I am developing an analytics product similar to Google Analytics and want to offer an integration for our Shopify users.
I would need to do just two things:
1) Insert our JavaScript snippet into the body of all the shop's pages
2) Insert a second conversion snippet into the body of only the "thank you" page after a purchase to record the sale, passing back the order total and order number
Could you point me in the right direction?
The ScriptTag endpoint looks optimal except that it doesn't seem to provide any way to differentiate between the "thank you" page and other pages, or to pass the order details from the "thank you" page into the script.
It seems like I either need an endpoint that can inject arbitrary code into all pages, or one which lets me alter the theme layout file to add code before the </body> tag.
If I can do that much, it looks like I might be able to use a conditional in the templating language to only show the conversion code if the URL matches the "thank you" page URL, and use {{ total_price }} and {{ order_number }} in that code.
Does the uninstall webhook allow me to make changes before the rights for the app are revoked? It seems like I would need a way to clean up at uninstall to remove my code from the theme, if I'm allowed to edit the layout file.
itThere are two ways you can go about this:
ScriptTags: You're already aware of this method. It's true that the script is loaded into each and every page, but you can look at document.url in your js to figure out which page you're on and conditionally execute code based on that.
Scripts inserted this way are executed during the 'onLoad' event. At that time you have access to the DOM and can do basically whatever you want with the page.
Snippets: Using the Assets endpoint you can make arbitrary changes to the user's theme. Be careful with this power! The recommended way to make complex changes to a page is to create a custom snippet in the theme with your additions and then tell the user to insert an include tag into their code where it needs to appear. This reduces clutter in the main theme files.
I'd recommend using ScriptTags wherever possible. As mentioned below, they don't need cleaning up and remove the need for user interaction when setting up the app.
--
As for the uninstall webhook: It is fired after the app has been uninstalled from the shop, so you no longer have access. It's designed to be used to trigger cleanup on your end (remove db entries, etc.). Note that ScriptTags and Webhook subscriptions are automatically cleaned up, but any changes you've made to the theme aren't
You ask a lot of questions in one posting.
For your #1 and #2 read:
http://api.shopify.com/scripttag.html
Secondly, for your app install/uninstall read:
http://api.shopify.com/webhook.html
Pay attention to the part about app/uninstalled since you're interested in that.
As for knowing when someone installs your App, that is really up to you to figure out. Should not be too hard since you probably read about how to make and App in the first place. Shopify provides lots of boiler plate code on github that can show you almost everything you asked here.
Related
So I am trying to build something for my store but a few things are somewhat unclear.
If I need to save some user settings do I need my own backend just
for that app specifically? For simplicity sake, I want build an app
to save and display a custom message in cart-template.liquid.To
achieve that, I think my app should make a request to my backend (let
say, on heroku) and save it in some db that app is using?
How do I retrieve that data in cart-template.liquid? I guess I
build a snippet that calls a public endpoint of my backend that
returns that saved message using fetch() or maybe axios.get and
embed it using {% render 'fetch-custom-message-snippet' %} ?
Say I ask for user input, ie. "Engraved message" and the form is in cart-template.liquid,
of course. The following snippet is used:
<p class="line-item-property__field">
<label for="engraved-message">Engraved message</label>
<input id="engraved-message" type="text" name="properties[Engraved message]">
</p>
How do I make sure that bit of information is captured and passed to me? I guess I want to see it somewhere in the order details.
If I need to save some user settings do I need my own backend just for that app specifically? For simplicity sake, I want build an app to save and display a custom message in cart-template.liquid.To achieve that, I think my app should make a request to my backend (let say, on heroku) and save it in some db that app is using?
Yes, you need your own backend. Your application alone is responsible for storing its own information (there are some exceptions like a special order field which I show you below) - that typically infers a database that back ups your service and holds your data. Please check out this thread as you can find lots of valuable information there.
Regarding cart-template.liquid I'd suggest taking a look at the official "Shopify Developers" documentation. All information you're allowed to display and request are neatly explained and ordered there.
How do I retrieve that data in cart-template.liquid? I guess I build a snippet that calls a public endpoint of my backend that returns that saved message using fetch() or maybe axios.get and embed it using {% render 'fetch-custom-message-snippet' %} ?
Once again there are good guides out there. I suggest taking a look at this blog post which goes into in-depth on this topic. Shopify's documentation about the Liquid template language is also highly advised to be read.
How do you retrieve that data? According to this specific example any input will be supplied to your order page in the Shopify admin. For example:
<label for="CartNote">Special instructions</label>
<textarea name="note" id="CartNote">{{ cart.note }}</textarea>
*taken from https://shopify.github.io/liquid-code-examples/example/cart-notes*; shows a Special instruction label and textarea for users to submit details about the oder - you will get this data on, as mentioned, the order page in the Shopify admin.
Say I ask for user input, ie. "Engraved message" and the form is in
cart-template.liquid, of course. The following snippet is used:
[...] How do I make sure that bit of information is captured and passed to me? I guess I want to see it somewhere in the order details.
see above
//EDIT:
To prevent any confusion: It seems like you want to develop a custom app just for personal usage and not to publish it in the Shopify App Store - in this case you most often than not don't need an external database; e.g. the example you provided with a simple order request which is easily doable through Shopify's examples.
For your specific case this code snippet (I modified your original example to fit the case - it's not a full cart-template.liquid obviously; in this case the file is called cart.liquid):
<label for="engraved-message">Engraved message</label>
<textarea name="message" id="engraved-message">{{ cart.note }}</textarea>
//EDIT 2:
The link - shared by another user in this thread, namely #Simas Butavičius - is actually kind of useful if you have problems with the customization process in general, i.e. if you want to revise some basic concepts or want to check how to implement the code snippet from above in the whole structure of your website I'd advise to skim through this site.
Needless to say, there are hundreds of good tutorials, questions regarding the same "issue" or other resources in general.
I suggest for further reading purposes to check out some of these links and guides (some may be mentioned above):
https://shopify.github.io/liquid-code-examples/example/cart-notes
https://shopify.github.io/liquid-code-examples/example/checkout-form (! very good in-depth example)
https://www.christhefreelancer.com/shopify-liquid-guide/
https://shopify.dev/docs/themes/theme-templates/cart-liquid
https://shopify.dev/docs/themes/liquid/reference
https://www.shopify.com/partners/shopify-cheat-sheet (! helpful cheatsheet)
https://community.shopify.com/c/Shopify-Design/Cart-Use-cart-attributes-to-collect-more-information/td-p/613718
https://community.shopify.com/c/Shopify-APIs-SDKs/Add-custom-input-fields-to-cart/td-p/154710
https://community.shopify.com/c/Shopify-Design/Product-pages-Get-customization-information-for-products/td-p/616503
Here is the tutorial specifically for creating custom shopify input field for getting engraving information: https://community.shopify.com/c/Shopify-Design/Product-pages-Get-customization-information-for-products/td-p/616503
We plan to create a Shopify app but we face some problems to find in documentations how to interact with pages.
I`m not sure we must ask every time users to add codes and etc, so I need to know if I miss something.
I need to interact with the product pages in Shopify from an app.
I search and read all the web for this and everything is how to start but not the actual examples.
I know for the ScriptTags and how to include them but that is.
If someone can give me a simple example of how for example to hide the Buy button and insert something on instead.
I know how to select it with the default theme with JQuery but what about all other themes?
There are two ways to interact with the front page:
1) Inject some code in the page ( the live one )
2) Use ScriptTag as you mentioned.
The code injection script will modify the product template for example and inject your code if you like to do this automatically or you can instruct the user to do so on their own, but if they are not code savvy there might be issues.
In addition this code will live only on the live theme in most cases. And if the user likes to delete your app at a specific time you must be sure to write the logic in such way that it won't affect the site if your app is no longer present ( since it will be really hard to clean up the files once you add the code automatically )
For this approach you will need to use the Asset API.
You will need to get the content of the file with a GET request to the file and make a put request in order to update it.
The better approach is to use ScriptTag API.
This will allow the use of a script file that will be attached on EVERY theme. This will not modify the theme files in any form or shape.
It seems that this is the approach that you are looking for.
Please have in mind that you will be the one hosting the file from your app so pretty much you can write what ever you like there. So if you like to use jQuery you must be sure that the themes have included jQuery or you will have to add the jQuery core code inside your script.
As for how to write a script tag, there is a pretty straightforward documentation here: https://help.shopify.com/en/api/reference/online-store/scripttag#create-2020-01
Our Shopify app is activated by adding our snippet into the product and cart liquid files.
We noticed that adding the snippet is a tricky part for most merchants and we would like to offer them an option that we would do the heavy lifting for them.
My questions:
What is the best practice for doing such action?
How we can go on preview mode and wait till the merchant accept the change?
Any code samples using the Shopify Python SDK will be highly appreciated.
Thanks!
Here is a pattern that will work, and cause the least damage on uninstall.
download product.liquid using API (have fun ensuring you get the one that matters, as it could be in sections or snippets now)
inject your special codes in that snippet
upload your modified product.foobleflap.liquid
So now all your merchant need do is substitute your Liquid file for the original one. On App uninstall, no kittens have been killed, they need to simply revert back to their original Liquid file
Of course there are other patterns, but modding their original file with your snippet is probably least desirable from an uninstall perspective, as they would have to manually erase traces of your code.
Let's say I have a plugin Foo in osclass. In that plugin we register a hook for when an item is posted. According to the osclass hooks documentation the only hook that is run when an item is posted is posted_item.
But as far as I can tell from looking at the code this is run after the initial item data has already been validated and stored in the database. What if a validation of some plugin specific code fails and I would like to show the user an error message and present him with the form again to give him/her the chance to alter this information? Much like if you try to submit a new item but don't fill in one of the base information like description for instance.
I can't seem to find a way to do this. Only workaround I find to avoid the item being posted despite containing invalid plugin specific data, without editing the main osclass code, is to delete the posted item again in the posted_item hook callback function of my plugin. This feels extremely cumbersome and also requires every other plugin to check that the item still exists to make sure they don't save data connected to an item that is now deleted.
What I would like, and wonder if I have missed, is a hook that is run when an item is posted but before it's written to the database and have the ability to generate "errors" that would cause the item to not be posted and the user redirected back to the form with the "error" displayed just like for the basic item information.
Anyone have a solution I have missed? This feels like a very important part of plugins and without it posted items could become very fragmented.
A user on the osclass forums (teseo) told me about the undocumented hook pre_item_add that can be used.
<?php
function cust_my_plugin($aItem) {
osc_add_flash_error_message('My plugin has a complaint.');
$pItem = new CWebItem();
$pItem->redirectTo( osc_item_post_url() );
}
osc_add_hook('pre_item_add', 'cust_my_plugin');
?>
He also sais
The only bad news is that you can't merge your plugin validation
process with that of the core script, so if the ad had an error
related to your plugin and other errors, it would be rejected twice,
one by your plugin, the second by the core script. I couldn't see any
workaround for this little issue.
Shopify does wrap all scripts added through ScriptTag API into special asyncLoad function. While it makes sense in many circumstances there still situations when you need script tag inserted directly into the header.
For example Optimizely wouldn't work that smooth if there wasn't other way to insert script tag, i.e. somehow theirs script appears in the store front independently, i.e. without asyncLoad function.
How would I do the same?
One option is to parse and then send back current theme, but it looks weird and not quite reliable, and according my research Optimizely does know another approach.
I was able to get in touch with Optimizely, here is their's response:
We actually partnered with Shopify to get our snippet added to the page in this way by default. I don’t think there is a simple way to work around the async limitation otherwise.
and here is Shopify's response:
Unfortunately this was a one-off hack-y fix, and not something that we're open to doing again at this time.
So, for now the only reliable way to work around the async limitation is to instruct users to place the script into current theme as others applications does.