDRESS');
status.addDetail('message', 'Address validation failed');
return status;

| Status | HTTP Response | Behavior | |--------|---------------|----------| | Status.OK | Continues | Hook execution continues | | Status.ERROR | 400 Bad Request | Transaction rolled back, processing stops | | Uncaught exception | 500 Internal Error | Transaction rolled back |

Return Value Behavior (Important)

OCAPI/SCAPI hooks that return ANY value will SKIP the system implementation and all subsequent registered hooks for that extension point.

This is a common source of bugs. For example, if a hook returns Status.OK, the system's dw.order.calculate implementation won't run, causing cart totals to be incorrect.

When to Return a Value

Return a Status object only when you want to:

Stop processing with an error (Status.ERROR)
Skip the system implementation intentionally

When NOT to Return a Value

To ensure system implementations run (like cart calculation), return nothing:

// Returning Status.OK skips system implementation
exports.afterPOST = function(basket) {
    doSomething(basket);
    return new Status(Status.OK);  // Skips dw.order.calculate
};

// No return value - system implementation runs
exports.afterPOST = function(basket) {
    doSomething(basket);
    // No return, or explicit: return;
};

Summary

| Return Value | OCAPI/SCAPI Behavior | Custom Hook Behavior | |-------------|---------------------|---------------------| | undefined (no return) | System implementation runs, subsequent hooks run | All hooks run | | Status.OK | Skips system implementation and subsequent hooks | All hooks run | | Status.ERROR | Stops processing, returns error | All hooks run |

Debugging tip: If cart totals are wrong or hooks aren't firing, check if an earlier hook is returning a value.

OCAPI/SCAPI Hooks

OCAPI and SCAPI share the same hooks. Enable in Business Manager: Administration > Global Preferences > Feature Switches > Enable Salesforce Commerce Cloud API hook execution

Hook Types

| Hook | When Called | Use Case | |------|-------------|----------| | before<METHOD> | Before processing | Validation, access control | | after<METHOD> | After processing (in transaction) | Data modification, external calls | | modify<METHOD>Response | Before response sent | Add/modify response properties |

Common Hook Patterns

// Validation in beforePUT
exports.beforePUT = function(basket, addressDoc) {
    if (!isValidAddress(addressDoc)) {
        var status = new Status(Status.ERROR);
        status.addDetail('validation_error', 'Invalid address');
        return status;
    }
};

// External call in afterPOST (within transaction)
exports.afterPOST = function(basket, paymentDoc) {
    var result = callPaymentService(paymentDoc);
    request.custom.paymentResult = result; // Pass to modifyResponse
    // Returning a Status would skip system implementation
};

// Modify response
exports.modifyPOSTResponse = function(basket, basketResponse, paymentDoc) {
    basketResponse.c_paymentStatus = request.custom.paymentResult.status;
};

Passing Data Between Hooks

Use request.custom to pass data between hooks in the same request:

// In afterPOST
exports.afterPOST = function(basket, doc) {
    request.custom.externalId = callExternalService();
};

// In modifyPOSTResponse
exports.modifyPOSTResponse = function(basket, response, doc) {
    response.c_externalId = request.custom.externalId;
};

Detect SCAPI vs OCAPI

exports.afterPOST = function(basket) {
    if (request.isSCAPI()) {
        // SCAPI-specific logic
    } else {
        // OCAPI-specific logic
    }
};

Order `afterPOST`: Headless Order Placement

The dw.ocapi.shop.order.afterPOST(order): Status hook is the extension point for completing a headless (SCAPI) checkout. When the SCAPI Shopper Orders API (POST /checkout/shopper-orders/.../orders) creates an order, the order is left in CREATED status — it is not yet placed. This hook is where you authorize payment and decide the order's fate. Getting the operational rules wrong here produces opaque failures, so read this section carefully.

Operational Rules (read before writing the hook)

afterPOST already runs inside a platform transaction. Do NOT wrap OrderMgr.placeOrder(), OrderMgr.failOrder(), or payment-instrument mutations in your own Transaction.wrap() / Transaction.begin(). A nested transaction causes the inner change to be rolled back, and the platform surfaces it to the API caller as an opaque:
```
HTTP 400
An error occurred in ExtensionPoint dw.ocapi.shop.order.afterPOST
```
Call placeOrder / failOrder directly, with no transaction wrapper. (This is the opposite of a job- or controller-driven flow — see b2c-ordering, where the same calls are wrapped because they run outside a hook transaction.)
The hook owns the CREATED → NEW / CREATED → FAILED transition. SCAPI leaves the order in CREATED. The hook must:
- Authorize the payment instruments, then
- OrderMgr.placeOrder(order) to advance CREATED → NEW on success, or
- OrderMgr.failOrder(order, true|false) to advance to FAILED on decline (true reopens the basket so the shopper can retry; false discards it).
If the hook does neither, the order is stranded in CREATED indefinitely — never placed and invisible to most order reporting. Never leave the hook without resolving the order.
Returning Status.ERROR is how the hook declines the request, but the platform reports it to the caller as the same generic "An error occurred in ExtensionPoint…" message — the decline reason is not propagated. Therefore log the meaningful detail yourself (Logger.error(...)) before returning, or you will have no record of why an order failed.

Canonical `afterPOST` Example

Authorizes every payment instrument via the SFRA app.payment.processor.<id> Authorize hook convention, fails the order on any decline, and places it (setting confirmation + export status) only when fully paid. Note the complete absence of Transaction.wrap — every mutation runs directly in the hook's ambient transaction.

// hooks/order.js
var HookMgr = require('dw/system/HookMgr');
var OrderMgr = require('dw/order/OrderMgr');
var Order = require('dw/order/Order');
var PaymentMgr = require('dw/order/PaymentMgr');
var Status = require('dw/system/Status');
var Logger = require('dw/system/Logger');

exports.afterPOST = function (order) {
    var log = Logger.getLogger('checkout', 'orderAfterPOST');

    // SCAPI delivers the order in CREATED status. Authorize each payment
    // instrument by delegating to its processor's Authorize hook.
    // getPaymentInstruments() returns a dw.util.Collection — call toArray()
    // for index access (Collections are not directly indexable).
    var instruments = order.getPaymentInstruments().toArray();
    for (var i = 0; i < instruments.length; i++) {
        var pi = instruments[i];
        var method = PaymentMgr.getPaymentMethod(pi.getPaymentMethod());
        var processor = method ? method.getPaymentProcessor() : null;

        if (!processor) {
            log.error('Order {0}: no payment processor for method {1}',
                order.orderNo, pi.getPaymentMethod());
            // No Transaction.wrap — we are already inside the hook transaction.
            OrderMgr.failOrder(order, false);
            return new Status(Status.ERROR, 'PAYMENT_ERROR', 'Missing payment processor');
        }

        // SFRA convention: app.payment.processor.<processorID lowercased>, fn "Authorize"
        var hookID = 'app.payment.processor.' + processor.getID().toLowerCase();
        var result;
        if (HookMgr.hasHook(hookID)) {
            result = HookMgr.callHook(hookID, 'Authorize', order.orderNo, pi, processor);
        } else {
            result = HookMgr.callHook('app.payment.processor.default', 'Authorize',
                order.orderNo, pi, processor);
        }

        if (!result || result.error) {
            // Log the real reason here — the API caller only sees a generic 400.
            log.error('Order {0}: authorization declined by {1}', order.orderNo, hookID);
            OrderMgr.failOrder(order, true); // reopen basket so the shopper can retry
            return new Status(Status.ERROR, 'PAYMENT_DECLINED', 'Payment authorization failed');
        }
    }

    // Fully authorized — place the order (CREATED -> NEW) and mark it ready.
    // placeOrder returns a dw.system.Status object; check .error (not === Status.ERROR).
    var placeStatus = OrderMgr.placeOrder(order);
    if (placeStatus.error) {
        log.error('Order {0}: placeOrder failed', order.orderNo);
        OrderMgr.failOrder(order, false);
        return new Status(Status.ERROR, 'PLACE_FAILED', 'Order placement failed');
    }

    order.setConfirmationStatus(Order.CONFIRMATION_STATUS_CONFIRMED);
    order.setExportStatus(Order.EXPORT_STATUS_READY);

    // Return nothing — let the system implementation and any later hooks run.
};

{
  "hooks": [
    { "name": "dw.ocapi.shop.order.afterPOST", "script": "./hooks/order.js" }
  ]
}

The app.payment.processor.<id> Authorize hooks are themselves custom hooks (one per payment processor, function Authorize). By SFRA convention they return a plain object whose error flag signals the outcome — { authorized: true } on success, { error: true } on decline — which is why the example treats a missing result or result.error as a failure. This mirrors the SFRA handlePayments checkout helper. For order-status semantics (placeOrder/failOrder, reopen-basket behavior, status transitions) see b2c-ordering.

System Hooks

Calculate Hooks

| Extension Point | Function | Purpose | |-----------------|----------|---------| | dw.order.calculate | calculate | Full basket/order calculation | | dw.order.calculateShipping | calculateShipping | Shipping calculation | | dw.order.calculateTax | calculateTax | Tax calculation |

// hooks/calculate.js
var Status = require('dw/system/Status');
var HookMgr = require('dw/system/HookMgr');

exports.calculate = function(lineItemCtnr) {
    // Calculate shipping
    HookMgr.callHook('dw.order.calculateShipping', 'calculateShipping', lineItemCtnr);

    // Calculate promotions, totals...

    // Calculate tax
    HookMgr.callHook('dw.order.calculateTax', 'calculateTax', lineItemCtnr);

    return new Status(Status.OK);
};

Payment Hooks

| Extension Point | Function | Purpose | |-----------------|----------|---------| | dw.order.payment.authorize | authorize | Payment authorization | | dw.order.payment.capture | capture | Capture authorized payment | | dw.order.payment.refund | refund | Refund payment | | dw.order.payment.validateAuthorization | validateAuthorization | Check authorization validity | | dw.order.payment.reauthorize | reauthorize | Re-authorize expired auth |

Order Hooks

| Extension Point | Function | Purpose | |-----------------|----------|---------| | dw.order.createOrderNo | createOrderNo | Custom order number generation |

var OrderMgr = require('dw/order/OrderMgr');
var Site = require('dw/system/Site');

exports.createOrderNo = function() {
    var seqNo = OrderMgr.createOrderSequenceNo();
    var prefix = Site.current.ID;
    return prefix + '-' + seqNo;
};

Custom Hooks

Create your own extension points:

// Define custom hook
var HookMgr = require('dw/system/HookMgr');

function processCheckout(basket) {
    // Call custom hook if registered
    if (HookMgr.hasHook('app.checkout.validate')) {
        var status = HookMgr.callHook('app.checkout.validate', 'validate', basket);
        if (status && status.error) {
            return status;
        }
    }
    // Continue processing...
}

{
  "hooks": [
    {
      "name": "app.checkout.validate",
      "script": "./hooks/checkout.js"
    }
  ]
}

Custom hooks always execute all registered implementations regardless of return value.

Remote Includes in Hooks

Enhance API responses with data from other SCAPI endpoints:

var RESTResponseMgr = require('dw/system/RESTResponseMgr');

exports.modifyGETResponse = function(product, doc) {
    // Include Custom API response
    var include = RESTResponseMgr.createScapiRemoteInclude(
        'custom',           // API family
        'my-api',           // API name
        'v1',               // Version
        'endpoint'          // Endpoint
    );
    doc.c_additionalData = { value: [include] };
};

Best Practices

Return undefined (no return) from OCAPI/SCAPI hooks to ensure system implementations run
Only return Status.ERROR when you need to stop processing
Returning Status.OK skips system implementation and subsequent hooks
Use request.custom to pass data between hooks
Check request.isSCAPI() when supporting both APIs
Keep hooks focused and performant
Use custom properties (c_ prefix) in modifyResponse
Avoid transactions in calculate hooks (breaks SCAPI)
Avoid slow external calls in beforeGET (affects caching)

Error Handling

Circuit Breaker

Too many hook errors triggers circuit breaker (HTTP 503):

{
  "title": "Hook Circuit Breaker",
  "type": "https://api.commercecloud.salesforce.com/.../hook-circuit-breaker",
  "detail": "Failure rate above threshold of '50%'",
  "extensionPointName": "dw.ocapi.shop.basket.afterPOST"
}

Timeout

Hooks must complete within the SCAPI timeout (HTTP 504 on timeout).

Detailed References

OCAPI/SCAPI Hooks - API hook patterns and available hooks
System Hooks - Calculate, payment, and order hooks

Agent Skills: B2C Commerce Hooks

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