Settings

There are two categories of settings:

Input settings reference

Explore the interactive settings that you can add to your theme.

Sidebar settings reference

Explore the informational settings that you can add to your theme.

You can create settings in the following places:

• config > settings_schema.json
• Section files in the sections folder, using the the section's {% schema %} tag

The settings_schema.json file controls the content of the Theme settings area of the theme editor. Settings in this file translate to global theme settings, which can be accessed through the Liquid settings object.

The section {% schema %} tag is where you can create section settings and block settings. Those settings can be accessed through the settings attribute of the section object and block object, respectively.

Settings are defined as a JSON settings attribute that's parented to the object that the settings apply to. This attribute accepts an array of settings.

When working with settings, you should familiarize yourself with the following:

• Translating settings
• Accessing setting values
• Checking the setting value format
• Using dynamic sources for settings
• Platform-controlled settings

You can translate various attributes of the settings schema depending on the online store's active language. These translations are stored in schema locale files.

Depending on where they were created, you can access settings through the following Liquid objects:

• The global settings object
• The section object
• The block object

To access a specific setting, append the id attribute of the associated setting to the object that you want to access.

For example, if you had the following setting implemented in each Liquid object:

Then the following Liquid would generate the following output:

When referencing settings, you should always check that the value is in the format that you expect. Any setting without an automatic default value could end up with no value, which translates to an empty string.

For example, if you have a setting with an id of message, then the following Liquid would generate the following output depending on the value:

You can check whether a value is an empty string with the blank operator. For example:

To avoid an empty string, check that the value is in the format that you expect. It's possible that no resource was selected, selected resource no longer exists, or the selected resource has been hidden.

For example, if you have the following page type setting:

Then you can check for emptiness like the following:

In the past, resource-based settings returned the handle of the associated resource, and you had to access the actual object through Liquid using that handle.

For example, if you had the following product setting, then you would need to access the product object like the following:

Settings for sections 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

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:

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

The following outlines which setting and metafield types will be compatible:

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:

In the theme editor, Shopify exposes a custom CSS setting at the theme and section level. You can't add or hide this setting in your settings schema.

Any custom CSS that merchants add using this setting is stored in a custom_css attribute, either in a JSON template's section attribute, or in the settings_data.json platform_customizations object.

This setting is intended to allow merchants to customize the look and feel of their storefront without editing theme code. As a theme developer, you shouldn't add this setting, or edit the value of this setting after it's set. Instead, you should use dedicated CSS assets and stylesheet Liquid tags, and introduce customization options for CSS in these areas using theme settings.