Liquid Weekly Podcast: Shopify Developers Talking Shopify Development Karl Meisterheim

Karl and Taylor talk music and video games, everything from Taylor's limited cultural upbringing and getting to experience classic rock for the first time to the ins and outs of the Nintendo Switch.

Taylor speaks to building a custom bundler into a Shopify theme and new issues related to applying a discount, including problems with a method that used to work well in the past with URL parameters. In addition to this, another gift with purchase issue when applying a discount doesn't work perfectly and other ways to approach this with customers.

Karl provides more background on the difficulties involved with a major migration from BigCommerce to Shopify for a merchant with over 250,000 orders.

Karl and Taylor then dig into Shopify Editions for summer 2023 and what it means for Shopify and app and theme devs.

// Resources //https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023Flex sections: https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023#flexible-sections-featuredB2B Features: https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023#b2b-on-shopify-drives-growth-featuredOptimize your Shop: https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023#shop-store-updatesUpdates to Shop Minis SDK: https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023#shop-minis-developers New APIs for custom validation at cart and checkout: https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023#checkout-extension-updates-featured APIs to support more than 100 product variants: https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023#product-variants Generated test data for development stores: https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023#dev-onboarding-improvements 

// Changelog // App review summaries: https://shopify.dev/changelog/app-review-summariesPreview the one-page checkout, thank you page, and new customer account pages directly in the checkout editor: https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/checkout/best-practices/testing-ui-extensions#test-the-extension-in-the-checkout-editor

// Picks of the Week //Matrixify Shopify App: https://apps.shopify.com/excel-export-importShopify Display: https://shopify.supply/products/display 

// Other resources discussed //Existing Shopify Plus feature, catalogs: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/catalogs Shop channel: https://apps.shopify.com/shopSet up the Shop channel: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/shop/setup Blink by Malcolm Gladwell [book]: https://amzn.to/45IfaiH, https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Power-Thinking-Without/dp/0316010669 Baymard Institute, ecommerce UX research: https://baymard.com/ 

In this episode of Liquid Weekly, Karl and Taylor sit down to chat with Anne Thomas, the cofounder of the Shopify app Design Packs. Anne is an experienced web developer in the Shopify space, having worked on large projects with famous brands like helping build Flex theme with Out of the Sandbox.

Anne shares some of her best insights and hacks with creating unique experiences and controls within themes using Shopify Liquid. In addition to teaching Karl and Taylor about lesser-known Liquid filters, Anne sheds some light on what it is like moving from just working on themes to building a successful Shopify app.

If you enjoy this episode, be sure to give some feedback and follow our guests online. Don't forget to subscribe to Liquid Weekly for new Shopify Developer resources delivered right to your inbox each week: https://liquidweekly.com/



// Resource Links //

Design Packs: https://apps.shopify.com/design-packs

Anne Thomas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlfalfaAnne

Shopify Liquid: https://shopify.github.io/liquid/

Liquify Chrome Extension: https://github.com/lukechadwick/Liquify

Shortcodes in Shopify: https://github.com/culturekings/shopify-shortcodes/

Search Filters in App Store for Built for Shopify: https://shopify.dev/changelog/search-filters-for-built-for-shopify-apps

Theme file usage now tracked in admin: https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/theme-file-usage-now-tracked-in-the-file-section-in-admin

Get Ready to Send: https://getreadytosend.com/

The Best Caramel Corn: https://www.krackcornpopcorn.com/

New Shopify CLI console tool for themes: https://shopify.dev/docs/themes/tools/cli/commands#console

In this episode of Liquid Weekly, Karl kicks things off with a chat about his undeniable love for cheese balls and snacking. But, things quickly take a technical turn as he and Taylor delve into the much-discussed topic of Shopify Editions.



Karl gives an insider's perspective on a significant project he undertook, discussing the complexities involved in migrating a client from BigCommerce to Shopify.



Then Taylor shares insights from one of his recent projects. Ever wondered how to automate adding a free product to a customer's order following a qualifying purchase? Taylor reveals how the Shopify Flow app can be leveraged to make this happen.



But the heart of the episode lies in the discussion about the ever-evolving Shopify landscape, chiefly centered around Shopify Editions announcements.



Is the platform making it challenging for budding developers to break into the ecosystem? Karl and Taylor weigh in. The debate heats up as they ponder whether Shopify is "eating its own ecosystem" by rolling out native apps like bundling and subscriptions. They question: Is Shopify taking a leaf out of Microsoft's playbook by acquiring numerous apps in the space?



// Resource Links //

Matrixify Shopify app: ⁠https://apps.shopify.com/excel-export-import⁠

Shopify Flow app: ⁠https://apps.shopify.com/flow⁠

Shopify Flow docs: ⁠https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/reference⁠

Shopify Editions | Summer 2023: ⁠ https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023⁠

Extensions-only apps hosted on Shopify:  ⁠https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/app-extensions/extension-only-apps⁠

Tobi's response on Twitter to Shopify eating it's own ecosystem: ⁠ https://twitter.com/tobi/status/1684238675884888065?s=20⁠ 

Remix app template:  ⁠https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023#remix-app-template⁠ 

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly podcast, Karl and Taylor dive deep into the world of Shopify development. They kick things off by addressing some of the most pressing freelancing dilemmas. Ever wondered how to ensure you have the full scope from a client? Learn about the pitfalls of making assumptions and emphasize that every project brings its own unique challenges.

Karl and Taylor then transition into the intriguing domain of "Free gift with purchase" promotions and their own experiences - from techniques to master client-side JavaScript to leveraging Scripts. If you've ever been curious about how various themes handle cart events or which ones truly excel in developer documentation, you're in for a treat.

Speaking of JavaScript, Karl and Taylor explore how it integrates with Shopify themes, giving a special nod to the light but versatile Alpine.js.

Our hosts, Karl and Taylor, get candid about their personal experiences. Karl, in his signature style, reveals a unique birthday treat that he swears by. The duo delves into the art of project scoping and the importance of understanding a client's needs.

Taylor learns, and so do we, about the concept of "paid discovery" from Karl, making a compelling case for why it stands out from the regular audits or gratis work. But that's not all! Taylor has some insights to share on an innovative approach to billing that could be a game-changer for freelancers.

To wrap things up, we touch upon the exciting realm of AI in Shopify, throwing the spotlight on the recently announced "Sidekick".

It's a packed episode with expert tips, enlightening discussions, and a sprinkle of light-hearted banter.

// Resources //
Alpine.js, a lightweight Javascript framework: https://alpinejs.dev/

Sidekick, the Shopify AI Assistant: https://www.shopify.com/magic

Delay in reviews for automatic checks: https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/delayed-publishing-of-reviews-in-shopify-s-app-store

Glen Coates (VP of Product at Shopify) Tweet about removing 15,000 fake reviews from app store: https://twitter.com/glencoates/status/1674091876968722435?s=20

Bridgetown, a static site generator using Ruby: https://www.bridgetownrb.com/

Welcome to the first ever episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast! A podcast all about Shopify Development.

In this episode, Karl and Taylor introduce themselves and talk about how they got started in coding and eventually Shopify. Karl also shares more about the vision for Liquid Weekly and the purpose of the podcast.

Taylor explains how he went from being a social worker to a self-taught full-time freelancer and Shopify Expert customizing Shopify themes. Talking about a failed dropshipping store and freelancing "diaper money" to full-time work and building up a business.

Karl talks about how he started with computers from a very young age and being inspired by the web and what all could be done. This led to starting his education in computer programming but Karl jumped into the freelancing and web development world quickly while still getting his education. Karl went on to work through various freelancing and full-time engineering positions before moving into consulting and specializing in Shopify.

Both Karl and Taylor talk about the benefit of niching down and how focusing on Shopify has helped their careers.

// Resources and Links //
*some links are affiliate links and it's possible that by purchasing through the link we may earn a small commission

Shopify Theme Customization with Liquid by Ivan Djordjevic (book): https://www.amazon.com/Shopify-Theme-Customization-Liquid-state/dp/1801813965 (affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3Oc6aeo)

Shopify Dev Changelog Scheduled: https://shopify.dev/changelog/scheduled

Changes to Asset URLs: https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/changes-to-asset-urls

Shopify Dev Changelog, merchant asset URLs: https://shopify.dev/changelog/changes-to-merchant-asset-urls

Shopify Liquid File URL Filter: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/filters/file_url

The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder (book): https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316491977 (affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3YhUqMi)