Creating Full-Width Collection and Product Pages on Shopify: A Human's Tale

So there we were, my friend Alex and I, cups of coffee in hand, staring at yet another plain, boxed-in website design. It was the digital equivalent of a room with beige wallpaper that just made us want to break out a sledgehammer and go full HGTV makeover on it. Especially when all Alex wanted was a website that yelled, "Hey, we're here! In widescreen!" just like those dramatic movie landscapes. You know, the ones that take your breath away? That's exactly what we set out to do with Shopify’s collection and product pages on desktop.

Harnessing the Power of CSS

I remember when Alex’s cat, Whiskers—our reluctant coworker—sauntered across the keyboard, we barely noticed, caught up as we were in the discovery of CSS's magical world. You see, on Shopify, these pages are boxed in a bland, default mode. The task was simple in theory: unfurl them across the screen with just a dab of CSS styling.

"Let's start with the collection page," I mused, while Alex fetched Whiskers another treat (our fee for his unwanted assistance). Here's how we did it:

.grid--view-items {
  max-width: 100% !important;
  padding: 0 10px; /* For that gentle spacing whisper of elegance */
}

To make these changes, we sidestepped into the theme editor like night prowlers seeking out the “Edit code” button. Under "Assets," we've got our hands dirty—figuratively—in the theme.scss.liquid or base.css file. That’s where we pasted our CSS and let it roam freely like a digital bird let out of its cage.

Extending Glory to the Product Page

Emboldened by our success, our sights were set on product pages. In our version of mythic tales, the product page was like rescuing a princess locked away in a photoshop tower, just begging to fill the screen horizon to horizon.

"To the theme file, once more!" we proclaimed, to no one in particular. Alex found a rhythm in this, and maybe we were going a bit giddy from caffeine, but who cares really when you’re making something beautiful?

.product-single {
  max-width: 100% !important;
  padding: 0 10px; /* Because too much drama should be saved for reality TV, right? */
}

Again, diving into theme.scss.liquid or base.css, we pasted this snippet onto our digital canvas. The changes were visceral, and we were basically shouting, "Look, Ma! Full-width!"

The Joy of Full-Width Pages

We sat back and admired our handiwork, our digital masterpiece. But, like a Renaissance art critic, Whiskers remained unimpressed, opting instead for napping in the laptop's warm embrace. For us, though, every pixel now breathed freely, unhindered by mundane margins.

And maybe it's cheesy to say, but in that moment, there was a little bit of joy, knowing we beat the system, personalized the experience, and turned something functional into something stunning. We might not be Shopify wizards or CSS artisans, but we made it work—and that’s a pretty good feeling.

Wrap-up & Wisdom

As we wound down, we thought, "How many people out there are stuck with boxed-in pages, yearning for the simple balm of a little coding love?" We realized then the power we had to not just solve our own problems but genuinely help others break free from the tyranny of blandness.

So, here's our secret: don't fear the code. Tinker. Experiment. Enjoy the space you've created—the radiant sun peaking over a hill on your homepage. And next time you find yourself staring at your Shopify pages and longing for a full-screen display, remember us: Alex, me, and of course, Whiskers, in our humble battle against digital ennui. Your website, like your life, deserves to be panoramic.