How to Retrieve Full URLs in Shopify Liquid Templates

Understanding URL Handling in Shopify

When building custom pages or applications within Shopify, developers often need to access the full URL of the current page, including any query parameters. This information can be crucial for various functionalities, such as passing data between pages or implementing dynamic content based on URL parameters. In this article, we’ll explore different methods to retrieve the complete URL in Shopify Liquid templates.

The Importance of Full URLs in Shopify Development

Enhancing User Experience

Having access to the full URL allows developers to create more interactive and personalized experiences for users. By capturing query parameters, you can tailor content or functionality based on specific user actions or preferences.

Implementing Advanced Tracking

Full URLs are essential for accurate analytics and tracking. By passing complete URL information to tracking scripts, you can gain deeper insights into user behavior and page performance.

Facilitating Single-Page Applications

For developers integrating single-page applications (SPAs) or Vue.js components into Shopify themes, accessing the full URL is often necessary for proper routing and state management.

Methods to Retrieve Full URLs in Shopify Liquid

Using Liquid Variables

Shopify provides several Liquid variables that can help in constructing the full URL. However, these methods may have limitations when it comes to capturing query parameters.

The request.host and request.path Approach

One common method is to combine request.host with request.path:

{% assign full_url = request.host | append: request.path %}
{{ full_url }}

While this method works for basic URL retrieval, it falls short when you need to include query parameters.

Limitations of Basic Liquid Variables

It’s important to note that simple Liquid variables like request.path typically don’t include query parameters. This limitation has led developers to seek more comprehensive solutions.

Leveraging JavaScript in Liquid Templates

For scenarios where Liquid variables are insufficient, developers can turn to JavaScript to capture the full URL.

Capturing URL with JavaScript

By inserting a small JavaScript snippet into your Liquid template, you can easily capture the complete URL:

<script>
var url = window.location.href;
</script>

This approach ensures that you have access to the entire URL, including query parameters.

Passing JavaScript Variables to Liquid

While JavaScript can capture the full URL, passing this information back to Liquid for server-side processing can be challenging. This limitation often requires creative workarounds or client-side handling of URL data.

Advanced Liquid Technique for Full URL Retrieval

The most effective method for capturing the full URL, including query parameters, involves a more complex Liquid snippet that parses the content_for_header variable.

The content_for_header Solution

Here’s the Liquid code that successfully retrieves the full URL with query parameters:

{%- comment -%} Capture the content for header containing the tracking data {%- endcomment -%}
{%- capture contentForQuerystring -%}{{ content_for_header }}{%- endcapture -%}

{% comment %} Use string splitting to pull the value from content_for_header and apply some string clean up {% endcomment %}
{%- assign parts = contentForQuerystring | split: '"pageurl":"' | last | split: '"' | first | split: '://' | last | split: '/' -%}

{% if parts.size > 1 %}
  {%- assign domain_removed_parts = parts | slice: 1, parts.size -%}
  {%- assign finalurl = domain_removed_parts | join: '/' | prepend: '/' -%}
{% else %}
  {%- assign finalurl = "/" -%}
{% endif %}

{%- assign finalurl = finalurl | replace: '/', '/' | replace: '%20', ' ' | replace: '&', '&' -%}

{{ finalurl }}

Breaking Down the Solution

This code works by:

1. Capturing the content_for_header, which contains various page information.
2. Splitting and extracting the URL information from this content.
3. Cleaning up the URL by removing the domain and handling special characters.

Benefits of This Approach

The main advantage of this method is its ability to capture the complete URL path, including query parameters, while being entirely server-side. This makes it ideal for scenarios where you need to process URL information before sending it to the client.

Implementing Full URL Retrieval in Custom Shopify Pages

Now that we understand how to capture the full URL, let’s look at how to implement this in a custom Shopify page, particularly when integrating with a Vue.js application.

Creating a Custom Support Page

Setting Up the Liquid Template

For a custom support page that needs to pass the full URL to a Vue.js component, you might structure your Liquid template like this:

{%- capture contentForQuerystring -%}{{ content_for_header }}{%- endcapture -%}
{%- assign parts = contentForQuerystring | split: '"pageurl":"' | last | split: '"' | first | split: '://' | last | split: '/' -%}
{% if parts.size > 1 %}
  {%- assign domain_removed_parts = parts | slice: 1, parts.size -%}
  {%- assign finalurl = domain_removed_parts | join: '/' | prepend: '/' -%}
{% else %}
  {%- assign finalurl = "/" -%}
{% endif %}
{%- assign finalurl = finalurl | replace: '/', '/' | replace: '%20', ' ' | replace: '&', '&' -%}

<vue-support type="{{ finalurl }}"> </vue-support>

{{ 'app.css' | asset_url | stylesheet_tag }}
{{ 'app.js' | asset_url | script_tag }}

Integrating with Vue.js

In this setup, the finalurl variable contains the full URL path, including query parameters. This is then passed to the Vue.js component as a prop named type.

Handling URL Data in Vue.js

Receiving URL Data as Props

In your Vue.js component, you can receive the full URL as a prop:

export default {
  props: ['type'],
  mounted() {
    console.log('Full URL:', this.type);
    // Process the URL as needed
  }
}

Utilizing URL Information

With the full URL available in your Vue.js component, you can now:

• Parse query parameters for dynamic content loading
• Implement client-side routing based on the URL
• Pass URL information to analytics or tracking services

Best Practices for URL Handling in Shopify

Security Considerations

When working with URLs, especially those containing query parameters, it’s crucial to implement proper security measures:

• Always sanitize and validate URL parameters before using them in your application
• Be cautious about exposing sensitive information through URL parameters
• Use HTTPS to encrypt URL data during transmission

Performance Optimization

While retrieving the full URL is useful, it’s important to consider performance implications:

• Cache URL information where possible to reduce processing overhead
• Minimize the use of complex Liquid operations in high-traffic pages
• Consider moving URL processing to the client-side for non-critical operations

Maintainability and Scalability

As your Shopify store grows, maintain clean and scalable code:

• Create reusable Liquid snippets for URL retrieval to avoid code duplication
• Document your URL handling processes for future maintenance
• Stay updated with Shopify’s evolving best practices and new features related to URL handling

By following these guidelines and utilizing the advanced Liquid technique for full URL retrieval, you can effectively manage and utilize URL information in your Shopify store, enhancing both functionality and user experience.