How does Shopify Liquid work?

Shopify Liquid Work
Ecommerce, Shopify

Liquid is an open-source templating language that was developed by Shopify, and it is written in Ruby. Liquid is the interface between the HTML structure of your shopify theme, and your stores dynamic data such as product data, information in the cart, information about the customer, etc.
It’s the engine behind the dynamic parts of every Shopify theme.

How Liquid Works in a Shopify Theme?

Liquid uses placeholders, logic, and loops to render dynamic content. Here’s how it works:

  • Shopify pulls data from your store (like product titles, prices, images).
  • Liquid injects that data into the HTML template using special tags and syntax.
  • The result is a complete HTML file sent to the browser.

Key Components of Liquid

There are three main types of syntax in Liquid:

  1. Objects
    Objects output data from the Shopify store. They’re wrapped in double curly braces: {{ }}
    Example:
    {{ product.title }}
  2. Tags
    Tags are wrapped in curly braces and percent signs: {% %} They control logic and flow, such as conditions and loops.
    Examples:
    If condition:
    {% if product.available %} This product is in stock. {% endif %}

    For loop:
    {% for product in collection.products %}
    {{ product.title }}
    {% endfor %}
  3. Filters
    Filters are used to modify output. You apply them to objects using the pipe symbol |.
    Example:
    {{ product.price | money }}

Liquid in Action: Rendering a Product Page

Let’s say you’re on a product page. Here’s what Liquid might be doing behind the scenes:

Shopify Code

This code dynamically pulls the product’s title, image, and description from Shopify’s backend, and shows or hides the “Add to Cart” button based on availability.

Where You’ll See Liquid Files

Liquid is used in almost every file in a Shopify theme:

  • .liquid files in /templates, /sections, and /snippets folders.
  • It mixes with HTML and CSS to form fully functional web pages.
  • You’ll often see variables like {{ shop.name }}, {{ cart.total_price }}, etc.

Why Use Liquid?

  • Dynamic Content: Brings in new data automatically (e.g., product stock, prices).
  • Reusable: Can loop over arrays or render blocks conditionally.
  • Theme-Friendly: Designed to unlink content from design, so themes are flexible.

What Liquid Can’t Do

  • No backend access: Liquid does not talk to databases directly nor run server-side scripts such as PHP or Node.js.
  • No real-time changes: Changes are rendered once and pushed to the browser. No dynamic updating without JavaScript.

Final Thoughts

Shopify Liquid is a wonderful resource for crafting dynamic, variable storefronts without delving too deep into backend code. From tweaking a theme to building one from scratch, understanding Liquid is essential to Shopify development.

Start small—tweak a product title or loop through a collection. Then, once you’re comfortable, you’ll discover that Liquid provides so much control over how your store looks and feels.

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