FW Real Estate – Documentation

The Multi Currency addon enables visitors to view property prices in their preferred currency. Prices are stored in a single base currency; the addon converts and displays them using configurable exchange rates, and adds a currency selector to listing and detail pages.

How It Works

All prices are entered and stored in the admin (backend) currency you define. When a visitor opens the site, prices are automatically converted and displayed in the frontend default currency. Visitors can switch currencies using a dropdown selector, and their choice persists throughout their session.

When this addon is active, the simple Currency sign and Currency position fields in Settings → General → Localization are replaced by the addon's own currency selectors.

Currency Settings

Two core settings appear in Settings → General → Localization:

• Admin (backend) currency — the currency used when entering prices in the property edit form. All stored price values are held in this currency.
• Frontend default currency — the currency shown to visitors when they first arrive on the site.

An additional setting appears in the Settings → Properties tab:

• Show currency selector — when enabled, a dropdown is displayed on the listing page and property detail page, letting visitors switch between published currencies.

Managing Currencies

Add and configure currencies in FW Real Estate → Dictionaries → Currencies. Each currency has the following fields:

• Name — label shown in the selector (e.g. "US Dollar").
• Currency code — ISO 4217 code (e.g. USD, EUR, GBP). Required for automatic rate updates.
• Currency sign — symbol displayed with prices (e.g. $, €, £).
• Currency sign position — before or after the amount.
• Exchange rate — rate relative to the base currency. The base currency itself is set to 1.
• Currency update — set to Automatic to fetch the rate from the European Central Bank (ECB) once per day, or Manual to enter and maintain the rate yourself.
• Published — controls whether the currency appears in the frontend selector.

Automatic Exchange Rates

Currencies set to Automatic update pull their rates from the European Central Bank XML feed at ecb.europa.eu. The update runs once per day on the first site visit of that day. Rates are cross-calculated relative to the Euro, so non-EUR base currencies are handled correctly. Currencies set to Manual use the exchange rate entered by the administrator and must be updated by hand.

Frontend Currency Selector

When Show currency selector is enabled, a dropdown appears on the listing and property detail pages. The visitor's selection is stored in the session and applies across all pages while browsing.

Important Notes

• Changing the admin currency after prices have been entered does not convert stored values — existing prices will be interpreted in the new currency.
• If the addon is deactivated, currency configuration reverts to the single-currency fields in Settings → General → Localization.

To install this addon, open the Add-ons panel inside FW Real Estate. See Getting Started → Add-ons for details on free addons, paid addons, and site verification.