Shopify Metaobjects: From Meta-mystery to mastery
Although Shopify has already offered a lot of models for store owners to organize their data like products, customers, and orders, there’s always a burning desire to customize their data in Shopify.
This is where Shopify metaobjects come to mind. In short, metaobjects are powerful ways to create and reuse custom data structures beyond Shopify’s standard resources. In this blog, we’ll walk through their definition, usage, and step-by-step of how to create metaobjects.
Without further ado, let’s dive in and discover the topic!
Contents
1. Shopify metaobjects overview
1.1. What are metaobjects in Shopify
In short, Shopify metaobjects are powerful features that allow Shopify store owners to create their customized data structures. Here is a list of how metaobjects Shopify can help:
- Grouping information: Metaobjects allow you to group different pieces of information to create an organized and efficient management of complex data.
- Flexibility: Metaobjects allow you to ultimately enhance your data flexibility in terms of displaying and showing information about your brand.
- Custom data structures: Although Shopify already offers solutions to handle core data like products, customers, and orders, businesses often need to store more complex or specific information. Metaobjects offer custom data structures that go beyond the limitations of the Shopify standard fields.
1.2. Shopify Metaobjects components
1.2.1. Definition
The definition is like the master plan of your metaobjects in Shopify. It can refer to the schema or outline, which determines the kind of data the metaobject will hold. To build a metaobject, you’ll need to give it a name and then populate it with fields. Each field is categorized by Type, which means the type of data it contains.
This can be summarized as:
- Name: The identifier of the metaobject; it determines how you refer to the data
- Types: This refers to the type of data in each field of the metaobjects, for example, text, number, image, date, list, etc.
- Fields: Each field is a specific piece of information; it is where the actual data is stored in the metaobjects
1.2.2. Entries
Entries are the individual instances or records of the metaobjects. Each entry contains an actual database of the definition structure.
1.2.3. The connection between the definition and entries
The definition creates the outline or format of the data, while the entries contain the specific data in that format. The fields in your metaobject definition determine the fields in your metaobject entries.
Overall, the definition is the structure, and the entries are the data filled in that structure.
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1.2.4. Do Shopify Metaobjects and Metafields differ?
Most of the time, Shopify metaobjects are often mistaken with metafields. In this table, we’ll point out the key differences between these two and help you differentiate Shopify metaobjects vs metafields.
Metaobjects | Metafields | |
|---|---|---|
Best used for | Best used for data that can be reused across products or parts of the store or when they need to be grouped | Best used for simple, specific data |
Data type | Designed to store complicated groups of information | Designed to store a simple, single piece of information |
Data structure | Create custom data structures that group multiple related pieces of information. | Attach data or custom information to existing Shopify resources like products, collections, etc. |
Storage structure | Itself is a container that holds multiple metafields in it | Consist of the key-value pairs, where “key” identifies the data, and “value” holds the data itself |
2. Why use Shopify metaobjects?
After having discovered what metaobjects are and how they are used in online stores, we’ll dig deeper to understand why we should use Shopify metaobjects instead of other tools.
- Improve data organization: Shopify metaobjects offer efficient, organized tools for data management, especially those with complex structures. The feature is extremely helpful, specifically for businesses with unique product information or data requirements.
- Elevated content management: Besides unique, reusable data structures, Shopify metaobjects also help with content creation streamlining and updating. Thus, you can save a lot of time and effort while enhancing the consistency and efficiency of your online store.
- Data reusability: Shopify metaobjects allow you to reuse information from one entry and display it as many times as you wish. Therefore, you won’t have to re-enter the same data over time.
- Upgraded functionality: Beyond what Shopify can offer, Shopify metaobjects unlock new possibilities for your online store. It allows you to build custom structures and functionalities to fulfill all of your store needs.
- Enhanced customer experience: As information is shown clearly and organized, customers will have a better shopping experience, increasing their trust in your brand.
3. How to create Shopify metaobjects
To begin using Shopify metaobjects in your Shopify store, you must first create them, as they are not already set up on the Shopify platform. Don’t worry; follow our step-by-step guide, and you’ll be able to create it successfully on the first try.
Step 1: Accessing Shopify Admin
- Log into your Shopify Admin account
- At the navigation menu on your left side, find and click on the button “Settings.”
- In the “Settings” page, locate and click on the “Custom data” button
The “Custom data” page is where you can manage both your Shopify metaobjects and metafields. It is the central tool for defining and organizing data within your Shopify store.
Step 2: Creating a Definition:
- In the “Custom data” section, make sure you click on the tab for “Metaobjects”
- Choose the “Add definition” button
- Naming your Shopify metaobjects:
The name should be descriptive and reflect the type of data within it. This will help a lot when you need to identify and reference that specific information across your Shopify store. For instance, you can start with some specific names like “Product highlights” to showcase product key features. And for data related to culinary, name it “Recipe”.
- Click “Add filed” to create a new field. For each field, you’ll need to define its Name, Type, and Validation Rules.
👉🏻Name: the descriptive name for your field. It can be “Highlight Image,” “Title,” or “Description.”
👉🏻Type: the type of your data field. It can be text, number, image, date, or list, etc.
👉🏻Validation rules: set based on your type of field. For example, you can set character limits for text fields, minimum and maximum values for number fields, etc.
- Carefully review your metaobjects once everything is set, then click on the “Save” button
After this step, Shopify will create the metaobjects definition, and you’ll be able to add entries based on the definition.
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4. How to create entries
After you have defined the structure of your Shopify metaobjects, the next step is to create entries. As we mentioned, entries are the actual instances where you store your data in your metaobject structure.
Step 1: Accessing Entries
- Log into your Shopify Admin panel
- On the Navigation menu on the left, choose “Content”
- In the “Content” section > find and select the “Metaobjects”. This is where you will manage all of your data entries in different metaobjects definitions.
- In a list of existing metaobjects definitions, choose the one you want to create new entries within. By selecting the definition, you’ll also tell Shopify what form of data to use when creating your entries.
Step 2: Adding Entries
- Choose the button “Add entry”
- A form containing the fields you defined in the previous steps will show up. Fill in the form with relevant data.
‼️Reminder: These fields are determined by the metaobject definition you’ve set in the above part. It’s important to make sure you understand all of the data types and validation rules set in each field. For instance, in the “Image” type, ensure you upload an image. And for the “Text” type, you’ll need to type in a string of text.
Step 3: Set status
- You’ll need to set the status of your entries before saving them. The statuses include Active and Draft:
👉🏻Draft: This means your entries are still in progress and cannot be displayed on your store. This also means the entries are not visible to anyone who is online shopping at your store.
👉🏻Active: This means your entries can be displayed on your Shopify store. However, don’t forget to publish it so your customers can read it on your store pages or templates.
- After you’ve filled in the data, carefully review and click the “Save” button
Following this step, Shopify will create the entries based on the data you input. And the entries will be available in your store for use.
5. How to connect metaobjects to your store using dynamic sources
After all the setup steps, we’ll guide you on how to use metaobjects in Shopify, connecting the Shopify metaobjects you created to your store for dynamic sources.
Step 1: Access the “Customize Your Theme” section
- Log in to your Shopify admin panel
- Look for “Online Store” > choose “Themes”
- On this page, find the theme you want to edit and click on the “Customize” button. Then, the Shopify theme editor page will pop up. This is where you can modify the layout and content of your store.
Step 2: Click the block to connect a metaobject
- Go to the page or template where you want to display your metaobject data
- Choose a block and click on it to open its settings in the editor’s sidebar.
- In the block setting’s sidebar, choose “Connect dynamic source.” This will link the block’s content to dynamic data.
After this step, Shopify will present a list of available dynamic sources, including your metaobject definitions. Don’t forget to check it out!
Step 4: Select a metaobject
- In the list of metaobjects definitions, choose the one that contains the data you want to display
- After that, choose the specific field that contains the data in the list
- Review your changes
- Click the “Save” button to save all the changes and display them in your store
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6. Metaobjects best practices
To ensure best practices in creating the Shopify metaobjects for your store, try following these special tips that we’ve compiled for you.
- Ensure reusability: Create metaobjects that can be used across multiple pages or products. This will help reduce the time spent updating your content and make the process simpler and more efficient.
- Outline your structure: Before actually creating your metaobjects, plan and outline the fields and their types ahead. That way, you can ensure data in your metaobjects is organized and consistent.
- Name it descriptively: Use descriptive names for your metaobjects. The clearer the names are, the easier it will be for you to manage your data, especially when your store grows bigger in the future.
- Leverage dynamic sources: Don’t forget to use dynamic sources in your theme editor and seamlessly connect Shopify metaojbects data into your store content. This will assist you in creating a personalized, dynamic experience, as well as optimize the conversion rate for your store.
- Maintain Data Integrity: Where applicable, apply validation rules to ensure data consistency and accuracy. This reduces errors and keeps the data structure clean.
7. To wrap up
We hope that our blog today has given you all the information needed on the topic of Shopify metaobjects. If you find this blog helpful, save it for later use or comment to let us know.
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