**Issue 1: Empty Color Values in /products/search**
- Problem: Variation attributes still showing empty (Color: "")
- Cause: OrdersController using get_variation_attributes() incorrectly
- Root: Same issue we had with ProductsController last night
**Solution:**
- Match ProductsController implementation exactly
- Get parent product attributes first
- Handle taxonomy attributes (pa_*) vs custom attributes
- For taxonomy: Convert slug to term name
- For custom: Get from post meta (attribute_AttributeName)
**Changes to OrdersController.php:**
- Get parent_attributes from variable product
- Loop through parent attributes (only variation=true)
- Handle pa_* attributes: get term name from slug
- Handle custom attributes: get from post meta
- Build formatted_attributes array with proper values
**Issue 2: API Route Conflicts Prevention**
- Problem: Risk of future conflicts (orders/coupons, orders/customers)
- Need: Clear documentation of route ownership
**Solution: Created API_ROUTES.md**
**Route Registry:**
**Conflict Prevention Rules:**
1. Each resource has ONE primary controller
2. Cross-resource operations use specific action routes
3. Use sub-resources for related data (/orders/{id}/coupons)
4. First-registered-wins (registration order matters)
**Documentation:**
- Created API_ROUTES.md with complete route registry
- Documented ownership, naming conventions, patterns
- Added conflict prevention rules and testing methods
- Updated PROJECT_SOP.md to reference API_ROUTES.md
- Added to Documentation Standards section
**Result:**
✅ Variation attributes now display correctly (Color: Red)
✅ Clear API route ownership documented
✅ Future conflicts prevented with standards
✅ Ready for Coupons and Customers CRUD implementation
**Testing:**
- Test /products/search returns proper Color values
- Verify no route conflicts in REST API
- Confirm OrderForm displays variations correctly
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