Shopify’s popularity is growing rapidly in the global ecommerce market. Shopify is still the most talked about topic among experts in the field of building online stores. Shopify’s output is what we know as developers. Shopify is a great e-commerce platform that makes selling online easier. You can also customize it to your needs.
It has all the necessary features for middle- and startup stores. As a Shopify expert with over 8 years experience, I have never witnessed Shopify go down because of maintenance/work. The best thing is that Shopify doesn’t slow down if it gets updated by the Shopify developers.
Shopify’s intuitive admin GUI makes it easy for even non-technical users to use. It also means that even people who are not technically skilled can use it easily. It doesn’t cost much to hire Shopify experts, even if your background isn’t technical. It is well worth the investment, given the expertise.
It is easy to create a Shopify store and set up custom designs. However, because Shopify is a hosted solution, you can edit the source code from the admin area. The developer must work only in the browser.
As far as I know, it is a standard feature in all hosting-based solutions. Developers feel at ease with code editors like ATOM, which can be a powerful tool, and Visual Studio Code which is great, especially for javascript developers. Bracket is for creative CSS and HTML developers, while Sublime is available for all. There are many other code editors on the market.
Shopify allows you download the source code of your theme and allow you to edit it. After you’re done, upload the theme source code again. Or, copy the edited files to your editore and save them there before you begin coding. Shopify offers two solutions to this problem, as developers find it tedious and inefficient.
This is the first solution. It’s possible to edit the code in the admin area. The admin editor offers suggestions for each property. It will immediately give you the syntax error if you save the code. The error generator file is not saved, so your store doesn’t get affected by the developer’s code. This option may provide some relief, but developers feel more at ease with their code editor as I mentioned above.
The second option: This is the Theme Kit option. As a Shopify specialist or solution provider, I choose it. While most developers are familiar with the Theme Kit nowadays, it is possible that there are a few people who don’t know much about it.
This post will explain this feature. I’ll also walk you through its operation, which will help you to understand why it is important. This solution is used by us while we work on Shopify projects.
What is a Theme Kit?
Theme Kit, which is designed for Shopify themes and plays an important role in the development of e-commerce shops, is a command-line tool. It simplifies the lives of developers in a significant way, believe it or not. You can download the whole theme to your local computer and then use your editor to edit it. The file is automatically uploaded to the theme you choose when you save it. The command line can be used to check the effectiveness of the file.
If you are a Shopify expert and have never tried this method, the following steps may prove to be very helpful.
MacOS Installation using The Terminal:
Homebrew is a very useful tool for terminal users who are proficient at it. If you don’t know much about it, this link will help you install it quickly.
After Homebrew is installed, follow these steps to install your Theme Kit.
brew tap shopify/shopifybrew installation themekit
For Linux/Ubuntu :
To get the most recent version of Theme Kit, run the following command in your terminal.
curl -s https://shopify.github.io/themekit/scripts/install.py | sudo python
For Windows Installation :
Chocolatey is required for Windows, one of the most widely used operating systems. You can install it with Chocolatey. However, as a Shopify expert I am familiar with it so I will show you how I do it.
You can download Chocolatey from this Link.
Choco install themekit
Even though I didn’t have the terminal experience, I found it difficult to use these terminals. You can also download the terminal manually from if you have the same issue or fear.
Once you have completed the terminal or manual process of installing Theme Kit, your Shopify store can be connected to Theme Kit. Shopify won’t allow you to upload plugins from the admin panel. Shopify does allow you to connect with your store via API. The Shopify app can be developed (private app).
The following steps will help you create an app that connects with your store
Go to Shopify admin and find the app option. Click on it to create a private application. After that, click on’manage private applications’ to create a new app. This will be helpful if you ever want to become Shopify expert.
Complete the necessary information and then set the permissions for the template and other assets. Here is where you need to be careful about giving permission. You will need Read and Write access to Theme Kit in order to use all its features. You will be taken to the next screen if you select the read or write access option from the drop-down. It will contain all the necessary credentials that we will need to connect the store with Theme Kit. Scroll down for the video explaining the above process.
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You are now ready to use Theme Kit. Let’s see how you can view the theme list and configure it.
You must first navigate to the location where your theme and assets can be downloaded before you run the command. I will then show you how to download the theme using the Theme Kit.
It is well-known that Shopify developers cannot work on multiple themes simultaneously. Shopify allows you to customize one theme at a given time. To get the one theme you need, you will need to have the theme ID. The preview link id will give you the theme ID. It is important to note that the theme id as well as the preview link ID are identical. But, you don’t need to see the preview link if you can get the fill access via Theme Kit.
To quickly get the theme list, you can follow the steps below:
theme get -list -p=[your-password] -s=[you-store.myshopify.com]
Remember your password here. This will be your store password. So use a rememberable password. The above command will give you the theme id.
Please make a note of the theme ID you want to configure.
theme get -p=[your-api-password] -s=[you-store.myshopify.com] -t=[your-theme-id]
To configure the theme you want, you can now run the following command. You only need to enter your theme id here.
A quick reminder: Theme kits can have both required and optional parameters.
Environment Commands
These commands are very useful for developers. The -env or -e flags can be used to name the various environments. Here, -e is an abbreviation of the environment command. Shopify’s default environment, ‘development’, is the same as other CMS. The following code is required to deploy the production environment.
theme deploy -env=production
Configure commands
Now it’s time to set up your environments in the configuration files. You can edit and create a configuration file using the following command.
theme configure -password=[your-api-password] -store=[your-store.myshopify.com] -themeid=[your-theme-id]
Let me assure you that I don’t have to explain the parameters. They may be familiar to you. From the command line, you can view config.yml.
Deployment commands
In our industry, deployment is a common process. This is not necessary. I will show you the command.
theme deploy
The deployment command can be run with or without file names. It will replace or deploy the files only if you give file names. You must also provide the complete path to each file, for example:
theme deploy section/product-grid.liquid
Download theme
The complete theme can be retrieved if you call the command as shown below.
theme download
You can download files from Shopify by specifying the path. Below is an example command:
theme download templates/theme.liquid templates/article-detail.liquid
Make a new theme command
The following command can be used to create a new theme.
theme new -password=[your-api-password] -store=[your-store.myshopify.com] -name=”Shopify Development Theme”
Removing File Commands
Developers often make a typo when creating a Shopify file. You can now remove the typo by using this command.
theme remove templates/404.liquid templates/article.liquid
Watch Command
This command is the most important. This command will make node developers happy. This command will be executed continuously on the system. This command will monitor any modifications you make to the file. It will save the file to the Shopify store after you have saved it.
Here’s the superpower command
Theme watch
You can also use the help command to see all of the commands available in Theme Kit.
Theme help
theme [command]
This blog concludes with the emphasis that we use Shopify’s Theme Kit to create custom themes. We love its developer-friendly commands. We always have a copy of the code in our local system. This is a result of years of Shopify coding experience and efficient problem-solving. Hire Shopify Experts to build your eCommerce store. You must evaluate their expertise. Shopify Theme Kit can be a simple, yet effective, way to add life to your eStore and make your customers feel connected to you.
Shopify Theme Kit Access APP
Access granted easily
Share and create Theme Kit passwords so developers can access the Theme Kit CLI.
Share passwords securely
You can share passwords by emailing a secure link that expires after 7 days.
You can control who has access
You can track all developers that have access to your theme, and then revoke their access in one click.
About the Theme Kit Access
The Theme Kit Access app allows you to make it simple for your theme developers, partners, or agencies to access your theme and allow them to customize it while protecting your store.
The Theme Kit Access App allows you to:
- You can share the theme kit passwords with your developers partners without having to create an account for staff.
- You can create as many Theme Kit passwords you like
- All of your Theme Kit passwords can be viewed and managed in one location
- One click to revoke the theme access of any partner
- Email passwords for the Share Theme Kit using a secure link. It expires after 7 days, or when it is viewed.
