How to Tame the Shopify Beast: Sorting Featured Collections in the Impact Theme

Has anyone ever noticed how dealing with themes feels like wrestling with a digital octopus? I've been there. One sunny afternoon, I thought, "Hey, let's make my online store reflect brilliance and innovation!" Little did I know the chaos awaiting as I dove headfirst into theme customization. But there's beauty in chaos and like all good stories, ours begins with a desire—for order in a sea of digital clutter.

Where Our Story Begins: The Quest for Order

So there I was, peering into the endless sea of Shopify's interface when I stumbled upon the Featured Collection section in the Impact Theme, all glittery yet unordered. We wanted it sorted by Best Selling or, better yet, by Newest. You know, give our store that edge that keeps customers coming back. But alas! Seems those options were cleverly hidden. Yet, fear not my fellow adventurers; today’s tale is about beating this sneaky system!

Step One: Sneaking into the Theme Editor

First, we rally ourselves to the Theme Editor. It’s akin to entering a secret chamber; anticipation running high, and the shadows cast by curiosity dance on the walls. To get there, you kindly meander through:

1. Open the Shopify Admin. It’s the hub, our starting point of this fantastical expedition.
2. Click on Online Store > Themes. We locate the theme, our soon-to-be tamed beast (here's looking at you, Impact Theme).
3. Hit Customize. This magical portal whisks us directly into the Theme Editor.

Step Two: The Strategic Assault on Liquid Code

Ah, Liquid—the mystical language of Shopify. Many have ventured here, lesser known but mighty all the same. Our task demands a little tweaking. Tread carefully but with audacity:

1. In the Theme Editor, find your section. We seek 'Featured Collection'—a treasure waiting to be organized.
2. Access the Code. Click Actions > Edit Code. The editor reveals its secrets, and now we're coding wizards, ready to charm the unruly theme.

Armed with our magical code wands, we must find the Liquid file usually named something like featured-collection.liquid. Here's where the fun begins!

Step Three: A Dash of Code Enchantment

It's time to lay down some lines of Liquid enchantment, giving our collection the coveted order of Best Selling or Newest. In the featured-collection.liquid, we add a little magic:

{% assign sorted_products = collection.products | sort: 'best_selling' %}

or

{% assign sorted_products = collection.products | sort: 'created_at' %}

Now, this bit of enchantment rearranges the chaos into perfect order. Place it wisely within your collection loop—our code's now the digital maestro!

Enter the Fray Again: Tidy Up and Preview

Here's an intermission sort of akin to a victory lap, but shorter because we aren’t quite done yet. Save your changes, hold your breath a smidge, and hit preview. Look! Our beloved Featured Collection is no longer the untamed wilderness it once was.

A Moment to Reflect and Rejoice

Can I let you in on a little secret? The feeling when you see that neatly sorted collection—priceless! Just like savoring that quiet moment after the storm, a cup of tea in hand, the gentle hum of your store's newfound order plays in the background.

Farewell with Fortitude

As we bid adieu, remember—though themes may sometimes seem as daunting as majestic mythical creatures, they can be tamed with the right blend of determination, creativity, and maybe a sprinkle of humor. We're no longer mere spectators in our store’s narrative; we've graduated to curators of this exquisitely coded art.

So there you have it—a journey worth embarking upon time and again. Until next time, happy Shopify scripting!