Checkout UI extension setting closes unexpectedly

Extensions
,
1

Checkout editor has a new annoying behaviour that will close the app settings on the right.

How to reproduce:

  1. click a checkout ui extension in checkout editor.
  2. it will open extension settings on the right →
  3. click in anything inside checkout
  4. extension settions on the right will close

This behaviour is extremely confusing for users, since 90% of extensions need to be tested and changed according to user interactions.

This is leading to increased support tickets on our side.

Expected behaviour
The tab should stay open, so users can see what happens as they change settings and interact with checkout.

Video of issue
I’ve posted a video here documenting it in 10 seconds:

2

Hi @David_Arbias :waving_hand: thanks for flagging this and for sharing the impact it’s having as well.

I see what you mean here. I’m digging into this further and I’ll follow up with you here as soon as I have more information to share.

5

Bug still persists, unfortunately this makes many users just give up on setting up extensions.

6

Hey @David_Arbias - thanks for following up. I can see how having the settings panel close while you move between changing an extension’s settings and testing the checkout preview can disrupt that workflow, especially when you’re helping merchants through setup.

After digging into this further with the relevant team, it looks like this is the current intended behaviour of the design. Because the editor uses an active selection model, clicking away from the selected extension into a non-selectable area of the checkout preview clears that selection and closes the settings panel which is consistent with the Online Store theme editor. The settings you’ve configured are preserved, even though the panel closes.

That distinction doesn’t remove the workflow impact you described. The request to keep the extension settings visible while interacting with the checkout preview is being heard as product feedback for a different editor workflow. There isn’t currently a supported way to pin the panel open during those interactions, and I don’t have a guarantee or timeline I can share for a change, but I’ve shared your example and the impact with the team. I’ll follow up here if anything changes.