Riding the Liquid Wave
Shopify's Liquid templating language is deceptively simple. The basics take an hour to learn, but mastery takes years. Here are the patterns and techniques I've developed after building dozens of custom themes.
Performance-First Patterns
Cache Repeated Lookups
Every time you access a property, Liquid does work. Cache values you'll use multiple times:
{% assign product_price = product.price %}
Avoid Nested Loops
N squared operations kill performance. If you're looping within loops, look for a better data structure or use the map filter.
Use render Over include
The render tag creates an isolated scope, preventing variable pollution and enabling better caching.
Schema Design Patterns
Sensible Defaults
Every setting should have a default that works. Merchants shouldn't need to configure everything to see something reasonable.
Logical Grouping
Use blocks for repeatable content, but don't over-engineer. A simple header/content/footer structure often beats complex nested blocks.
Metafield Integration
Connect section settings to metafields for dynamic content that merchants can manage at the product level.
Common Gotchas
- Whitespace: Use
{%-and-%}to strip whitespace in critical paths - Nil checks: Always check for nil before accessing properties
- Array limits: The
all_productsglobal only returns 20 items - Date formatting: Use
date: "%Y-%m-%d"for consistent formats
The Liquid Mindset
Liquid isn't JavaScript. Don't fight it. Embrace its declarative nature. When you find yourself wishing for complex logic, ask: "Can I restructure the data instead?"
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