Custom OpenCart 2.3.0.2 Order Exploder Modification (OCMOD)

1. Project Overview We require a custom, background-only OCMOD extension for an OpenCart 2.3.0.2 store utilizing the Journal Theme 2. Our website sells highly customizable product "Kits." When a customer selects options on the front end, a plugin dynamically generates a single "Parent SKU" string using positional cipher logic (e.g., a base SKU of ABCXXXXXX changes to ABCXXNXNXN based on the user's choices, where the character position dictates which options were added and their quantities). We need an "Order Exploder" Modification. This script must intercept the order data immediately upon creation, decode the positional SKU string using a hardcoded array matrix, and inject the physical component (child) SKUs into the native OpenCart order product tables as separate line items so external warehouse APIs can pull them cleanly. 2. Technical Workflow & Logic Requirements • Platform: OpenCart 2.3.0.2 with Journal Theme 2 (Strictly OCMOD, no core overwrites). • Inventory Structure: We do NOT track inventory for the virtual parent SKUs. We only track inventory for the physical child SKUs. • ShipStation API Compatibility: The database injection of the child SKUs must occur before the order status is updated to the status that triggers the ShipStation API pull. This ensures that when ShipStation syncs with OpenCart, it fetches the already-exploded child SKUs and the Pre-Kit SKU, rather than the original parent SKU. Detailed Script Steps: 1. Intercept Checkout: Trigger the code immediately upon successful checkout/order history creation (e.g., catalog/model/checkout/order/addOrderHistory). 2. Inject the Static "Pre-Kit": Every kit ordered always contains a baseline box of 8 identical items. The script must automatically insert a static "Pre-Kit SKU" with a quantity of 1 as the first product line item in the database. 3. Parse & Decode the Cipher: Read the remaining characters of the parent SKU string. Using a mapping array of roughly 25 variable items, determine which additional child SKUs were selected and their varying quantities. 4. Database Injection: Insert these decoded physical child SKUs as new, separate product line items in the oc_order_product table. Each item must have its correct physical SKU, Model, Quantity, and a price of $0.00 (for inventory tracking only). 5. Clean up Parent Line for API: Ensure that the external fulfillment API (Ysell WMS) only sees and pulls the exploded, physical child items. 6. Customer View Preservation: This explosion must happen strictly on the backend database/API level for fulfillment purposes. The front-end customer invoice, order history page, and confirmation emails must continue to display only the original Parent Kit item, its selected text options, and the total kit price. The $0.00 child SKUs must remain hidden from the customer-facing views to keep invoices clean and avoid confusion. 3. Deliverables 1. OCMOD XML File: Well-commented, clean .ocmod.xml file containing the decoder array structure. 2. Documentation: Brief instructions showing where and how we can edit the PHP array matrix in the future if a core child SKU changes. 3. Testing Window: 10 days to test order injection in a staging environment to ensure compatibility with our theme and external API syncs. 4. Submission Guidelines Please reply with your fixed price estimate, your estimated timeline to complete, and brief examples of any custom OpenCart checkout modifications, string parsing tools, or custom API work you have done.