Introduction
This guide outlines the authoring and editing of content for the custom Shopify theme “Outlier v3”, designed and developed by PTOH.
The following is a guide and reference to the website outlier.nyc through the sales channels Hydrogen and Online Store within Outlier’s Shopify Plus account. All other sales channels are outside of the scope of this documentation.
The Outlier web shop is authored in two locations, the “Shopify admin” and the “Sanity studio”. The Shopify Admin is where the main product and collection data lives while the Sanity Studio is where settings, pages, products, and collections can be customized.
General usage of the Shopify admin is covered in Shopify’s own docs.
General usage of the Sanity studio is covered in Sanity’s user guides.
Getting Started
- Open the relevant links and sign in if necessary.
- Shopify Admin: outlier.nyc/admin
- Sanity Studio: outlier.nyc/studio or studio.outlier.nyc
Note on WYSIWYGs in the Shopify Admin
When using the wysiwyg (What You See Is What You Get) editing fields in a page editor’s content or description field, it is important to use the correct formatting and double check the HTML using the <> toggle button at the top of the “Content” or “Description” fields. When possible try to avoid pasting from other documents into the non-html field. Pasting usually introduces incorrect HTML markup. When pasting is necessary, use shift + command + v instead of command + v, or switch to HTML view and paste the text between the appropriate tags. When switching to HTML view using thtre <> button, you will see your edits as HTML. Make sure there are no extra or incorrect tags. The tags surrounding the texts will correspond with the formatting options in the regular editing view, i.e. Highlighting a sentence and selecting Blockquote from the options will equate to <blockquote>Here is the sentence you highlighted</blockquote> in HTML view.
Examples:
You’ve created a paragraph…
Good:
<p>Paragraph text is the only thing within the paragraph tags</p>
Bad:
<p>
<meta><span>Paragraph text has a bunch of tags you may be unaware of because the text was pasted with outside formatting. There may also be empty tags like the following empty paragraph tags.</span>
<p></p>
</p>
Using the HTML View
When using a wysiwyg, it may be easier to cut and paste the HTML tags directly into the HTML view. The included tag references which are styled like this signify code that can be highlighted and copied easily.
To use HTML view to format content:
- Select the “<>” button.
- Copy a tag or group of tags from this guide.
- Add or paste the text between the opening and closing tags, e.g.
<p>Text goes here.</p>. - Switch back to the default view to review the formatting.
- Select
Save.
Media
Note On Images
When adding editorial images, always add an alt text by selecting “Edit” and “Edit alt text” when in Shopify or use the alt text field in Sanity. For product images, if no alt text is entered, the theme will automatically use the product title as an alt text for assistive technologies and SEO. In all other cases, always add a text describing the image to the visually impaired.
Icons
Icons use basic text fields to store SVG code. Colors are controlled automatically by the theme and SVGs should be prepared with no stroke, a black fill, no background, and no embedded fonts.
SVGs in Sanity Studio
SVGs are stored as their own documents in the Sanity Studio. This allows icons to be shared across datapoints. They can be created in the Sanity Studio > SVG directory or when creating an SVG anywhere in the Sanity Studio where a field requires an SVG. The created SVG can always be found in the SVG directory and selected by fields using an SVG.
Creating SVGs with Adobe Illustrator for use in the Sanity Studio
- Select
File > Save Asto create new version in case of mistakes. - Select any text.
- Select
Type > Create Outlines(shift + command + O) - Select all of the graphics on the canvas. (command + a)
- Select
Object > Expand...and make sure onlyFillandStrokeare checked. ChooseOk. - With everything still selected, in the Fill and Stroke section of the tool panel, the stroke should be empty and the background should be black. If the background is a question mark, double click it and select black. All graphics should now have no outline and a black fill.
- With everything selected, open the pathfinder window in
Window > Pathfinderand select theUniteoption underShape Modes. This will create a single object from all graphics on the artboard. - Select
File > Export > Export As... - Make sure the format is set to SVG and check the
Use Artboardscheckbox in the dialog. SelectExport. - In the SVG Options dialog, use the following settings:
- Styling: Presentation Attributes
- Font: SVG
- Images: Embed
- Object IDs: Minimal
- Decimal: 2
- Minify: true (checked)
- Responsive: false (unchecked)
- Select
Ok. - Find the file that was exported in your Finder and open it with any text editor by using
right click > Open With. The TextEdit app for Mac will work. - Once the file is open, select everything starting with
<svgand ending with</svg>. Copy the selection (command + c) and paste it into the SVG field where you’d like to use the SVG. (command + v)
SVG Example
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="667" height="119.9" viewBox="0 0 667 119.9"><path d="M523.9,2.4v46h22.3V2.4h25V117.5h-25V67H523.9v50.5H499.5V2.4Z" fill="#000000"/><path d="M0,2.4H30.4c18.8,0,37.7,12.7,37.7,36.3,0,22.8-18.3,36.9-37.7,36.9H25v41.9H0ZM24.7,57.6l4.8-.2c6.8-.2,13.2-6.5,13.2-18.5,0-12.4-6.5-17.5-12.6-17.8l-5.4-.3Z" fill="#000000"/><path d="M80.4,2.4h32.5c17.4,0,36.5,11,36.5,31.7,0,15-8.6,24.4-20.2,29.9l24.5,53.5H126.6L106.4,68.2h-1.3l.2,49.3H80.4Zm24.7,51.4,5.7-.2c7.6-.2,12.9-6.7,12.9-16.9,0-9.7-5.9-16.2-12.7-16.4l-5.9-.2Z" fill="#000000"/><path d="M165.6,2.4h53V21.2H189.8V48.6h26.6V67.4H189.8v31h29.9v19.1H165.6Z" fill="#000000"/><path d="M230.4,48.6H330.7V66.9H230.4Z" fill="#000000"/><path d="M344.6,2.4h53V21.2H368.8V48.6h26.6V67.4H368.8v31h29.9v19.1H344.6Z" fill="#000000"/><path d="M458.6,38.5c-.2-10.2-2.5-18.9-9.1-18.9-10.2,0-14,18.3-14,41.7,0,20.7,3.5,40.6,14,40.6,7,0,9.4-9.6,9.6-19.4H486c-3.5,22.8-19.3,37.4-36.5,37.4-29.6,0-41.2-32.2-41.2-58.3,0-28.7,12.7-60,41.2-60,17.2,0,32.6,14.5,35.7,36.9Z" fill="#000000"/><path d="M625.1,0C649.2,0,667,23.4,667,60.7c0,31.2-15.1,59.2-42,59.2-26.4,0-41.9-26.6-41.9-59.9C583.1,22.3,601.2,0,625.1,0Zm0,102.5c12.7,0,16.3-19.7,16.3-42.2,0-24-3.8-43.6-16.3-43.6-13.1,0-16.4,20.5-16.4,43.5C608.7,85.3,612.9,102.5,625.1,102.5Z" fill="#000000"/></svg>
Videos
There are two types of video fields available in the Sanity Studio: video files, and streaming videos. Video files can be used as a substitute for GIFs, but are restricted to a 5mb file size. Most of the time, a streaming video is the way to go, and will also autoplay and loop.
Video Files
Videos files used in the Sanity Studio must be MP4 filetypes using h.264 codec. Sizes must be kept as small as possible (less than 5mb for larger sizes/lengths, but prefereably under 1mb). To achieve small file sizes, use the free application “Handbrake”.
Target Specifications
- File type: MP4
- Frame rate: 30FPS
- Codec: h.264
- Dimensions: 1080p
- Length: under 25 seconds
- File size: under 5MB
Handbrake Settings
The preset called Outlier Web Video should be downloaded and imported into Handbrake by selecting Import... in Handbrake’s “Presets” dropdown menu. For reference, the settings are based on the following:
- Preset:
Fast 1080p30 - Summary:
- Format:
MP4 Passthru Common Metadata: falseWeb optimized: true
- Format:
- Dimensions:
1080p - Video:
- Quality (option 1):
Contant Quality RF 28 - Quality (option 2):
Average Bitrate 3000 kbps with Multi-pass encoding and Turbo analysis checked(use this option if option 1 has a file size that’s too large)
- Quality (option 1):
- Audio: remove any audio tracks
Streaming Videos
When adding a streaming video, use the high res original of any size, the streaming service “Mux” will take care of all of the formatting and sizing.
Guide to determining which video format to use
When to use video files
All of the following conditions are met
- The video between a few and 10ish seconds and smaller than 5MB.
- The video doesn’t have audio.
- The video doesn’t need user controls to pause, mute/volume, navigate the timeline, or read chapter/caption changes (consider people with disabilities).
- There is no text information that can’t instead be placed in the caption field or a requested design tweak.
- You conceptually want to use a GIF where you are placing an image.
- If the video fails to autoplay, it is acceptable if a still from the video is shown and it never plays.
When to use streaming video
Any of the following conditions are met
- The video is significantly longer than a few seconds or larger than 5MB.
- The video has audio.
- There is any messaging at all: if there is more than just imagery to convey, and you find yourself needing to bake in text to the video, this is the better option instead because:
- Accessibility: Screen readers can read it and people can control it with pause, timeline, volume, etc.
- Time: Chapters can be created and navigated to, e.g. size and fit model, and timestamps can be referenced.
- You conceptually want to use a video not an image.
- If the video fails to autoplay, it still needs to be playable with a play button.
Working in the Sanity Studio
The content in the Studio consists of “documents”. One document can reference another document, linking multiple documents together, but at the heart of all content is a document.
There are two ways to approach document editing, under the Structure tab or under the Presentation tab. In both contexts, each document can be worked on as a draft, previewed, and finally published.
Drafts
A document is a draft if it not yet published, and as soon as a change is made to it if it is already published. When a change is made to a published document, it will automatically be saved as a draft and an indicator on the bottom left of the document will change from displaying “Saving…” to “Saved” and finally to “Published on… Edited at…”.
Is it a draft?
- The bottom left of the document displays when the document was last edited alongside its publication date, e.g. “Published last week Edited 29 sec. ago”. The edited time is helpful in determining if the draft edits were made by you or someone else when deciding whether to discard or not.
- The
Publishbutton will no longer be disabled, implying that there are new edits to publish. - The
Discard changesoption within the...(document actions) menu to the right of thePublishbutton will no longer be disabled, implying there are changes that can be discarded in order to revert the document to its currently published state.
Discarding changes
Drafts content is only visible on the front end site if it is in preview mode. It may be necessary to discard drafts when previewing the site if you would rather see that particular content as it is published when previewing other content. After a draft of a document is created, it can be returned to its currently published state:
- Using the
...menu to the right of thePublishbutton, selectDiscard draft.
Draft Review
To quickly review, edit, or discard and or all current drafts:
- Open the
Draft Reviewtab. - Each draft will show its specific changes and give you an option to
Publish,Discard, orEditany of the changes for that individual document. Data highlighted in red means it was deleted, while data highlighted in green means it was added. - To take action on all of the documents listed, scroll to the bottom and select
Publish ALLorDiscard ALL. Be extremely cautious when selectingPublish ALL. Most of the timeDiscard ALLwill be the only option to use here.
Previewing
A draft document can be previewed on the front end by putting the production site in preview mode.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Note that there is currently an issue with any page that has a Scanner element, usually the homepage. It fails to update when changes are made in the side panel or when using the preview window’s refresh button. To work around this, open the site in preview mode in a separate tab. To open the site in a new tab in preview mode, follow the steps in the following “Option 1” or “Option 2” and the select Open preview from the sharing button to the right of the preview window’s address bar. The separate tab will then have to be refreshed to see new changes.
Option 1
- Open the
Presentationtab. This will put the production site into preview mode, both within the presentation’s preview window, and if the production site is opened in another tab. Note: once thePresentationtab is opened, from any sanity draft document, the entire site will be in preview mode. As you navigate the site in preview mode, you will see all draft content if any of the documents that are drafts are being used on the page. - Navigate to the content you are currently editing.
The sidebar will show you all of the documents with content that is displayed on the current page. You can select any of the documents there to preview draft changes.
Option 2
- From the document being edited, under the title, there is a pulldown menu that will say something like
Used on 2 pages. This will list the places on the site where the content within document is being displayed. Pick the context in which you’d like to preview the draft. ThePresentationtab will open and show you the draft content with the document open in a sidebar, enabling you to continue editing while previewing the changes.
The sidebar will show you the current document being edited. You can close the document with the x button to see all of the documents with content being shown on that page.
Preview mode
After the Presentation tab is opened once, the front end site will be in preview mode even in another browser tab or window. This is important to know because:
- Previewing can be done in a tab with normal dimensions instead of with the editing sidebar open to its right. It will have to be refreshed (command+r) to make each change visible. To open the preview in a new tab, select
Open previewfrom the sharing button to the right of the preview window’s address bar. - When in preview mode, all drafts are visible on every page. If you were working on drafts, and then view the site later on, you might be unintentionally previewing draft content.
In preview mode, blue outlines will show up giving you the option to directly edit elements on the page.
Stop previewing
When the front end is in preview mode and being viewed in its own tab or window, a highlighted Stop previewing button will be visible to indicate that you are previewing and allowing you to turn off previewing mode. Clicking it will refresh the site and show only published content (what visitors see).
Viewing the published site while in preview mode
When previewing draft content, it may be necessary to view the site as visitors see it for reference. To view the published site without disabling preview mode, simply open the site in a private browser window. This will always show you how visitors see the site. You can have the published site open in one window and the site in preview mode in another.
Sharing a preview
It is possible to share a link to the site in preview mode.
- Navigate to
Presentationto put the site in preview mode. - Select
Copy linkfrom the share button to the right of the preview window’s address bar. - Send the url to anyone within the organization.
Collaborating
In the top right of each document are options for commenting on and assigning document related tasks to the containing document. Tasks can also be assigned at the global level on the top right of the entire studio.
Settings
Global settings for the site are located in the Sanity studio under Structure > Settings. Settings control:
- Navigation menus
- Social media menus
- Styles and colors
- Newsletter signup
- Language and labels
- Sitewide SEO
Navigation
Styles
Product options
Signup
Social
Language and labels
The labels and messaging across the site can be edited in the Sanity studio under Structure > Settings > Language. note: All fields are used in the theme but some may be used for accessibility and are not visible. It is important to fill enter a value even if it doesn’t seem to appear on the site.
SEO
Homepage
The homepage is created and edited in the Sanity studio under Structure > Home.
Previewing the Homepage
- Open the
Presentationtab to see how the homepage will be presented. This will put the production site into preview mode, both within the presentation’s preview window, and if the production site is opened in another tab. Note: once thePresentationtab is opened, from any sanity draft document, the entire site will be in preview mode.
Pages
Pages are created and edited in the Sanity studio under Structure > Pages. Pages will only appear on the site if they are included in either the Main menu or the Secondary menu within Settings.
Products
The following is a basic guide to authoring products. See the section Product Reference to reference to all product possibilities.
Getting Started
- Open the relevant links and sign in if necessary.
- Shopify Admin: outlier.nyc/admin > Products
- Sanity Studio: outlier.nyc/studio or studio.outlier.nyc > Structure > Products
- Resources: Shopify’s “Products” documentation
Creating a Fabric
Fabrics are at the heart of Outlier’s offerings and should be authored before products and collections.
Creating a fabric is a 3-part process: creating a fabric product in the Shopify admin, creating a fabric collection in the Shopify admin, and authoring the fabric’s details in the Sanity studio.
A fabric product is necessary to show up in collection grids and search results.
A fabric collection is necessary to show a collection of products on the fabric’s page.
A fabric details page is necessary to host the fabric’s details.
Create the fabric product
- Add a new product to Shopify by navigating to
Shopify Admin > Productsand selectingAdd Product. - In the
Titlefield, add the fabric’s title. This is the title that appears:- on the fabric’s details page
- in the collection’s heading, e.g. “Made with Fabric Title”
- as the heading of the “Fabric” section on any product that uses the fabric
- In the
Mediafield, add aFeatured image. This is the image that appears:- in collection and search results grids on the fabric’s card
- Under
Product organization, set theProduct typetofabric(all lowercase). The product type controls:- the product’s details page will always have the url structure
outlier.nyc/fabric/handle - a collection grid’s product card will display a “Fabric” badge
- the product’s search result will be in a separate section of predictive search results
- the product will have fabric-specific set of fields in the Sanity studio
- fabrics will be listed separately in the Sanity studio
- (DEPRECATED v2) when combined with the
Tagfeaturewill exclude the product from searches
- the product’s details page will always have the url structure
- Under
Product organization, set theVendortoOUTLIERorOutlier Inc.. This is necessary for analytics. - (DEPRECATED: this step is only necessary for the v2 theme) Set the theme template to
fabricin theOnline store > Themetemplate field. - Under
Publishing, add the product the theHydrogensales channel. The fabric must be accessible to the website. - Under
Product status, set the product status toActive. Active fabrics will appear:- in search results for ‘*’
- on any product page that lists the fabric in its details page sections
- at the URL
outlier.nyc/fabrics - at its own direct URL
outlier.nyc/fabrics/handle - available to use within the site’s navigation menus
- Select
Save. The product will be automatically synced with the Sanity studio and should appear in theSanity Studio > Structure > Fabricslist momentarily. - Copy the title that you entered in the
Titlefield (command + c). Take a note of the product’s “handle” within the Shopify admin by selectingSearch engine listing preview > Edit website SEO. It is the located in theURL handlefield.
Create the fabric collection
- Navigate to
Shopify Admin > Products > Collectionsand selectCreate collection. Collection data will be used for:- Analytics when someone views the Fabric’s detail page
- Group products
- Paste the product title you copied from the fabric product in the
Titlefield. The collection SEO title or title will be used:- As the SEO and sharing title for the details page
- Check the collection’s handle in the
Search engine listing preview > URL handlefield and make sure it is identical to the fabric product’s handle. If it is not, change it to match. The handle is used to:- Match the collection to the product to bring it all together
- Add a description to the
Descriptionfield. The collection SEO description or description is used:- As the SEO and sharing description for the details page
- In the
Mediafield, add a featured image. The image is used:- As the SEO and sharing image for the details page
- Set the collection’s conditions to show products tagged with the fabric’s title. NOTE: If a product meets any of the conditions in the section Hiding a Product, the product will not appear on the site within this collection, unless this collection is in the site’s navigation menus.
- (DEPRECATED: this step is only necessary for the v2 theme) Change the collection’s template to
fabricin theOnline store > Theme templatefield. - Select
Save. - Tag any pre-existing products using this fabric with the fabric’s title to include them in the collection.
Create the fabric details page
- Open the product in the Sanity Studio by navigating to
Sanity Studio > Structure > Fabricsand selecting the fabric product. - Fill out each field. The description and details here is used for:
- The description and details sections on the details page
- Select
Publish. The published details page will automatically show the fabric collection at the bottom.
You now have a Fabric that can be shared between products and has its own page in the shop located at outlier.nyc/fabrics/fabric-handle. To include a product in this fabric’s collection simply add the fabric’s title to the product’s Tags. NOTE: this does not automatically put a fabric section on the product’s details page. A product’s details page is created manually in the Sanity studio when creating a product.
Creating a Product
Create the Shopify product in the Shopify admin
- Create any Fabrics that the product uses by following the steps in Creating a Fabric section.
- Add a new product to Shopify by navigating to
Shopify Admin > Productsand selectingAdd Product. - In the
Titlefield add the official title. TheSEO TitleandURL handleis automatically generated from this title and those should usually be unchanged. - In the
Descriptionfield, add a description. If the description formatting doesn’t look correct when previewing the product’s page, check the HTML view in the editor to make sure there is no unwanted HTML. This can happen if copying and pasting from another document or website, see Note on WYSIWYGs in the Shopify Admin. It is always best to type out the official description here. The description appears:- In quick buy forms within the collection grid’s product card, truncated
- On the product’s details page
- The SEO and sharing description, truncated to 150 characters
- As a default text option when linking to the product from a page module
- In the
Mediafield, add a featured image. Please refer to the Product Media section for important image specs. The featured image will be shown:- on collection and search results grids on the the product’s card
- as a default on the homepage if featured and no custom image is used
- the SEO and sharing image as a fallback to the Sanity details page image
STOP here and reference the Previewing a product section for creating a draft product.
- In
Product organization > Typeset the product’s type. Refer to the Product Type Reference for the official types and their purposes. - In
Product organization > Vendorset the vendor toOUTLIERorOutlier Inc.. This is used for:- Analytics
- In the
Product organization > Collectionsfield add the product to any collections if necessary. - Use tags to add a product to one of the menu or fabric collections, like
pants,shirts,objects,layers,Fabric Title. See the Tags section for details. - (DEPRECATED: this step is only necessary for the v2 theme) Set the theme template to
sanityin theOnline store > Themetemplate field if you would like to customize the page beyond the basic template using the Sanity Studio. - In the
Variantsfield, create the variants. When creating variants with colors and sizes, the options must be titledSizeandColorrespectively. Color titles are used:- To find a swatch in
Sanity studio > Structure > Settings > Product optionsby matching titles exactly - To hide a color using the title in the
Hidden Colorsmetafield.
- To find a swatch in
- (DEPRECATED: this step is only necessary for the v2 theme) Open a tab to preview the product by selecting
Preview. note: This only works for published themes. When working with an unpublished theme in the Shopify Admin (Development), you can set theProduct statustoActiveand view the product in a preview of the theme. When working with an unpublished theme in the Shopify Admin (Production), remove any collections set in step 8 to prevent it from appearing on the live shop, then set theProduct statustoActive. - In the
Metafieldssection enter any necessary values. Please refer to the Product Metafields Reference section for details about using one of the following:Custom Out Of Stock MessageHidden ColorsMailchimp List URLGift card is upfront?
- Select
Save. - The product will be automatically synced with and appear in the Sanity studio shortly.
Create the product’s details page in the Sanity studio
- Open the product in the Sanity studio by navigating to
Sanity Studio > Structure > Productsand selecting the product. - In the
Main Imagefield, add an image. This image appears:- As the main image on the product’s details page
- As the SEO and sharing image for the product’s details page
- In the
Sectionsfield, add the sections that will form the product’s details page. - You can open the
Presentationpanel and edit your page visually. NOTE: see the Previewing a Product section to work without the product being public facing. - Select
Publish. NOTE: published products that are still hidden from within the Shopify admin will still be hidden from visitors
Creating a Gift Card Product
Gift card products allow customers to buy a gift card with a personalized message to the recipient from a product details page.
Shopify Admin
- Navigate to
Products > Gift cardsand selectAdd gift card product. - Fill out the necessary fields.
- There should be two images in the
Mediafield which follow the same guidelines as other products, see the Product Media section. - Set the type in
Product organization > Product typetoGift Cardif not already set. - (DEPRECATED V2) Set the theme template to
gift-cardin theOnline store > Themetemplate field. - (DEPRECATED V2) Make sure
gift_cardis selected underOnline store > Theme > Gift card template suffix.
Upfront Gift Cards
- To create an “Upfront” gift card, which does not include a “from” and “message” field, and does not allow other products in the cart, set the
Gift card is upfront?metafield totrue.
Back In Stock Notifications
Variant Level Notifications
Variants level notifications are handled automatically by the Back In Stock app.
Product Level Notifications
Product level notifications are handled by using a Mailchimp audience (list) for the product and including the signup form’s URL in the Mailchimp List URL metafield.
- Create a Mailchimp Audience in
Audience > Manage Audiences > View Audiences > Create Audience. - Title the audience using the product name prefixed with something like “Update:” to keep them nicely organized in the audience list, e.g. “Update: Slim Dungarees”. The title of the list will be seen by customers who subscribe. Under
Campaign URL settingschoose the first option which sets the URL’s slug to[xxxxxx](generate randomly). - View the audience and go to
Signup forms > Form builder. - Find the URL in
Signup form URLand visit the URL in another tab or window. - Select the URL from the address bar in the tab or window.
- Navigate back to the product in the Shopify admin and paste the URL in
Metafields > Mailchimp List URL. - Select
Save.
Hidden Colors
To hide an in-stock color, e.g. when preparing to show it a specific date/time, you can add them by name to the Hidden Colors metafield.
Hidden colors will not show up on the site at all. They will not be available to sign up for back in stock notifications either. If the only variants that are available for a product are hidden, the product will be considered unavailable on every page of the site, but will still appear in any collections that depend on the product being available. That is because the product is technically available if there is stock.
Hiding a Product
The following are criteria that prevent a product from showing up in the Hydrogen store when any have been met.
- The product has no
Product type - The product has no
Media(featured image) - The product is tagged
hidden - The product is tagged
draft - (DEPRECATED v2) The product has a
Product typeoffabricandfeatureis one of itsTags - (DEPRECATED v2) The product has
additionalas one of it’sTags
The following are criteria will hide a product from “Recommended products” sections.
- The product is itself not included or within any
Collectionwhich is included in one of the Sanity studio’s navigation menus.
Previewing a product
In the Shopify admin, the Preview button currently does not work. Instead follow these steps to preview a product before it is shown on the site:
- Either add the tag
drafttoProduct organization -> Tags(recommended) or make sure the product meets one or more of the requirements from Hiding a Product. - (DEPRECATED: this step is no longer necessary when using the
drafttag or the product is hidden) Obfuscate the URL by adding-followed by any miscellaneous text to the URL handle, e.g.handle-previeworhandle-9874587942389. This must be changed back to justhandlewhen ready to go live. - Copy the URL handle.
- Under
Publishing, publish the product to theHydrogenchannel only. - Set the
StatustoActive. The product is now visible on the website atoutlier.nyc/products/url-handle. It will be hidden to visitors even if they navigate directly to that URL. - Open the Sanity studio and find the product under
Structure > Products. Make your edits and either preview them in thePresentationtab or in another tab at the preview URL copied fromOpen previewinPresentation -> Share button to the right of the preview window address barwhen the product’s details page is open in thePresentationpreview window. - Draft and hidden products are visible when the site is in preview mode. The only people who can see the site in preview mode are users who are signed in Sanity Studio and have activated preview mode, and anyone with the preview share link. This allows you to share a draft product’s page with other team members.
Going Live
After the product has been edited in both the Shopify admin and the Sanity studio, previewed and approved, it can go live from the Shopify admin.
- Remove the
draftand/orhiddentag fromProduct orgainization -> Tags. - (DEPRECATED) Under
Search engine listing > URL handlemake sure the handle is returned to it’s original form, e.g. without any miscellaneous text added to the end for previewing. - Under
Product organization, make sureProduct type,Collections, andTagshave the appropriate values for the product to be included in the correct collections and not be hidden according to the conditions in Hiding a Product. Including the product in any collections that appear in the shop’s menu in the Sanity studio’sStructure > Settings > Navigation, or adding it itself to the menus makes the product visible. A product with theProduct typeoffabricdoes not need to be in the navigation to appear in search results or on the site. - Under
Publishing, selectHydrogen,Online Store, and all other channels that the product is sold on. - Make sure the product’s
Product statusis set toActiveand selectSave. - Open a private browser window and navigate to the product’s product details page to confirm that the product is visible. If you are done previewing you can do this in a normal browser window and select “Stop previewing” at the bottom left of the page.
Product Media
The media field is used to store the featured image. For legacy products and products that aren’t customized in the Sanity Studio, all media is stored here.
Featured Image (required)
Shopify Admin Setup:
- File must be a JPG filetype.
- File must be position 1 within the media field
- The featured image’s aspect ratio should be 2/3 or at least portrait. In collection/search grid items, the image will be automatically resized and cropped to fit a 2/3 aspect ratio.
Main Image (recommended)
The main image appears on the product page as the hero. If no main image is set, the featured image will be used in its place.
Sanity Studio Setup:
- JPG filetype, 1800px minimum width
Shopify Admin Setup (when not using the Sanity template):
- File must be a JPG filetype.
- File must be position 2 within the media field
Variant Images (at least one required)
It’s important to include at least one variant image to be used for the color slideshow on the product’s page. Because the variant images are used in the color slideshows and are zoomable, they image should be as large as other product page images.
Setup (Shopify Admin and Sanity Studio override):
- File must be a JPG filetype.
- JPG filetype, 1800px minimum width
- All variant images should be the same aspect ratio.
Color Slideshow Buttons
By default the color slideshow buttons will take their color from the averaged color found in the first variant image found representing the color. To override this color, or to use an image for a pattern, add a new swatch with an identical color title in the Sanity studio under Structure > Settings > Product options.
Setup for pattern images:
- JPG filetype, 250px minimum width
Tags
Tags Reference
archive:- includes a product to the archive collection
- includes an “archive” badge on the product grid card
- disables the quick buy form on the product grid card
- displays “archive” instead of “out of stock” on product’s details pages
- disables “Back in Stock” functionality on product’s details page
- hides the project from recommended products grids
Fabric Title(replace “Fabric Title” with an actual fabric title)- includes the product in the fabric collection
draftmarks the product as in draft review (work around for Shopify drafts being incompatible with Hydrogen)- hides the product from the site unless viewing the product’s details page in Sanity’s preview mode
hiddenmiscellaneous hiding functionality- hides the product from the site
- (DEPRECATED v2)
feature- hides the product from search results when paired with a
Product typeoffabric
- hides the product from search results when paired with a
- (DEPRECATED v2)
additionalmarks the product as an additional variants product- hides the product from search results
Product Type
The type of product.
Product Type Reference
Below is a list of the product types that effect the appearance and functionality of a product within the theme.
fabric
- the product’s details page will always have the url structure
outlier.nyc/fabric/handle - a collection grid’s product card will display a “Fabric” badge
- the product’s search result will be in a separate section of predictive search results
- the product will have fabric-specific set of fields in the Sanity studio
- fabrics will be listed separately in the Sanity studio
- (DEPRECATED v2) when combined with the
Tagfeaturewill exclude the product from searches
Gift Card
- Shows the product in the “Gift Cards” section of the Sanity studio
- Shows a gift card-specific page editor in the Sanity studio
Product Metafields
Product Metafields Reference
Custom Out Of Stock Message
Text: Use this field to override the default Out of Stock messaging. e.g. “Expected in July”.
Hidden Colors
List of single-line texts: Add colors by name to hide them from visitors even if they are in-stock, e.g. a color that is scheduled to be released at a specific time.
Mailchimp List URL
URL: Use this field to let customers sign up for updates about this product. See Product Level Notifications.
(DEPRECATED v2) Additional Variants Products
List of References: Use this field to select products that hold additional variants when exceeding the maximum allowed variants in the Shopify Admin. See Exceeding 100 Variants.
Details
Details are the attributes of a product. These are special attributes that can be categorized and shared between products. Sharing details allows a product’s attributes to be datapoints for searching, sorting, filtering and other useful functionality. Importantly, a shared attribute creates a single source of truth and allows attributes to have associated content such as icons.
Details are stored in Sanity studio > Structure > Details. While detail categories, types, and items can be created here, it is better to create them from the product fields where they are set.
How Details Work
Details are essentially tiny documents broken up in to “Categories”, “Types”, and “Items”. Their hiearchy is as follows:
Category
|
|_Type
| |
| |_Item
| |
| |_Item
| |
| |_Item
|
|_Type
|
|_Item
|
|_Item
|
|_Item
Example:
Care <---category
washing <---type
- machine wash cold
<---item - wash with like colors
<---item
dry cleaning <---type
- do not dry clean
<---item
A “Category” can be thought of as the sections of a product’s details page, e.g. Fit, Form, Care, etc., and function as families for Types. Categories are symbolized by a triangle throughout the Sanity studio.
A “Type” can belong to one Category. This allows a similar type to be distinct for different categories, such as weight. A weight type can be specific to a Fabric or to a Form category. Types are symbolized by a square throughout the Sanity studio.
An “Item” can belong to a single Type. A type can use different inputs, such as “Text”, “Icon & Text”, and “Measurement”. A measurement has a “Part” field which can be used to specify what the measurement is for. If a measurement is for a particular option for the product, such as a size or color, you can use this field to specify that, e.g. “1000G (size M)”, or a material after a percents, like “50% Merino”. Items are symbolized by a circle throughout the Sanity studio.
Exception: For the type of “Revision History”, there are no shareable items. Each revision is unique and therefor will be created for each product. Revision History types are symbolized with a calendar icon and revision history items are symbolized by a clock icon throughout the Sanity studio.
(DEPRECATED) Exceeding 100 Variants
Exceeding 100 variants is no longer possible in v3.
(DEPRECATED v1.0)
- All products have identical Titles.
- The primary product has the tag
primary. - The non-primary products have the same handle as the primary product appended with
-2or-3and so on. Example:new-way-shorts-2. - All products belong to a collection that shares the product title.
- The collection must have the same handle as the primary product appended with
-relater. Example:new-way-shorts-relater. - The primary product must be first in the collection.
(DEPRECATED v2)
- All products have identical Titles.
- The primary product has the tag
primary. (Currently used to organize collections and prevent secondary products from showing. This will have to be refactored after launch. If collections conditions are refactored, theprimarytag is not needed) - The non-primary products have the same handle as the primary product appended with
-2or-3and so on. Example:new-way-shorts-2. - The primary product must have additional variants products selected in the “Additional Variants Products” metafield.
- Additional Variants Products must have the
additional-variantstemplate chosen.
(DEPRECATED v3)
- A collection must exist that includes all products tagged with
additional, the collection tag that the primary product uses (e.g. “pants”), and inventory stock greater than 0. This collection must be referenced in the primary collection’sAdditional Variants Products Collectionmetafield. - All products have identical Titles.
- The non-primary products have the same handle as the primary product appended with
-2or-3and so on. Example:new-way-shorts-2. - The primary product must have additional variants products selected in the “Additional Variants Products” metafield.
- The non-primary products must be tagged with
additionaland the collection tag that the primary product uses, e.g.pants.
Gift Cards
Gift cards can be purchased by customers with a personalized message in various denominations, or issued by Outlier directly and through returns.
Gift Card Products
To create a gift card product for customers to purchase, follow the guide in the Creating a Gift Card Product section.
Gift Card Design
Customization of the generated gift card design that appears in email notifications and when a recipient views their gift card on the site is limited to the logo and image used. Any other customizations should be made by PTOH.
Changing the Gift Card Notification Image
When a customer purchases a gift card, the featured image for the Gift Card Product will automatically be used in the issued gift card’s design.
To change the image used for gift cards issued by Outlier:
Shopify Admin
- Upload the Outlier wordmark logo image to
Settings > Files:- The image must be at least 600px wide.
- The image must have black text and either white or transparent background.
- The file type must be PNG.
- The file must be titled
outlier-logo-wordmark.png.
- Upload the Gift Card image to
Settings > Files:- The image must be at least 600px wide.
- The file type must be JPG.
- The file must be titled
outlier-gift-card.jpg.
Migrating from v2 to v3
- Menus, Styles, Social media links, Newsletter signup, Language/labels, and Global SEO are now controlled in the Sanity studio under
Structure > Settings. - The Homepage, and all other “Pages” are now created and edited in the Sanity studio under
Structure > HomeandStructure > Pages. All pages can use “modules” which are similar to “Sections” in the v2 Shopify admin. - All product colors and swatches are now located in the Sanity studio under
Structure > Settings > Product options. - Convert Fabric “Feature Collections” to pages within the Sanity studio. These can be removed from Shopify admin after launch.
Support
For questions or help, contact Peter.