Product Options for Shopify

Before you start

Use a Shopify Online Store theme that supports app blocks and sign in with permission to manage apps, products and themes. Work on a duplicate theme first when the live storefront is already taking orders.

Prepare the app

Open the app from Shopify admin and complete its Setup screen before editing storefront products.

1. Open Setup and choose Configure app.
2. Accept any permissions Shopify requests after an app update.
3. Open Products, select a test product and save at least one option.

Add the product-page block

The option fields appear through a theme app block. The block must be added to the exact product template assigned to the product you are testing.

1. Go to Online Store → Themes and choose Customize on the theme you want to test.
2. Open a product that uses the intended product template.
3. Add the Product custom options app block near the product form or buy buttons.
4. Save the theme and preview the product as a customer.

Price-adjustment setup

Stores using eligible price adjustments must also complete the charge setup shown in the app and enable the Extra charge cart sync app embed when instructed. Test the product page, cart drawer, full cart and checkout before publishing the theme.

Create an option set

Open Products in the app, choose a product and add the fields customers should complete. Product options are stored separately from Shopify variants, so they do not consume the product's native variant combinations.

1. Choose Add option and enter a clear customer-facing name.
2. Select the field type and configure its type-specific settings.
3. Mark the field as required only when the customer must make a selection.
4. Save the option, arrange the option order and save the product configuration.

Available field types

The editor supports six field types. Availability can depend on the selected app plan.

• Text — free-form text with an optional placeholder and maximum length.
• Number — numeric input with optional minimum, maximum and step values.
• Checkbox — a single on/off choice with a customer-facing label.
• Radio — a visible list where the customer chooses one value.
• Dropdown — a compact select menu containing the configured values.
• Button group — values displayed as adjacent selectable buttons.

Editing safely

Duplicate an existing option when the new field is similar, then change its name and values. Keep option names unique on a product because those names are also used to label the selection in the cart and order. Preview the storefront again after changing required fields or value lists.

Create a reusable template

Templates are reusable sets of option definitions for catalogs that repeat the same personalization choices. They are available when the store's plan includes templates.

1. Open Templates and choose Create template.
2. Give the template a name that identifies the product family or use case.
3. Add and arrange its option fields, then save the template.
4. Open a product and use Add from template to apply the saved set.

Templates are copied, not linked

Applying a template creates a copy of its options on the selected product. Later edits to the template do not automatically overwrite products that already use it, which protects product-specific changes. Reapply or manually update the affected products when you intentionally change a shared setup.

Manage template data

Templates can be opened, edited and deleted from the Templates area. They are stored as app-owned Shopify metaobjects; unlike the product option configuration, app-owned template data may not remain available after the app is uninstalled. Keep an external record of important configurations before uninstalling.

How selections travel through Shopify

The storefront adds completed options as public Shopify line-item properties. Shopify keeps those properties with the cart line and the resulting order, so staff can review the selected configuration in the order details. Their appearance in notification emails, packing slips and third-party fulfillment tools depends on the Shopify template or integration used by the store.

Price adjustments

When the selected plan and Shopify store are eligible, an option or individual value can add a surcharge or apply a discount. Positive adjustments use a linked charge line; signed cart data and Shopify Functions protect the relationship between the product and its adjustment. Price-adjustment availability can require Shopify Plus and final eligibility is shown inside the app.

• Never preselect an optional paid choice; the buyer must actively choose it.
• Removing the base product also removes its linked charge lines.
• Changing the base quantity keeps linked charge quantities synchronized.
• Discounts cannot reduce the product below zero.

Test the complete purchase path

Use a low-risk test product and verify the product page, cart drawer, full cart, checkout, test order, order detail, notification email and packing slip. Themes render carts differently, so a successful product-page test alone is not enough for a price-adjustment launch.

Options do not appear on the product page

First confirm that the product has a saved option configuration. Then open the theme editor and check that Product custom options is enabled on the exact product template assigned to that product. A block added to the default product template does not appear on products assigned to another template.

Selections or prices do not look right in the cart

Confirm that the theme and app configuration were saved, then test both the cart drawer and full cart. For price adjustments, verify that the charge setup is complete and that the cart-sync app embed is enabled. If the theme has a custom AJAX cart, include the theme name, a preview link and clear reproduction steps when contacting support.

Orders, emails and packing slips

Selections use Shopify line-item properties. If order details show them but a notification or packing slip does not, review that Shopify template for code that hides or omits line-item properties. Third-party order and fulfillment apps decide independently which properties they import.

Uninstalling and reinstalling

The app stores per-product option configuration in the merchant-owned custom.product_options product metafield, which is separate from the app session database. Shopify can retain that value after uninstall. Reusable templates are app-owned metaobjects and may be removed as part of the app-owned data lifecycle. The app deletes its own stored shop sessions when Shopify sends the uninstall or shop-redaction webhook.

Get support

Email support@dolphinland.org with the store domain, affected product, theme name, expected result and screenshots. Do not send customer passwords, payment details or unnecessary personal data.