Dynamic sources

Settings for sections and blocks included in a JSON template have the option for merchants to connect one or more dynamic sources to the setting, depending on the setting type.

A dynamic source can be either:

A metafield value
A resource attribute

Available values

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Shopify determines the value of each available dynamic source type based on the following:

The resource associated with the template that the section is in
The resource settings in the context of the current setting

For example:

How Shopify determines available values
Conditions	Description
The section is included as part of the product template	Metafields and attributes related to the product will be available for the following: The section's settings The settings for any block in the section
The section includes a collection type setting	Metafields and attributes related to the collection will be available for the following: The section's settings The settings for any block in the section
The section's blocks include a product type setting	Metafields and attributes for that product will be available for the block's settings.

Resources

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The following table lists the available resources and their associated attributes:

Available resources and their attributes
Resource	Attributes
product	`title` `vendor` `description` `url` `featured_image` `collections`
collection	`title` `image` `description` `url` `products`
page	`title` `url`
article	`title` `url` `author` `content` `excerpt` `comments_count` `image`
blog	`title` `url`

Metafields

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The following outlines which setting and metafield types are compatible:

Setting	Metafield(s)	Metafield validation options
`collection`	`collection_reference`
`collection_list`	`list.collection_reference`
`color`	`color`
`image_picker`	`file_reference`
`page`	`page_reference`
`product`	`product_reference`
`product_list`	`list.product_reference`
`richtext`	`single_line_text_field` `list.single_line_text_field` `multi_line_text_field` `rich_text_field` `number_integer` `number_decimal` `date` `date_time` `weight` `volume` `dimension` `rating` `money`
`inline_richtext`	`single_line_text_field` `list.single_line_text_field` `multi_line_text_field` `number_integer` `number_decimal` `date` `date_time` `weight` `volume` `dimension` `rating` `money`
`text`	`single_line_text_field` `list.single_line_text_field` `number_integer` `number_decimal` `date` `date_time` `weight` `volume` `dimension` `rating` `money`
`url`	`url`
`video`	`file_reference`	Must accept video file types
`metaobject`	`metaobject_reference`	Must be of the same metaobject type as in the setting's schema.
`metaobject_list`	`list.metaobject_reference`	Must be of the same metaobject type as in the setting's schema.

Referencing metaobject fields

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You can use dynamic sources to connect metaobject fields to settings. The metaobject must be referenced in a metaobject_reference metafield.

When the user selects the metaobject_reference metafield, they're prompted to select the field that they want to display. Users can select metaobject fields in any settings that support the field's type.

In the case of a list.metaobject_reference, the metaobject entries attached to the resource are iterated over, and for each metaobject, the selected field's value is displayed in a list. The values are displayed as a list of the selected field's type. For example, if the selected metaobject field is of type single_line_text_field, then the values are returned as list.single_line_text_field.

Example

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A merchant has a list.metaobject_reference metafield that references a Materials metaobject. Each metaobject has a field called Material name.

You can assign the materials by name to the product in the Metafields section:

metafield card with materials

In the online store editor, any setting that supports list.single_line_text_field, such as a rich text field, can use dynamic sources to select the Material name field as a text source:

dynamic source popover with metaobject

This outputs a list of the material names associated with the current product:

list of material names in theme

Default values

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You can configure a setting's default value to reference a dynamic source. However, only do this if you're rendering a section or block in a context where the dynamic source value exists. For example, don't use a product-related value in a section that:

Can be rendered in non-product templates
Doesn't explicitly have a product type setting to provide the necessary value

Additional Liquid is invalid when using this method, so you can only reference the value directly. If you include additional Liquid, then you'll get an error.

The following is an example of a default setting that references a dynamic source:

Limits

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Shopify limits the number of dynamic sources that you can use in different areas of your theme. These limits help to keep the theme performant.

Dynamic sources limits
Description	Limit
Dynamic sources in a JSON template	100
Dynamic sources in general theme settings	100
Dynamic sources in a section group	100
Dynamic sources in a single setting	50
Dynamic sources in a static section	50