Metafields and Dynamic sources are Shopify features that allow you to store and display unique content for products, collections, blogs, and pages. These features are perfect for displaying specific product information — such as size guides or part numbers — for different products that use the same template.
This guide provides a general overview of using metafields and dynamic sources in our themes. Follow the links below for instructions for using dynamic sources for specific theme features.
Watch video tutorials
Watch the step-by-step tutorials for the Metafields. The first video provides a general introduction, and the second video shows you how to use metafields for unique size guides and complementary products.
Overview
Shopify | Metafields and dynamic sources are a Shopify feature. Our themes use these features but they are controlled by Shopify. For a full overview, see Shopify's metafields guide ↗.
If you want to display specific content for different products, you can use Shopify's metafields and dynamic sources. These features allow you to store and automatically display unique content for different products.
Metafields are extra data fields in your Shopify admin that can store additional information and content for products, collections, blogs, and pages.
Dynamic sources are what connect metafields to templates and sections. When added to the theme editor, they automatically display metafield content for specific products and pages that use the same template.
General steps
Follow the steps below to add metafields to store unique text for different products.
Then, use Dynamic sources to connect metafields to specific settings in your theme editor. Your theme will automatically use the content entered in the metafield for the product that's currently being viewed.
1. Create metafields for products
Shopify's Metafields lets you store additional information about your products. You can create custom fields to hold different types of information in your Shopify admin, and enter unique content for each of your products.
The steps below tell you how to add a metafield with links to Shopify's guides for different metafield types.
STEPS
In your Shopify admin:
Go to Settings > Custom data.
Click the Add definition button in the top-right.
Enter a Name that describes what information the metafield will contain.
2. Add content to metafields
Once you've created Metafields for your products in the Shopify admin, you can now add content to those fields for your products in the Shopify admin.
STEPS
In your Shopify admin:
Go to your Product inventory in your Shopify admin and open one of your Products.
Scroll down to the Metafields section and enter update the metafields that you created.
3. Insert metafields as dynamic sources
Now that the Metafields of your products have content, you can go to the theme editor to insert a Dynamic source.
STEPS
In your theme editor (Customize):
Click on a block or section to open the settings.
Click an Insert dynamic source button next to a field or setting.
Select the Metafield that you created.
You can now preview your store to confirm the correct content or settings appears when viewing different products.
Related linksEdit default theme contentMultiple languagesUnique content for markets
FAQs
Insert metafields as dynamic sources
What is a dynamic source in Shopify theme? ›
Dynamic sources link the data stored as a metafield to section input settings, which allows merchants to add metafields to pages straight from the theme editor.
What is dynamic content Shopify? ›
Metafields and Dynamic sources are Shopify features that allow you to store and display unique content for products, collections, blogs, and pages.
How do I create a dynamic section in Shopify? ›
Adding Dynamic Sections to your Shopify store
- Step 1: Customize your theme.
- Step 2: Add a new section.
- Step 1: Create a section with Shogun.
- Step 2: Add it to a page using the Shopify Theme Editor.
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Custom data. In the Metafields section, click Product metafields. Click Add definition. Name your metafield definition Care guide and click the standard metafield definition that is displayed.
What are the dynamic content options? ›
The dynamic content options are contextual, so that on a blog post, portfolio item, or WooCommerce product, you will see options relevant for those specific custom post types, while on an image, you will only have relevant options for images.
What are examples of dynamic sources? ›
Dynamic data sources are widely available on smart phones in the form of an 'app'. For example you can get an app to monitor stock prices. It is updated minute by minute. Another example is real-time traffic updates linked to your Sat-Nav.
What are the best examples of dynamic content? ›
One of the well-known dynamic content examples is Amazon's recommendation engine. Other examples include: Personalized popups that change text based on user characteristics and in-session behavior. Recommended products based on browser history.
Why use dynamic content? ›
Dynamic content allows you to change what a recipient sees when opening an email. You can define content based on predefined sets of segment rules from your lists' data points.
What is the purpose of dynamic content? ›
Dynamic content within these media helps organizations successfully build and sell websites by incorporating scripts and language to continually change copy and visuals, driving different messages to diverse audiences. Also known as “adaptive content,” the messages change, based on the audiences' needs and behaviors.
Create Dynamic Content
- Make a selection for Dynamic Block Options: ...
- To select the content that appears if the subscriber data does not satisfy any of the dynamic content rules, click Browse.... ...
- Use an option to add your content: ...
- Click Select.
- Click Create Rule #.
There are static and dynamic sections. Static sections are included in a theme's layout files just like the header and footer areas. Dynamic sections can be added to your pages from the Theme Editor.
How do I get dynamic content? ›
Appcomonent injects ViewContainerRef to gain access to the view container of the element that will host the dynamically added component. To add the component to the template, you call createComponent() on ViewContainerRef .
What is the use of Metafields in Shopify? ›
You can use metafields for internal tracking, or to display specialized information on your online store in a variety of ways. For example, a candle seller might want to display a burn time for candles on their product pages, whereas a grocery store might want to display a product expiration date for canned goods.
What is the difference between Metafields and metaobjects in Shopify? ›
Metafields are a great way to add additional parameters to products in your catalog and display them on a storefront. Metaobjects are still relatively new, as they were introduced in February 2023. You can think of them as custom objects with multiple parameters/fields.
What does dynamic source mean? ›
Metafields and Dynamic sources are Shopify features that allow you to store and display unique content for products, collections, blogs, and pages. These features are perfect for displaying specific product information — such as size guides or part numbers — for different products that use the same template.
How do I turn on dynamic checkout on Shopify? ›
In the Product information section, click Buy buttons. Select or deselect Show dynamic checkout buttons. If your theme doesn't have the Show dynamic checkout buttons setting, then you need to update your theme or edit your theme code. Click Save.
What is a responsive Shopify theme? ›
Shopify offers a great selection of responsive themes that are optimized for every possible layout and screen resolution. Whether your customers view your site from a tablet, smartphone desktop or laptop, your website displays perfectly – exactly as it should.
