Cache block.settings in a variable

Assign block.settings to a variable instead of accessing it repeatedly in Liquid.

Anchor to WhyWhy

There's a performance cost to accessing the block.settings object each time it appears in a template. Liquid must resolve the property chain (block, then settings, then the specific key) on every access. We're working to improve this, but caching it in a variable with assign is a reliable optimization today.

The cost multiplies inside loops. Consider a section with 20 blocks, each referencing 5 settings properties. That's 20 × 5 = 100 block.settings lookups per page render. Assigning block.settings to a variable at the top of each iteration changes the math: 20 assign operations and 100 fast variable reads. Variable reads are cheaper than the full property-chain resolution.

This optimization applies equally to section.settings when a section accesses its own settings many times.

Anchor to HowHow

At the top of a block loop iteration, or at the top of a section that accesses section.settings many times, assign the settings object to a descriptive variable and reference that variable throughout:

{%- assign block_settings = block.settings -%}

Anchor to ExamplesExamples

Anchor to Block settings accessed multiple timesBlock settings accessed multiple times

Less performant:

<h2>{{ block.settings.title }}</h2>

<p>{{ block.settings.text }}</p>

<a href="{{ block.settings.link_url }}">{{ block.settings.link_text }}</a>

{% if block.settings.show_image and block.settings.image != blank %}

{{ block.settings.image | image_url: width: 600 | image_tag: loading: 'lazy' }}

{% endif %}

More performant:

{%- assign block_settings = block.settings -%}

<h2>{{ block_settings.title }}</h2>

<p>{{ block_settings.text }}</p>

<a href="{{ block_settings.link_url }}">{{ block_settings.link_text }}</a>

{% if block_settings.show_image and block_settings.image != blank %}

{{ block_settings.image | image_url: width: 600 | image_tag: loading: 'lazy' }}

{% endif %}

Anchor to Inside a for loop iterating over section.blocksInside a for loop iterating over section.blocks

This is where the optimization has the most impact. Each iteration avoids repeated property-chain resolution:

{%- for block in section.blocks -%}

{%- assign block_settings = block.settings -%}

{% if block_settings.image != blank %}

{{ block_settings.image

| image_url: width: 800

| image_tag:

loading: 'lazy',

widths: '400, 600, 800',

sizes: '(min-width: 768px) 50vw, 100vw',

alt: block_settings.image_alt

}}

{% endif %}

{% if block_settings.heading != blank %}

<h2>{{ block_settings.heading }}</h2>

{% endif %}

{% if block_settings.subheading != blank %}

<p>{{ block_settings.subheading }}</p>

{% endif %}

{% if block_settings.button_label != blank %}

</a>

{% endif %}

</div>

{%- endfor -%}

In this example, each iteration accesses block settings 9 times. With 20 blocks, that's 180 accesses. The assign at the top of each iteration turns those into 20 assigns and 180 fast variable reads instead of 180 full property-chain lookups.

Anchor to Section settings accessed many timesSection settings accessed many times

The same pattern applies to section.settings when a section accesses its own settings repeatedly:

{%- assign section_settings = section.settings -%}

{% if section_settings.image != blank %}

{{ section_settings.image

| image_url: width: 1600

| image_tag:

loading: 'eager',

fetchpriority: 'high',

widths: '600, 900, 1200, 1600',

sizes: '100vw'

}}

{% endif %}

<h1>{{ section_settings.heading }}</h1>

<p>{{ section_settings.subheading }}</p>

{% if section_settings.button_label != blank %}

<a href="{{ section_settings.button_url }}" class="button">{{ section_settings.button_label }}</a>

{% endif %}

</section>

Anchor to TestingTesting

Use the Theme Inspector Chrome extension to measure per-section and per-block Liquid rendering time. Compare timings before and after applying the pattern.
Compare TTFB in the Chrome DevTools Network panel before and after applying this pattern. Filter to the document request and check the Waiting for server response time.
The impact is most visible on pages with many sections or blocks: homepages with slideshow sections, FAQ sections with many items, and any section that iterates over section.blocks.

Anchor to ReferencesReferences

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