How to Use Shopify CLI Commands for Themes

Introduction

Shopify CLI commands simplify the process of working with Shopify themes. This guide provides a step-by-step overview of essential commands and usage tips for beginner Shopify CLI users.

1. What is Shopify CLI?

Shopify CLI is a command-line tool that developers use to work on themes and apps for Shopify projects. It accelerates development time by allowing you to run commands directly in your terminal for creating, previewing, and deploying themes.

2. How to Install Shopify CLI

Okay, now that we know what Shopify CLI is, let’s get to work. Before moving any further, you will need to install Shopify CLI on your machine. Here is how you do it:

Install or Setup Node.js

Download and install it from the official website of Node.js if you haven’t installed it on your system yet.

Install Shopify CLI

Install Shopify CLI Open your terminal using the command whichever system you are using(Command Prompt or Terminal in Mac).

npm install -g @shopify/cli @shopify/theme

3. Basic Shopify CLI Commands for Themes

Here’s a breakdown of some of the most common commands you’ll need:

shopify theme init [NAME]

Purpose: Initialize a new theme project.

Example:

shopify theme init my-new-theme

This command creates a new folder with the name (my new theme), and inside you’ll get all the necessary theme files to start building.

Live Preview Your Theme

shopify theme serve

Purpose: Live preview your theme in development mode.

This command starts a local server and gives you a URL to preview your Shopify theme in the browser. You can make changes in your code, and the changes will be reflected immediately without reloading the page.

Download Theme Files from Shopify

shopify theme pull

Purpose: Download the theme files from your Shopify store.

This command will download the latest version of your theme which is already set on Shopify to your local computer. This helps a lot when working on an already existing store.

Upload Your Theme to Shopify

shopify theme push

Purpose: Upload your theme to Shopify.

Once you’ve made changes to your theme locally, this command uploads those changes to your Shopify store. If you want to upload the theme to a different store or change the live theme, you can use the –theme or  –store flag.

Deploy a Theme as Live

shopify theme deploy

Purpose: Deploy a theme as live on your Shopify store.

This command pushes your theme and also makes it live on your store automatically. You can also specify a specific theme ID to deploy.

Check for Errors in Your Theme Code

shopify theme check

Purpose: Check for errors in your theme code.

This command runs a scan of your theme files and points out common mistakes, like Liquid syntax errors or accessibility issues, so you can fix them before deploying.

Open Your Live Store

shopify theme open

Purpose: Open your live store in a browser.

This command opens the current Shopify store where you’re working on the theme in your default web browser.

List All Themes in Your Store

shopify theme list

Purpose: Lists all themes in your Shopify store.

It provides you with a list of all themes that are installed in your Shopify store. Very useful to just glance and see all the themes installed.

Delete a Specific Theme

shopify theme delete 123456789 (ex. id)

Purpose: Delete a specific theme from your Shopify store.

If you no longer need some theme, you can remove it from your store by using the theme delete command followed by the theme ID.

4. Use Extra Tips

• If you ever want more information about something, just add –help to the end of the command and do that. So for example, shopify theme serve –help will output all options you can use with the serve command.
• Before you push any changes, make a copy of your theme so you don’t overwrite important files

Conclusion

Shopify CLI is an incredibly powerful tool that saves time and makes development of the theme easy, and breezy. Some commands that would make working with Shopify themes a little easier from theme creation to actually implementing your changes into the live store.