Liquid Filters

Introduction to Liquid Filters

Liquid filters are a powerful feature in Shopify's templating language, Liquid. They allow you to modify the output of variables, often used to transform data into a more readable or useful format. Filters are essential for customizing the appearance and behavior of your Shopify store's front end.

For example, you can use filters to format dates, capitalize text, or manipulate arrays. This post will guide you through various common Liquid filters with practical examples.

Using Filters in Liquid

Filters in Liquid are applied to variables using the pipe character |. You can chain multiple filters together by separating them with pipes. The basic syntax for using a filter is:

{{ variable | filter }}

Let's explore some common filters and their usage.

Date Filter

The date filter is used to format date strings. This filter is particularly useful for displaying dates in a consistent and user-friendly format. The date filter follows the strftime syntax.

Example:

This code outputs the publication date of an article in the format "January 01, 2021".

Capitalize Filter

The capitalize filter converts the first character of a string to uppercase and the remaining characters to lowercase. This is useful for ensuring that product titles or customer names are properly formatted.

Example:

This code will output "Shopify".

Array Filters

Liquid also provides filters to manipulate arrays. These filters allow you to sort, reverse, or join array elements.

Example:

This code will output a comma-separated list of product titles from a collection.

Chaining Multiple Filters

You can combine multiple filters to transform data in complex ways. Chaining filters is straightforward: simply add another pipe and filter to the expression.

Example:

This example first capitalizes the string "hello world" and then appends an exclamation mark, resulting in "Hello world!".

Conclusion

Liquid filters are an essential tool for formatting and transforming data in Shopify themes. By understanding and utilizing these filters, you can create more dynamic and user-friendly online store experiences. Experiment with different filters to see how they can enhance your Shopify templates.

Continue learning by exploring the next topic in this series: String Filters.