Using the "json" Shopify Liquid Filter to Render React Components on a Shopify Page

React is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces, and it has become an essential tool for many developers. Shopify, a leading e-commerce platform, also offers support for React to create a seamless shopping experience. In this blog post, we'll explore how to use the "json" Shopify Liquid filter to render React components on a Shopify page.

What is the "json" Shopify Liquid filter?

The "json" filter in Shopify Liquid is used to convert Liquid objects into JSON format. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format, which is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. This filter is particularly useful when working with JavaScript, as it allows you to pass data from your Liquid template to your JavaScript code.

Common use cases for the "json" filter

Here are some common use cases where the "json" filter can be especially useful:

1. Passing data to JavaScript: By using the "json" filter, you can pass data from your Liquid templates to your JavaScript code. This is particularly helpful when working with JavaScript libraries or frameworks like React, Vue.js, or Angular, where you need to pass data between your templates and your client-side components.
2. Working with AJAX: The "json" filter is ideal for sending and receiving data between your Liquid templates and your server using AJAX. JSON is a popular format for sending and receiving data asynchronously between the browser and the server.
3. Creating configuration objects: You can use the "json" filter to create configuration objects in your JavaScript code. This is particularly useful when you need to set global settings or pass data to third-party scripts.

How to render React components on a Shopify page using the "json" filter

To render a React component on a Shopify page, you'll need to follow these steps:

1. Create a React component
2. Include the React and ReactDOM libraries on your Shopify page
3. Pass data from your Liquid template to your React component using the "json" filter
4. Render the React component on your Shopify page

1. Create a React component

First, you'll need to create a React component. In this example, we'll create a simple ProductList component that displays a list of products.

const ProductList = ({ products }) => (
  <ul>
    {products.map(product => (
      <li key={product.id}>
        {product.title}
      </li>
    ))}
  </ul>
);

2. Include the React and ReactDOM libraries on your Shopify page

Next, you'll need to include the React and ReactDOM libraries on your Shopify page. You can do this by adding the following script tags to your theme.liquid file or directly in the page template you're working with:

<script crossorigin src="https://unpkg.com/react@17/umd/react.production.min.js"></script>
<script crossorigin src="https://unpkg.com/react-dom@17/umd/react-dom.production.min.js"></script>
<script crossorigin src="https://unpkg.com/@babel/standalone/babel.min.js"></script>

<div id="root"></div>

3. Pass data from your Liquid template to your React component using the "json" filter

To pass data from your Liquid template to your React component, you can use the "json" filter. This filter will convert your Liquid objects into JSON format, which can be passed as props to your React component.

<script>
  const products = {{ collections.all.products | json }};
</script>

In the example above, we're using the "json" filter to convert the "collections.all.products" Liquid object into a JSON object, which is then assigned to the "products" variable.

4. Render the React component on your Shopify page

Finally, you'll need to render your React component on your Shopify page. To do this, add a DOM element with a unique identifier where you want to render the component, and use ReactDOM.render() to render the component.

ReactDOM.render(<ProductList products={products} />, document.getElementById("root"));

In the example above, we're rendering the ProductList component inside the div with the id "root", and passing the "products" variable as a prop to the component.

By using the "json" Shopify Liquid filter, you can seamlessly integrate React components into your Shopify pages, providing a more powerful and flexible way to build interactive user interfaces for your e-commerce store. With this technique, you can take advantage of the full potential of both React and Shopify Liquid to create a unique and engaging shopping experience for your customers.