Magento 2: How to Add Customer Attributes

Magento 2 is a robust and highly customizable eCommerce platform. One of its powerful features is the ability to extend the customer entity by adding Magento 2 add customer attribute functionality. This allows store owners to collect additional information about customers for personalization, segmentation, and improved user experience.

In this guide, we will explore how to add a customer attribute in Magento 2 programmatically.

Why Add Customer Attributes in Magento 2?

Adding customer attributes in Magento 2 can be useful for various reasons, such as:

• Collecting additional customer details like date of birth, gender, or preferences.
• Customizing the registration or checkout process.
• Enhancing customer segmentation and marketing strategies.
• Improving customer experience by offering personalized services.

Steps to Add a Customer Attribute in Magento 2

To add a custom attribute for customers, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a Custom Module

Before adding an attribute, you need to create a custom module. If you already have a module, you can skip this step.

1. Create the module folder structure:
   app/code/Vendor/CustomAttribute/

Create the module declaration file module.xml in app/code/Vendor/CustomAttribute/etc/:
<?xml version=”1.0″?>

<config xmlns:xsi=”http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance” xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation=”urn:magento:framework:Module/etc/module.xsd”>

    <module name=”Vendor_CustomAttribute” setup_version=”1.0.0″/>

2. </config>

Register the module by creating registration.php in app/code/Vendor/CustomAttribute/:
<?php

\Magento\Framework\Component\ComponentRegistrar::register(

    \Magento\Framework\Component\ComponentRegistrar::MODULE,

    ‘Vendor_CustomAttribute’,

    __DIR__

3. );

Run the following command to enable the module:
php bin/magento module:enable Vendor_CustomAttribute

4. php bin/magento setup:upgrade

Step 2: Create a Setup Script to Add the Customer Attribute

Now, create a setup script to define the new attribute.

Create the app/code/Vendor/CustomAttribute/Setup/Patch/Data/AddCustomerAttribute.php file:
<?php

namespace Vendor\CustomAttribute\Setup\Patch\Data;

use Magento\Framework\Setup\Patch\DataPatchInterface;

use Magento\Customer\Model\Customer;

use Magento\Eav\Setup\EavSetup;

use Magento\Eav\Setup\EavSetupFactory;

use Magento\Framework\Setup\ModuleDataSetupInterface;

class AddCustomerAttribute implements DataPatchInterface

{

    private $eavSetupFactory;

    private $moduleDataSetup;

    public function __construct(

        EavSetupFactory $eavSetupFactory,

        ModuleDataSetupInterface $moduleDataSetup

    ) {

        $this->eavSetupFactory = $eavSetupFactory;

        $this->moduleDataSetup = $moduleDataSetup;

    }

    public function apply()

    {

        $this->moduleDataSetup->getConnection()->startSetup();

        $eavSetup = $this->eavSetupFactory->create([‘setup’ => $this->moduleDataSetup]);

        $eavSetup->addAttribute(

            Customer::ENTITY,

            ‘custom_attribute’,

            [

                ‘type’ => ‘varchar’,

                ‘label’ => ‘Custom Attribute’,

                ‘input’ => ‘text’,

                ‘required’ => false,

                ‘visible’ => true,

                ‘user_defined’ => true,

                ‘position’ => 100,

                ‘system’ => false,

                ‘is_used_in_grid’ => true,

                ‘is_visible_in_grid’ => true,

                ‘is_filterable_in_grid’ => true,

                ‘is_searchable_in_grid’ => true,

            ]

        );

        $this->moduleDataSetup->getConnection()->endSetup();

    }

    public static function getDependencies()

    {

        return [];

    }

    public function getAliases()

    {

        return [];

    }

1. }

Run the following command to apply the patch:
php bin/magento setup:upgrade

2. php bin/magento cache:flush

Step 3: Add Attribute to Customer Forms

To make the custom attribute appear on customer forms (registration, account, admin), update the customer_eav_attribute table.

Run the following MySQL query:

INSERT INTO customer_form_attribute (form_code, attribute_id)

SELECT ‘customer_account_create’, attribute_id FROM eav_attribute WHERE attribute_code = ‘custom_attribute’;

Repeat the query for other form codes like:

• customer_account_edit
• adminhtml_customer

Step 4: Verify the Attribute

After completing the setup, you can check the new attribute in the Magento admin panel:

1. Go to Customers > All Customers.
2. Edit any customer and verify if the new attribute appears.
3. Test by updating and saving the attribute value.

Conclusion

Adding customer attributes in Magento 2 helps enhance customer data management, improve personalization, and optimize marketing strategies. By following this guide, you can successfully create and manage custom customer attributes to meet your store’s needs.