How to Hide Collections in Shopify Dawn Theme

Are you looking to hide certain collections from your Shopify store’s collection list while still keeping them accessible via URL? This guide will walk you through the process of hiding specific collections in Shopify’s Dawn theme, ensuring your store’s organization aligns with your business needs.

Understanding Collection Visibility in Shopify

Before diving into the solution, it’s important to understand why you might want to hide certain collections and how this affects your store’s functionality.

Why Hide Collections?

There are several reasons you might want to hide specific collections:

1. Seasonal promotions: You may have collections that are only relevant during certain times of the year.
2. VIP or exclusive collections: Some collections might be for specific customer groups.
3. Work-in-progress collections: You might be setting up new collections that aren’t ready for public viewing.

The Importance of URL Accessibility

While hiding collections from the main list, it’s crucial to maintain their accessibility via URL. This allows you to:

• Share direct links with specific customers
• Use these collections in targeted marketing campaigns
• Maintain SEO benefits for these pages

The Dawn Theme Solution

The Dawn theme, being one of Shopify’s newest and most popular themes, requires a specific approach to hide collections. Here’s how to do it:

Locating the Correct File

1. Go to your Shopify admin panel
2. Navigate to “Online Store” > “Themes”
3. Click “Actions” > “Edit code” for your active theme
4. In the code editor, locate the sections folder
5. Find and open the main-list-collections.liquid file

Modifying the Code

Once you’ve opened the main-list-collections.liquid file, you’ll need to make some changes to the existing code.

The Original Code

Typically, you’ll find a section that looks something like this:

{%- for collection in collections -%}
  <li class="collection-list__item grid__item">
    {% render 'card-collection', card_collection: collection, media_aspect_ratio: section.settings.image_ratio, columns: 3 %}
  </li>
{%- endfor -%}

The Modified Code

To hide specific collections, replace the above code with:

{%- for collection in collections -%}
  {% if collection.handle == "collection-to-hide" or collection.handle == "another-collection-to-hide" %}
  {% else %}
    <li class="collection-list__item grid__item">
      {% render 'card-collection', card_collection: collection, media_aspect_ratio: section.settings.image_ratio, columns: 3 %}
    </li>
  {% endif %}
{%- endfor -%}

Customizing for Your Collections

To hide your specific collections:

1. Replace "collection-to-hide" with the handle of the collection you want to hide
2. Add more collection handles using or collection.handle == "handle-name" if you need to hide multiple collections

Saving and Testing

After making these changes:

1. Save the file
2. Preview your changes to ensure they’re working as expected
3. If satisfied, publish your theme

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Even with clear instructions, you might encounter some issues. Here are solutions to common problems:

Collections Still Visible

If your collections are still showing up:

• Double-check the collection handles in your code
• Ensure you’ve saved and published your changes
• Clear your browser cache and reload the page

Code Not Saving

If you’re having trouble saving your code:

• Check for any syntax errors in your liquid code
• Ensure you have the necessary permissions to edit theme files
• Try using a different browser or clearing your browser cache

Unexpected Layout Changes

If hiding collections affects your layout:

• Review your grid settings in the theme customizer
• Adjust the columns value in the code if necessary

Best Practices for Collection Management

While hiding collections can be useful, it’s important to maintain a well-organized store. Consider these best practices:

Regular Audits

Periodically review your hidden collections to ensure they’re still relevant and necessary.

Clear Naming Conventions

Use clear, consistent naming conventions for your collection handles to make future management easier.

Documentation

Keep a record of which collections you’ve hidden and why, to help with future store management.

Expanding Your Shopify Skills

Learning to modify your theme’s code is just the beginning. To further enhance your Shopify store:

Explore Shopify’s Developer Documentation

Visit https://shopify.dev/ for in-depth guides and API references.

Stay Updated with Shopify’s Blog

Keep up with the latest features and best practices at https://www.shopify.com/blog.

Experiment with Theme Customization

The more you work with your theme’s code, the more you’ll be able to tailor your store to your exact needs.

By following this guide, you should now be able to hide specific collections in your Shopify store using the Dawn theme, while still maintaining their accessibility via URL. This technique allows for greater control over your store’s presentation and organization, helping you create a more tailored shopping experience for your customers.