Expanding Horizons: How to Show More Product Columns on Shopify Without Messing Up Mobile

Imagine a crisp morning when the café bustling with life feels just right. It's the kind of day when the to-do list seems possible, and the desire to tinker with your Shopify store can no longer be ignored. This story finds us navigating the quirky journey many of us have embarked upon—improving our Shopify layouts. Specifically, we're diving into the thrilling (yes, thrilling) realm of displaying more product columns on desktop without turning our mobile layout into a pixelated Picasso.

The Coffee Spill Revelation

Picture this: we're just about to take a long, delightful sip from our mugs when it hits us—why are only three products showing in that neat little row on the desktop? This morning's inspiration: add more columns. But here's the catch—leave our mobile version sweet and untouched. Our quest begins, a journey through realms of code and mystery.

Leap into Liquid

Our first step? Delving into the theme's Liquid code, Shopify's own concoction of HTML and Smarty-inspired logic. It's daunting at first—like facing a blank page with an ever-persistent cursor. But we've got this. We navigate to our Shopify Admin, the cockpit of our enterprise, then wriggle our way to Online Store > Themes.

Like Frodo approaching Mount Doom, we bravely encounter the Actions > Edit Code button. The real magic happens in the collection.liquid or collection-template.liquid file. But remember, not all themes are the same—like snowflakes at a tech convention. So, every step requires an eye keen enough to spot those subtle differences.

{% comment %} The following might show either in collection-template.liquid or another similar file.
{% endcomment %}
<code
  >{% for product in collection.products %} {% assign column_count = 4 %}
  <div class="product-grid__item" style="width: {{ 100 | divided_by: column_count }}%;">
    <!-- Your product HTML here -->
  </div>
  {% endfor %}</code
>

Sassy CSS Sacrifices

Remember Hermione with her little knitted elf hats? That's us with CSS but instead of elves—its products that need homes. In the theme’s stylesheet, we locate how those columns are structured. Often tucked away in theme.scss.liquid or a similar sanctuary. We're here to play—not fight—for a better future.

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
  .product-grid__item {
    width: calc(100% / 4);
  }
}

Here’s the kicker: to change things for desktop without affecting mobile, we're using media queries. This code defines that sweet, sweet column width for screens wider than 768 pixels—think laptops, desktops, or oversized tablets.

Test, Break, and Reflect

Now, we hit the save button with the elegance of someone clicking after eating chocolate. Checking the store with our handy refresh button, everything seems snazzy and intact. It's like watching those Tetris blocks fall neatly into place. We celebrate with that first, finally finished, never-spilled sip of coffee.

But what if—it crumbles and breaks and laughs in the face of immense effort? We troubleshoot, adjust, and maybe cringe just a little. Therein lies the value of our shared venture—perseverance, experimentation, and a splash of chaos. We tweak margins, rethink paddings, and, once again, we code and try—delighting in watching it all come together.

The Happy Ever After

In closing, why not reflect on how today's journey to showcase more products links to those seemingly small choices making all the difference? Just like choosing to add an extra shot of espresso or trying on that new shade of confidence. In our Shopify adventure, we learned that precision and play, trial and triumph go hand in hand.

For those of us crafting online experiences, remember: sometimes change happens just one column at a time, one line of code at a blank-page stare. Embrace it. Happy coding, my friends!