Theme integration
OptionWise installs into your theme as a single plugin you add once. This page covers adding it and what to expect with popular themes.
Adding the plugin
OptionWise needs an Online Store 2.0 theme — the modern format that supports product-page section blocks. The app checks this for you when you choose a theme during setup. If your theme is compatible, add the OptionWise plugin to your product section from the theme editor.
The full step-by-step — and where to position the plugin — is covered in Plugin placement.
You only add the plugin once. After that, every option set you publish appears automatically on its targeted products — you don’t return to the theme editor for each one.
Theme compatibility
OptionWise works with virtually all Online Store 2.0 themes. That includes Shopify’s free themes — Dawn and its relatives (Craft, Studio, Sense, Refresh, and so on) — and the large majority of paid themes. On a few themes with unusual markup, OptionWise can’t attach to the product form — see Form detection failures.
When you choose a theme during setup, OptionWise checks it and shows a banner under the theme selector if something needs attention:
- “This theme isn’t compatible with OptionWise” — an older “vintage” theme built before Online Store 2.0 (for example the original Debut). These don’t support app blocks, so the plugin can’t be added. Switch to a modern theme.
- “This theme’s product page can’t accept the OptionWise plugin” — the theme is modern, but its product section has been customized so that it no longer allows app blocks. Ask your theme developer to enable app blocks in the product section (the banner names the file to look at), or use a different theme.
- “Page builder is installed on this theme” — OptionWise doesn’t work on product pages built with page builders such as PageFly or GemPages. Use the theme’s standard product template for products that need options.
If another product options app is installed
If you switched to OptionWise from another product options app, the old app is often still switched on in your theme even after you stopped using it. That’s harmless while its option sets are turned off, but if both apps are active on the same product, shoppers see two sets of option controls. Turn the old app off before you publish OptionWise option sets:
Open the theme editor
In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes and click Customize on the theme.
Turn off the app embed
Click the App embeds icon in the left sidebar, find the old options app, and switch its toggle off. Click Save.
Remove any product-page blocks
If the old app also added a block to the product page, open a product page in the editor, select the block in the left sidebar, and click Remove block. Click Save.
If you no longer use the old app at all, uninstalling it from Settings → Apps and sales channels removes it from every theme.
If options don’t render after adding the plugin
Most issues come down to one of three things: the plugin isn’t on the published theme, the option set isn’t published, or it doesn’t target the product. Work through Options not showing. If the plugin is in place but OptionWise can’t attach to the product form, see Form detection failures.