Users of our app need to create new product templates (usually based on the default template) and then add app blocks to them. We already use the theme‑editor deep link that helps merchants add our app blocks once a target template exists.
What we can’t find is a way to deep‑link into the “Create template” flow itself - for example, opening the theme editor with the Create template dialog for product templates, optionally pre‑seeding the template name, and/or selecting a base template.
Does Shopify support URL parameters for this (for example, something like /admin/themes/{id}/editor with an action that opens Create template, or a query that specifies base=product and a proposed name)? If so, what’s the supported format? If not, is there a recommended pattern to reduce friction for merchants who need a dedicated template before adding app blocks?
Right now the path is about seven steps in the editor:
Open Theme Editor
Click “Default product” dropdown
Click “Products”
Click “Create template”
Click “Name”
Enter the name of the new template
Click “Save”
Any insights would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Hey @Anton, right now, we don’t support deep‑linking into the Theme Editor’s “Create template” modal or pre‑seeding the template’s name/base. At the moment, the only supported editor links are for adding/activating app extensions and app blocks, which it looks like you’re already doing.
I definitely understand that the redirection steps aren’t the most ideal experience, though, so I’m happy to touch base with some folks internally to see if we have any workarounds or can confirm if this is on the roadmap/log a feature request at the very least. Just out of curiosity, is your use case basically just to automate the deep linking so it makes it much faster to onboard merchants to your app extension? Wanted to make sure I’m understanding things correctly so I can properly advocate on my end - hope to hear from you soon!
@Alan_G Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, exactly. This is for merchant onboarding to our app extension. The deep linking for app blocks works great once merchants have a template to target, but the template creation step is where we see the biggest drop-off.
If there’s any possibility of getting template creation into the supported deep-link parameters, or even just opening the theme editor with the “Create template” modal pre-opened, that would eliminate the biggest onboarding hurdle we face.
Thanks for escalating this internally - really appreciate you advocating for better developer experience!
You’re right that the missing piece is the “Create template” dialog itself.
At the moment, Shopify doesn’t expose any URL parameters for opening that modal or pre-filling values, the only supported deep links are the ones you’re already using for adding/activating app blocks (Configure theme app extensions).
Everything else has to be done manually in the editor.
If reducing merchant friction is critical, one common workaround is to guide users with a short onboarding step that combines a direct link to the editor plus a targeted tooltip or callout in your app UI.
Another option some developers use is to pre-create alternate templates via the Admin API and then direct merchants straight to the editor to customize them (Asset).That way, the merchant still lands in a ready-to-use template without having to go through the seven-click flow themselves.
It’s not as smooth as a true modal deep link, but it can eliminate the highest-friction step until Shopify expands support. If this is a blocker for your onboarding, I’d recommend filing a partner feature request so the product team can prioritize it.
From what I understand, Shopify doesn’t recommend using the REST API anymore. Even with GraphQL’s (themeFilesUpsert), writing theme assets requires an exception from Shopify and is discouraged. We had that exception, but the BFS team asked us to stop creating templates via the API a while back.
Thanks for clarifying @Anton ! Looping back with you to confirm I’ve logged that feature request on our end. I can’t guarantee if/when we’d add this, but did want to close the loop with you here.
You’re also correct regarding the REST templating APIs we offer. Right now, the REST Asset API is considered a “legacy” API:
Use of the API is restricted at the moment like you said and only enabled on a case by case basis. Just wanted to share that context as well.
Let me know if I can clarify anything more on our end here, hope this helps
