Creating Your First Product Option

Ready to create your first custom product option? This tutorial will guide you through the entire process with a practical example: adding a gift message option to your products.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

• ✅ Installed Optionify on your Shopify store
• ✅ Completed the initial setup wizard
• ✅ Have at least one product in your store

Step 1: Access the Option Creator

1. Open your Shopify admin panel
2. Navigate to Apps → Optionify
3. Click the Create New Option button in the dashboard

!Create New Option button location The "Create New Option" button is prominently displayed on the dashboard

You'll be taken to the Option Builder interface.

Step 2: Choose Your Option Type

The first step is selecting which type of option you want to create.

For our gift message example, we'll use Text (single-line input):

1. Click on the Text option type card
2. The builder will update to show text-specific settings

!Option type selection screen Choose from 11 different option types based on your needs

Quick Option Type Reference

• Text: Short one-line input (names, messages)
• Textarea: Multi-line input (longer messages, instructions)
• Radio: Choose one from several options
• Checkbox: Select multiple items
• Dropdown: Choose from a dropdown menu

Step 3: Configure Basic Settings

Now you'll set up the core details of your option:

Option Label

This is what customers will see. For our example:

Gift Message (Optional)

Best practices for labels:

• Be clear and descriptive
• Indicate if optional or required
• Keep it under 50 characters
• Use sentence case

Internal Name

This helps you identify the option in your admin:

gift-message-text

Naming conventions:

• Use lowercase
• Separate words with hyphens
• Keep it descriptive
• Avoid special characters

!Basic settings configuration panel Fill in the option label and internal name

Help Text (Optional)

Add guidance for customers:

Add a personalized message for the gift recipient (max 100 characters)

This appears below the input field to guide customers.

Step 4: Configure Option-Specific Settings

Each option type has unique settings. For Text options:

Character Limit

Set a maximum character count:

• Enabled: Yes
• Max Characters: 100

Placeholder Text

Example text that appears before the customer types:

e.g., "Happy Birthday, Sarah!"

Validation

• Required: No (this is optional)
• Minimum Length: 0
• Pattern: None (accepts all characters)

!Text option specific settings Configure character limits, placeholders, and validation rules

Step 5: Set Up Assignment

This is where you choose which products will show this option.

Assignment Type Options

1. All Products: Shows on every product (rarely recommended)
2. Tagged Products: Shows on products with specific tags
3. Collections: Shows on products in specific collections
4. Individual Products: Shows only on selected products

For our gift message example, let's use Tagged Products:

1. Select Tagged Products
2. Enter tag: gift-wrappable
3. Click Add Tag

!Assignment configuration screen Choose where this option will appear in your store

Tagging Products

To add the tag to products:

1. Go to Products in Shopify admin
2. Select a product
3. In the Tags field, add: gift-wrappable
4. Save the product

Step 6: Configure Pricing (Optional)

You can add a charge for this option if desired.

For a free gift message:

• Add Price: No

For a paid service (like premium gift wrapping):

• Add Price: Yes
• Price: $5.00
• Price Label: "Gift Wrapping Service"

!Pricing configuration options Optionally add extra charges for premium services

Step 7: Set Display Order

If you have multiple options on a product, control the order they appear:

• Display Order: 1 (appears first)

Lower numbers appear higher on the product page.

Step 8: Preview Your Option

Before saving, use the preview panel to see how it will look:

!Live preview of the option The preview shows exactly how customers will see your option

Check:

• Label displays correctly
• Help text is clear
• Placeholder text is helpful
• Field accepts input properly

Step 9: Save and Activate

When everything looks good:

1. Click Save Option
2. Toggle Active to ON
3. Click Publish

!Save and activate buttons Save your option and activate it to make it live on your store

Step 10: Test Your Option

Always test before announcing to customers:

Testing Checklist

1. Visit a Tagged Product

   • Go to your store's frontend
   • Navigate to a product with the gift-wrappable tag
   • Verify the option appears

2. Test Input

   • Type a test message
   • Verify character counter works
   • Check placeholder disappears

3. Add to Cart

   • Add the product to cart
   • Verify the gift message shows in cart
   • Check the option data persists

4. Place Test Order

   • Complete a test purchase
   • Check the order confirmation
   • Verify gift message appears in order details

5. Mobile Testing

   • Test on a mobile device
   • Ensure responsive design works
   • Verify input is easy to use

!Testing the option on a live product Always test on your actual store before going live

Viewing Option Data in Orders

When customers place orders with your option:

1. Go to Orders in Shopify admin
2. Open an order
3. Look for Option Data or Custom Fields section
4. You'll see: "Gift Message: [customer's message]"

!Option data in Shopify order details Custom option data appears clearly in your order details

Common Issues and Solutions

Option Doesn't Appear on Product

Possible causes:

• Option is not activated
• Product doesn't have the correct tag/collection
• Theme cache needs clearing

Solution:

1. Verify option is Active
2. Check product has correct assignment
3. Clear theme cache in Optionify settings

Character Counter Not Working

Solution:

• Refresh the page
• Clear browser cache
• Check that character limit is enabled

Option Data Not in Order

Solution:

• Ensure customer added product to cart AFTER entering option data
• Verify option is saved properly
• Check Shopify order timeline for custom attributes

Next Steps

Congratulations! You've created your first option. Now you can:

Expand Your Options

• Create options for other product types
• Try different option types (checkbox, dropdown, etc.)
• Set up conditional logic for advanced scenarios

Learn More

• Understanding Assign Types - Master product assignment
• Text Options Guide - Deep dive into text options
• Pricing & Variants - Add charges to options

Explore Advanced Features

• Conditional Logic - Show/hide options dynamically
• Image Upload Options - Let customers upload files
• Date Picker Options - Collect delivery dates

Quick Reference

Creating an Option Summary

1. Click Create New Option
2. Choose Option Type
3. Set Label and Internal Name
4. Configure Option Settings
5. Choose Assignment Method
6. Set Pricing (if applicable)
7. Preview the option
8. Save and Activate
9. Test on your store

---

Having trouble? Check our Troubleshooting Guide or contact support through the app.