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Product Update Guide

When updating product information through the API, especially when dealing with variants, there are specific rules that must be followed to ensure successful updates.

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Key Rules for Variant Updates

  1. Maintain Original Order: The variants array must maintain the exact same order as received from Shopify
  2. Complete Array Required: You must provide the entire variants array, even when updating a single variant
  3. Position Matters: Each variant must remain in its original position in the array

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Allowed Fields

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Product Fields

You can only update these fields for products:
  • id
  • description_html (or descriptionHtml for backward compatibility)
  • variants
  • price
  • compare_at_price
  • title

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Variant Fields

You can only update these fields for variants:
  • id
  • price
  • compare_at_price
  • title

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Examples

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❌ Incorrect Approach

This will not work - sending only the variant you want to update: 
window.tolstoyWidget.postMessage({
  product: {
    id: "prod_123",
    variants: [
      {
        id: "var_2", // Second variant
        price: 29.99,
      },
    ],
  },
  eventName: "tolstoy_product_update",
});

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✅ Correct Approach

Do this - send all variants in their original order: 
window.tolstoyWidget.postMessage({
  product: {
    id: "prod_123",
    title: "Updated Product Title",
    description_html: "<p>New product description</p>",
    variants: [
      {
        id: "var_1", // Include first variant even if unchanged
      },
      {
        id: "var_2",
        price: 29.99, // Your update here
      },
      {
        id: "var_3", // Include third variant even if unchanged
      },
    ],
  },
  eventName: "tolstoy_product_update",
});

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Important Notes

  • Variant Order: Must exactly match what you received from Shopify
  • All Variants Required: Include all variants in the array, even ones you’re not updating
  • Minimal Updates: For unchanged variants, you only need to include their id
  • Field Validation: Including fields not listed in the allowed fields will cause the update to fail

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Best Practice Example

Here’s a complete example showing how to properly update a variant: 
// Original product from Shopify has 3 variants
const originalVariants = [
  { id: "var_1", title: "Small", price: 19.99 },
  { id: "var_2", title: "Medium", price: 19.99 },
  { id: "var_3", title: "Large", price: 19.99 },
];

// To update product title and medium variant's price
window.tolstoyWidget.postMessage({
  product: {
    id: "prod_123",
    title: "Updated Product Name",
    variants: [
      { id: "var_1" }, // Keep first variant
      { id: "var_2", price: 24.99, title: "Medium Updated" }, // Update second variant
      { id: "var_3" }, // Keep third variant
    ],
  },
  eventName: "tolstoy_product_update",
});