Shopify Liquid: How to Build Dynamic Custom Pages for Your Online Store
At Kiwi Commerce, we understand that running a successful online store involves more than just listing products; it’s about creating a unique, engaging, and highly functional shopping experience for your customers. One of the best ways to do this on Shopify is by using Shopify Liquid, Shopify’s open-source templating language. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to build dynamic custom pages that not only match your brand but also offer advanced functionality.
What is Shopify Liquid?
Shopify Liquid is the backbone of your Shopify store’s theme. It allows you to access, display, and manipulate data from your store and create dynamic, custom pages. It’s not a traditional programming language like JavaScript or PHP; instead, it’s a templating language designed to render dynamic content, such as product details, collections, and more.
When you use Liquid, you’re able to build custom pages that dynamically adjust based on the data available in your Shopify store. Whether you want to create a custom landing page, an informative “About Us” page, or a promotional page, Liquid can help you achieve this with ease.
Step-by-Step Guide to Building Dynamic Custom Pages
1. Understand the Structure of Liquid
Before diving into creating custom pages, it’s essential to understand the core structure of Liquid. It operates through the use of objects, tags, and filters:
- Objects: These hold the data that you want to display (e.g., {{ product.title }} to display a product’s title).
- Tags: Used for logic and control flow, such as loops ({% for %}) or conditional statements ({% if %}).
- Filters: Modify output data, like changing the case of text or formatting dates (e.g., {{ product.title | upcase }}).
Knowing how to combine these elements allows you to create custom pages that update dynamically based on the store’s data.
2. Create a New Page Template
To create a dynamic custom page, you’ll first need to set up a custom template in Shopify. Here’s how:
- Go to your Shopify admin and click on Online Store > Themes.
- Click on Actions > Edit code to access your theme’s code.
- Under the Templates section, click Add a new template. Choose the Page template and name it something relevant (e.g., custom-page).
This will generate a new Liquid file where you can add your custom code for the page.
3. Use Liquid to Add Dynamic Content
Now that you have your custom template, you can start adding dynamic content using Liquid. For example, if you want to display a specific product’s details on your page, you can use:
liquid
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{% assign product = all_products[‘product-handle’] %}
<h1>{{ product.title }}</h1>
<p>{{ product.description }}</p>
In the example above, we assign a product to a variable called product using the product handle (e.g., product-handle), and then we display the title and description using Liquid objects.
You can apply this same technique to display other dynamic content, like collections, blog posts, or customer reviews.
4. Add Conditional Statements for Personalisation
Personalisation is key to creating dynamic pages that cater to different customer needs. With Liquid, you can use if statements to tailor content based on certain conditions.
For example, if you want to show a special message to customers who are logged in, you can use:
liquid
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{% if customer %}
<p>Welcome back, {{ customer.first_name }}!</p>
{% else %}
<p>Sign up for an account to enjoy exclusive discounts!</p>
{% endif %}
This allows you to create more personalised and engaging experiences for your customers based on their activity on your site.
5. Incorporate Product Recommendations
Product recommendations are a fantastic way to drive more sales by showing customers related or recommended products based on their browsing or purchase history. With Liquid, you can use the product recommendations feature to add dynamic product suggestions to your custom page.
liquid
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{% if product %}
<h2>You might also like</h2>
<ul>
{% for related_product in product.recommendations %}
<li>
<a href=”{{ related_product.url }}”>{{ related_product.title }}</a>
</li>
{% endfor %}
</ul>
{% endif %}
In this example, you dynamically pull product recommendations related to the current product and display them on the page.
6. Add a Custom Contact Form with Liquid
For many online stores, a contact form is an essential part of the customer experience. Liquid makes it easy to create a custom contact form for your pages. Here’s how to do it:
liquid
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<form action=”/contact” method=”post”>
<label for=”name”>Name</label>
<input type=”text” id=”name” name=”contact[name]” required>
<label for=”email”>Email</label>
<input type=”email” id=”email” name=”contact[email]” required>
<label for=”message”>Message</label>
<textarea id=”message” name=”contact[body]” required></textarea>
<button type=”submit”>Submit</button>
</form>
This simple form will send a message to your Shopify store’s contact email when submitted. You can style it as needed with CSS to match your branding.
7. Testing and Publishing Your Custom Page
Once you’ve added the necessary dynamic elements, it’s important to test your custom page. You can preview the page by going to your Shopify admin under Online Store > Pages, selecting the custom page you created, and clicking the View button.
After confirming everything looks and functions as expected, you can publish the page to make it live on your store.
Why Choose Kiwi Commerce for Shopify Development?
At Kiwi Commerce, we understand that every online store is unique. That’s why we offer custom Shopify development services tailored to your specific needs. Whether you want to create dynamic custom pages like the ones described here or need a complete overhaul of your online store, our team of Shopify experts is here to help.
With years of experience in Shopify development, we can help you leverage the full potential of Shopify Liquid to create a website that not only looks great but also provides an exceptional customer experience.
Conclusion
Shopify Liquid gives you the power to create highly dynamic, custom pages that enhance your online store. By understanding how to manipulate Shopify’s data using Liquid, you can build pages that are not only visually appealing but also personalised, engaging, and functional. At Kiwi Commerce, we are passionate about helping businesses unlock the full potential of Shopify. Contact us today to find out how we can help you build a dynamic online store that stands out.